Reviews tagging 'Death'

House of Shadows by Darcy Coates

2 reviews

blewballoon's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Hmm, I think this is my least favorite Darcy Coates book so far. I will say that her writing is always fairly straightforward, and maybe a little cliche, but the simplistic writing style hadn't bothered me before. It feels lower quality here, maybe being in a historical setting makes the writing seem weaker because it sounds too modern? The story is a combo of Rebecca and Crimson Peak, but more rushed and with less nuance than either. It did shock me at one point though
when the completely evil aunt just point blank shoots the friendly maid and kills her.
The romance didn't work for me, either. I'm going to read the sequel anyway, because I have it and I didn't hate this, but if you asked me for a Darcy Coates recommendation, it would be another book for sure. 
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boredwiththislifetime's review

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adventurous dark mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Objectively, it's nothing special. several instances where Joseph "chuckled" and Sophie s-stuttered l-like th-this. The plot was good, though, and the characters grabbed me in their arms and wouldn't let me go. An abundance of ghosts and cryptids and spooky things--exactly what I'd hoped for. A chilling and (almost) satisfying ending that sets up the sequel well. I may be at a low point in my life, but I finished this in one day and I'm desperate to get my hands on the finale. 
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