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leonix's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I loved the film parts, I really like when the book acknowledged Black Sunday as an influence, and I like the idea of the atmosphere of the movie affected the main character and made her paranoid.
At first I liked that Silvia was overly emotional, because I really bought her as a scream queen(bc she screams so much and not even for the movie lmao)
Bit I think my sympathy for her waned over the 60% because her paranoia and impulsiveness was such a struggle. Also her romance ....I didn't liked how the conflict was done, it was so immature! And I like to think she was supposed to be, a very naive and emotional girl who is the perfect protagonist for a gothic film, but the narration would constantly talk how she had to deal with so much in her life and it felt a bit inconsistent, or she is naive and emotional to the point of running away on foot through the town bc shes scared, or she's well learned in the business and had to suffer through many shit over the years as a actress and single mother...
The mystery was so telegraphed it was almost funny also. Overall i had fun in my nights reading but not that exciting
At first I liked that Silvia was overly emotional, because I really bought her as a scream queen(bc she screams so much and not even for the movie lmao)
Bit I think my sympathy for her waned over the 60% because her paranoia and impulsiveness was such a struggle. Also her romance ....I didn't liked how the conflict was done, it was so immature! And I like to think she was supposed to be, a very naive and emotional girl who is the perfect protagonist for a gothic film, but the narration would constantly talk how she had to deal with so much in her life and it felt a bit inconsistent, or she is naive and emotional to the point of running away on foot through the town bc shes scared, or she's well learned in the business and had to suffer through many shit over the years as a actress and single mother...
The mystery was so telegraphed it was almost funny also. Overall i had fun in my nights reading but not that exciting
bookreviewsbyjules's review against another edition
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me in exchange of my honest review. This is a book that I thought I would enjoy based on the cover and the description. However, when reading this book, the story unfortunately fell flat. With that being said, I am open to reading this book again in the future, with the hope that it might be a better experience. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this book in exchange of my honest review.
My insta/bookstagram is @bookreviewsbyjules
My blog is bookreviewsbyjules.blogspot.com
My insta/bookstagram is @bookreviewsbyjules
My blog is bookreviewsbyjules.blogspot.com
bookreviewsbyjules's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me in exchange of my honest review.
This is a book that I thought I would enjoy based on the cover and the description. However, when reading this book, the story unfortunately fell flat. With that being said, I am open to reading this book again in the future, with the hope that it might be a better experience.
My blog is https://bookreviewsbyjules.blogspot.com/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/44083250-julia
Instagram/bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/bookreviewsbyjules/
Thank you!
This is a book that I thought I would enjoy based on the cover and the description. However, when reading this book, the story unfortunately fell flat. With that being said, I am open to reading this book again in the future, with the hope that it might be a better experience.
My blog is https://bookreviewsbyjules.blogspot.com/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/44083250-julia
Instagram/bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/bookreviewsbyjules/
Thank you!
meeranair_54's review against another edition
3.0
Single mom and aspiring actress, Silvia Whitford has no alternative but to knock on her estranged aunt’s doors, seeking help.
When a film crew arrives at her aunt’s castle, Silvia knows she must get the job. But as the filming begins, the horror movie she is a cast of pales in comparison to the terrors that lurk in the castle.
A gothic historical fiction novel set in a castle with themes of mystery? I couldn’t have been more excited about this!
The story is set in the 1960s in Italy. Kelsey James makes good use of the setting and the culture of the land to add layers to the plot progression.
From the dilapidated castle to the disinterest of the locals, the author engineers every possible path to distance Silvia and the film crew from the rest of the town. And it works to a certain extent in adding to her helplessness.
Silvia’s character brings an interesting perspective to the story, that of a mother who is ready to do anything to fend for her child but is struggling to find the means to a stable livelihood.
Moreover, her job as an actress also intrigued me in the way it plays out. You can clearly see that the author has intended for us to draw parallels between Silvia’s life and Bianca’s (the character she is enacting).
Up until the 30% mark, the story doesn’t move forward all that much. Then suddenly, many plot points surface.
But even after that, I felt that... Read the rest of the review on my blog
When a film crew arrives at her aunt’s castle, Silvia knows she must get the job. But as the filming begins, the horror movie she is a cast of pales in comparison to the terrors that lurk in the castle.
A gothic historical fiction novel set in a castle with themes of mystery? I couldn’t have been more excited about this!
The story is set in the 1960s in Italy. Kelsey James makes good use of the setting and the culture of the land to add layers to the plot progression.
From the dilapidated castle to the disinterest of the locals, the author engineers every possible path to distance Silvia and the film crew from the rest of the town. And it works to a certain extent in adding to her helplessness.
Silvia’s character brings an interesting perspective to the story, that of a mother who is ready to do anything to fend for her child but is struggling to find the means to a stable livelihood.
Moreover, her job as an actress also intrigued me in the way it plays out. You can clearly see that the author has intended for us to draw parallels between Silvia’s life and Bianca’s (the character she is enacting).
Up until the 30% mark, the story doesn’t move forward all that much. Then suddenly, many plot points surface.
But even after that, I felt that... Read the rest of the review on my blog
paohc's review
3.0
This was an entertaining book, but I have to admit it took me A WHILE to get into it. I was still wondering if I should finish it by the time I hit the 50% mark. But after that it really picked up and made the book worth it.
This is about Silvia, who is an aspiring actress and moves her daughter and mother to Italy in a last ditch effort at success. She gets cast in a horror movie which is to be filmed at her aunt’s castle, and has some creepy/gothic vibes.
I’ll admit I didn’t see the twist coming, but I feel like the premise had so much potential, yet the writing left me desiring for more ambiance, more feeling, more motives, just more.
This is about Silvia, who is an aspiring actress and moves her daughter and mother to Italy in a last ditch effort at success. She gets cast in a horror movie which is to be filmed at her aunt’s castle, and has some creepy/gothic vibes.
I’ll admit I didn’t see the twist coming, but I feel like the premise had so much potential, yet the writing left me desiring for more ambiance, more feeling, more motives, just more.
ginabelle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I really enjoyed the spooky Italian setting with castles and ghosts and a horror movie in production! I think some of the plot points fell a bit short for me and the ending felt a tad rushed, but it did tie everything up nicely and was a nice, chilling summer read.
mary_magdalyn's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.0
jordanian_reads_'s review
4.0
The Woman in the Castello successfully combines:
- An Italian setting
- Classic Hollywood film stars
- A Gothic mystery
- Family drama (and long held secrets), and
- An engaging romance
If this checks your boxes for a fun beach read, I wholly recommend you pick up Kelsey James’ new novel. I may not be headed to Italy this summer, but The Woman in the Castello let me pretend for a few hours! Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this page turner!
- An Italian setting
- Classic Hollywood film stars
- A Gothic mystery
- Family drama (and long held secrets), and
- An engaging romance
If this checks your boxes for a fun beach read, I wholly recommend you pick up Kelsey James’ new novel. I may not be headed to Italy this summer, but The Woman in the Castello let me pretend for a few hours! Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this page turner!
burghbooksandbrews's review
3.0
Have you ever had the experience while reading of “if I hadn’t read xxx book, I would probably like this one a lot more?” That was kind of my experience with this book as it is the second book I have read this year that involves the movie industry and Nazis and possible paranormal activities. Obviously I am biased in my love of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but Silver Nitrate just worked so much better for me personally.
This book follows the filming of an Italian horror movie centering on our main character, an up-and-coming actress trying to make a name for herself and support her mother and daughter. I went into this book expecting more of a historically based thriller, and while there were elements of that, a lot of this ended up being more of a family drama as our main character, Silvia, meets her mother’s estranged sister, Gabriela, and ends up filming the movie in her castle and learning her family has a lot of secrets. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I picked this one up.
My biggest issue is with the main character. She has a period in the book where she just becomes so unlikeable that I found it hard to care about her after the fact. This includes trying to guilt the guy she has been sleeping with to just be immediately okay with the fact that she has a daughter she didn’t tell him about and tries to make him the bad guy for needing time to process that. And then soon after that, she lashes out at her friend, Lucrezia (one of the characters I really liked), insinuating that she is shallow and untrustworthy for how she lives her life. I found it hard to connect with this character after this because she spent the book being so worried about how people would react to finding out she had a daughter out of wedlock but then didn’t give anyone else the same grace that she wanted.
I did love the setting of this book and really wish there had been more about the castle and the possible hauntings there as well as more about the film itself. Those parts of the story I found really interesting and engaging.
This book follows the filming of an Italian horror movie centering on our main character, an up-and-coming actress trying to make a name for herself and support her mother and daughter. I went into this book expecting more of a historically based thriller, and while there were elements of that, a lot of this ended up being more of a family drama as our main character, Silvia, meets her mother’s estranged sister, Gabriela, and ends up filming the movie in her castle and learning her family has a lot of secrets. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I picked this one up.
My biggest issue is with the main character. She has a period in the book where she just becomes so unlikeable that I found it hard to care about her after the fact. This includes trying to guilt the guy she has been sleeping with to just be immediately okay with the fact that she has a daughter she didn’t tell him about and tries to make him the bad guy for needing time to process that. And then soon after that, she lashes out at her friend, Lucrezia (one of the characters I really liked), insinuating that she is shallow and untrustworthy for how she lives her life. I found it hard to connect with this character after this because she spent the book being so worried about how people would react to finding out she had a daughter out of wedlock but then didn’t give anyone else the same grace that she wanted.
I did love the setting of this book and really wish there had been more about the castle and the possible hauntings there as well as more about the film itself. Those parts of the story I found really interesting and engaging.