gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I loved reading this book. The characters are so much fun, and the plot lends itself to feel more like a historical mystery feel than a historical magical realism. The magical realism you get doesn't overwhelm, but it is used to help set the mood and tone of the story.
The cast of characters are from all walks of life ad backgrounds. All of them have their own stories to tell, which made the interactions a lot more compelling as you start to theories who they are, where they come from, and what they are hiding.
The story also lends itself to a bit of theorising what was happening and even second guessing myself about it being a magical realism. This book did a lot of setup for the series, but also worked its own plot. It feels like it was written like a prequel, especially the with the ending.
I am very excited to pick up the sequel and see where this story goes. I recommend this for anyone who wants to read a historical book with gothic vibes. It does an excellent job of setting that sort of tone and mood.
The cast of characters are from all walks of life ad backgrounds. All of them have their own stories to tell, which made the interactions a lot more compelling as you start to theories who they are, where they come from, and what they are hiding.
The story also lends itself to a bit of theorising what was happening and even second guessing myself about it being a magical realism. This book did a lot of setup for the series, but also worked its own plot. It feels like it was written like a prequel, especially the with the ending.
I am very excited to pick up the sequel and see where this story goes. I recommend this for anyone who wants to read a historical book with gothic vibes. It does an excellent job of setting that sort of tone and mood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Slavery, Xenophobia, and Racism
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I found the characters the most interesting part of this story. If you have a preference for more action packed books that are fast paced, this book may not be for you. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue involving mysterious murders occurring in New Orleans in the late 1800s. There is a significant amount of time, especially in the first half of the book, dedicated to character development and their relationships with each other. I think this was a good choice because by the time you find out more about the murders you are emotionally invested in what happens to the characters. There are a lot of mixed and ethnically diverse characters from different countries in the story. In a lot of books with historical settings most characters, if not all, are white, so it was great to see the existence of people of color not be something that was ignored. In fact, most prominent characters in the story are mixed race/people of color. They also aren't represented as servants or of a subservient class. I think with historical fiction a lot of authors ignore the fact that there were people of color in the past who were: white passing, were freed slaves, or had enough privilege or power to be able to live in certain social circles. It was refreshing to see a lot of these characters struggle with their racial identity within the context of the book's time period. It gives a very realistic depiction of what that must have been like for a lot of mixed race people. I was easily able to relate to it as mixed Afro-Latinx person myself.
The characters have flaws and feel like real people. They also have different levels of privilege and there is a particular part in the book where a character's privilege is pointed out. This scene in the book was one of my favorites because it appropriately made it clear that this individual had not recognized their privilege before the inciting incident in this scene. Despite this, it is clear that they are not a bad person because of it. A lot of people in real life don't recognize their privilege until they are called out on it, and it just means they made an honest mistake. Ahdieh did an amazing job giving nuance to both characters in the situation while still making social commentary within the story.
There is more than one perspective in the book and it switches back and forth between the main characters and the murderer in question. The perspective you get from the murderer makes the villain incredibly compelling and is part of what kept reeled into the story. Despite the slow pacing, the perspective from the villain was like an intermittent reminder that there was a looming danger within the story. You also don't get enough hints to accurately be able to point out an obvious culprit for the murders, so the story left me at the edge of my seat the whole time.
As for the romance, the slower pacing let us get to know Celine and Bastian really well. Both of them have interesting backstories and the historical context of the story plays a role in their decisions they make about the relationship. I like that the historical context wasn't ignored because it helped me stay invested in the story. Bastian is also just charming and likeable and his interactions with Celine are always fun to see.
Overall, if you're into murder/mystery and historical fiction, this is something I think you would enjoy. Don't expect vampires to be in the forefront of the book, it is something that is mostly in the background. They aren't completely ignored, but this also isn't something I would call a vampire book.
The characters have flaws and feel like real people. They also have different levels of privilege and there is a particular part in the book where a character's privilege is pointed out. This scene in the book was one of my favorites because it appropriately made it clear that this individual had not recognized their privilege before the inciting incident in this scene. Despite this, it is clear that they are not a bad person because of it. A lot of people in real life don't recognize their privilege until they are called out on it, and it just means they made an honest mistake. Ahdieh did an amazing job giving nuance to both characters in the situation while still making social commentary within the story.
There is more than one perspective in the book and it switches back and forth between the main characters and the murderer in question. The perspective you get from the murderer makes the villain incredibly compelling and is part of what kept reeled into the story. Despite the slow pacing, the perspective from the villain was like an intermittent reminder that there was a looming danger within the story. You also don't get enough hints to accurately be able to point out an obvious culprit for the murders, so the story left me at the edge of my seat the whole time.
As for the romance, the slower pacing let us get to know Celine and Bastian really well. Both of them have interesting backstories and the historical context of the story plays a role in their decisions they make about the relationship. I like that the historical context wasn't ignored because it helped me stay invested in the story. Bastian is also just charming and likeable and his interactions with Celine are always fun to see.
Overall, if you're into murder/mystery and historical fiction, this is something I think you would enjoy. Don't expect vampires to be in the forefront of the book, it is something that is mostly in the background. They aren't completely ignored, but this also isn't something I would call a vampire book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Stalking, Sexism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Slavery and Gore
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