Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James

1 review

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington books for the eARC of The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James! This title will be published July 25 🎉 (in time for a fantastic beach read or your spooky autumn TBR)! The following opinions are my own.

I was immediately pulled in and the descriptions made me feel like I was there walking through Italy! Loved the writing style, I was gripped the entire time and didn’t want to put it down. I especially loved the ghost stories/spooky vibes but wish there was more of the ghostly vibes throughout, they kind of end in the second half and it becomes more mystery/psychological thriller focused rather than gothic mystery.

The characters were complex and well written with some great character development by the end. I was super happy to discover my predictions weren’t right! I was completely surprised by the twists, and they were done really well. 

The ending felt slightly rushed and some things were sort of left unexplained/up to the reader to decide, which is more of a personal preference. I think the things could’ve been explained in a brief epilogue sort of chapter to wrap it up and feel more complete but based on some info I think I have an idea what the explanation was but I want to just be told sometimes 😂

Overall a fantastic read that I’ll be thinking about and recommending for foreseeable future. Definitely a favorite for the month and can’t wait to add a physical copy to my shelves at some point! Highly recommend for mystery lovers, horror movie fans, old Hollywood fans, historical fiction bookworms, or readers who enjoy dark family secrets! 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...