victoria92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jgrey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mrears0_0's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
enjoyed however possibly the laziest ending I have ever seen
‘Is that all? That is all. Is there no explanation of the mystery of the haunted hotel? Ask yourself if there is any explanation of the mystery of your own life and death - Farewell’
Spoiler
‘Is that all? That is all. Is there no explanation of the mystery of the haunted hotel? Ask yourself if there is any explanation of the mystery of your own life and death - Farewell’
readbyjoey's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second book I read by this author and I have to say it made me want to read more. The first book I read by him was 'The Moonstone' and with that book it became obvious from quite early on that the book was written with a different type of reader in mind. That is not the case with this book. I enjoyed it much more. I think the shorter format forced the author to condense the story and made for a faster pacing which I liked. I liked the setting of the story which I think really added to the reading experience. I also really liked the characters in this book, I think they were very well done and interesting. The gothic elements were well blended with the mistery and made for an interesting read.
kmhst25's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
emory's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
It was detrimental to my own enjoyment of this to listen to it in audio format... I lost the thread in several places, including the most interesting monologues by the main villain.
On the topic of the main villain, I was not convinced of her wickedness that all the characters seemed sure of, so that nagged at me throughout. I was not convinced of much of any of the characters at all really. Though it's mostly driven through dialogue and interactions, the characters aren't very strong. That may just be the large cast that seems so typical of older novels.
It was very beautiful and engrossing writing, and the dialogue is very charming. The ending was clever, but I feel like it was missing a lot of buildup. I wasn't aware that Wilkie Collins was a famous author when I picked this one up randomly, so I'm interested in reading his more well known works.
On the topic of the main villain, I was not convinced of her wickedness that all the characters seemed sure of, so that nagged at me throughout. I was not convinced of much of any of the characters at all really. Though it's mostly driven through dialogue and interactions, the characters aren't very strong. That may just be the large cast that seems so typical of older novels.
It was very beautiful and engrossing writing, and the dialogue is very charming. The ending was clever, but I feel like it was missing a lot of buildup. I wasn't aware that Wilkie Collins was a famous author when I picked this one up randomly, so I'm interested in reading his more well known works.
kba76's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Wilkie Collins is one of the Victorian writers at the fore of mystery writing. The Haunted Hotel incorporates many of the Gothic elements I would have expected from Collins, while also making use of some of the more modern mystery elements.
Much of the story focuses on the mysterious Palace Hotel and whether there is more to the deaths/disappearances that seem to take place there. We are relayed the story by key characters on the outskirts of events, and this leads to a certain level of detachment that makes it hard to move past.
The characters are not particularly likeable, and though we are encouraged to feel for some more than others, the lack of development - and perhaps the social conventions of the time impacting their interactions - made this quite a hard story to really get involved in.
Much of the story focuses on the mysterious Palace Hotel and whether there is more to the deaths/disappearances that seem to take place there. We are relayed the story by key characters on the outskirts of events, and this leads to a certain level of detachment that makes it hard to move past.
The characters are not particularly likeable, and though we are encouraged to feel for some more than others, the lack of development - and perhaps the social conventions of the time impacting their interactions - made this quite a hard story to really get involved in.
debjazzergal's review against another edition
4.0
A fun gothic read. While not his most famous book, it's completely enjoyable.
b_ruizmartin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0