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bookwormabby54's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Death, and Grief
sarahhbeth_reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
“In life I was afraid. In death I am fearless. They will all pay.”
Twisted, moody, adventurous. Grotesque beauty permeates this action-packed Gothic novel. A family cursed to misery. Star-crossed lovers. A superyacht. Wolvercraft Manor is the quintessential haunted house story but with a celebrity excess lifestyle update.
There are so many plot twists in this book that it is challenging to talk about it in-depth without spoilers. As this book has not yet been released (get it May 27, 2023!), I have decided to make this a spoiler-free review.
Content Warnings: Ableism, Coerced/Forced Medication, Graphic Death, Murder, Nazis, Romaphobia, Schizophrenia, Self-Medication, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia
Summary:
Throughout her entire life, Saige Wolvercraft has felt haunted. The daughter of an extraordinarily wealthy British media mogul, Saige should be going to parties and living the A-list socialite life. Instead, miserable and isolated Saige has eschewed her family fortune and struggles to make ends meet writing for a local London magazine. Saige, understandably, has never fully recovered after witnessing her mother’s death in childhood. Furthermore, since the event, her family has treated Saige as mentally unstable, even hospitalizing her for hallucinations. And it is true that Saige sees things that others don’t—ghosts.
Now, Saige is forced to return to the historic family home, Wolvercraft Manor, for her brother Xavier’s wedding. Situated on a small island off the coast of Normandy, Wolvercraft Manor is not only the site of her mother’s death, it is where the ghosts that plagued Saige’s childhood reside. But Saige will do anything for her brother, so she puts her misgivings aside and joins the boisterous wedding party for what promises to be the celebrity event of the year. For Xavier, Saige is even willing to put up with patronizing, ignorant relatives, Xav’s scornful supermodel fiancée and her catty bridesmaids, not to mention Jasper Young, the rockstar ex who jilted Saige.
As they approach the island, a sense of foreboding warns Saige away from the manor. Saige tries to escape, but it’s no use—every hotel is booked for the wedding and a massive storm is brewing off the coast. Everyone is trapped on the island, and Saige has no choice but to stay at the manor. Just as she feared, progressively more off-putting things begin happening around the house, until one particularly frightening incident brings Saige and Jasper together. Learning that Wolvercraft Manor may be cursed, the two formerly betrothed join forces to uncover the curse’s origin. All the while, danger closes in around the wedding festivities as the stakes get higher and higher…
Where this book excelled:
Imagery: Crowe’s descriptions are truly this novel’s crown jewel. Eerie beauty contrasts with sickening imagery, modern excess with folkloric elements. This novel is beautifully set. It is such a sensory book; it would probably make an excellent movie with the audio and visual effects further amplified on screen.
Action: Fast-paced, captivating plot. The action is non-stop and the mystery intriguing. Readers will be just as desperate as the characters to unearth Wolvercraft Manor’s wicked secrets.
Tension: External factors and heightened emotions amplify fear. You know how in the Blair Witch Project they run out of cigarettes, so now they’re lost in the woods, the weather is terrible, they’re being hunted, AND they’re all going through nicotine withdrawal? Same type of thing here—family event stress, ex-fiancé stress, being in the (haunted) house where your mom died, raging storm causing power outages, all the while encountering supernatural things that would be genuinely terrifying to experience.
Vibes: Creepy, moody. Immersive in a way unique to horror and fairy tales. There’s something almost perversely cozy, reading about Saige and Jasper running through the woods in a raging storm.
Where this book struggled:
Cultural Stereotypes and Misrepresentations: Unfortunately, xenophobia is a common pillar in the horror genre because what do people fear but the unfamiliar, the misunderstood? This novel is no exception. I won’t describe the issues in detail because there is no way to talk about them without spoiling the plot. Briefly, the book plays into stereotypes/misrepresentations of Romani culture and witches. In my opinion, these details were completely unnecessary and ultimately irrelevant to the plot. I strongly disliked that the author made this part of the book and I think this choice might make the novel a do-not-read for many people. I hope that the author takes the opportunity to educate herself about why these stereotypes are harmful and avoids them in future books.
Conclusion: 3.5 Stars
This was a very difficult book to rate. While reading, I wavered between 2-4 stars. Ultimately, the book’s final climax pushed it over to 4 stars. I think a fair rating would be 3.5.
Overall, this was captivating gothic novel, dramatic and filled with haunting imagery. A little rough in places, but absorbing and entertaining. I enjoyed this book and would be interested in reading more by this author.
Scariness: Not scary. The characters experience and see very frightening things, and there is a lot of creepy imagery, but I think most people could read this book alone at night.
Romance Level: For me, peak romance is risking your life and undergoing a seemingly insurmountable trial to save your beloved. Therefore, I would consider this book highly romantic. It is not a steamy book, however.
Worth Buying/Rereading? I could see myself buying/rereading. Would I buy a copy for my horror afficionado brother? Probably not.
Star Criteria
1: Is the book engaging/enjoyable/entertaining? Yes.
2: Is the book creative? Yes.
3: Does the book offer educational value? Somewhat, yes. There are regional historical details, folkloric elements. I learned about witches’ plinths. But I also would not take any facts in this book at face value.
4. Does the book highlight underrepresented voices? No. And, again, there were issues with cultural stereotypes and misrepresentation.
5. Does the book challenge existing literary norms and tropes? Yes, I’m counting the last third of the book.
Massive thank you to NetGalley, Tangled Tree Publishing, and Cas E. Crowe for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Murder, Xenophobia, Suicide, and Torture
gus_reads's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5/5⭐
This book is a page-turner, that's undeniable. It definitely kept me hooked. However, I think it's important that readers start this history with the appropriate expectations: this a romance novel with a supernatural/gothic setting. There are a bunch of creepy scenes, ghosts, curses and scary moments, but this is mainly a love story set in a haunted house.
The overall impression that the reader has is that this is going to have a happy ending - which for me is one of the main characteristics of romance novels. Another one is strong feelings and sudden realizations/changes of mind (sometimes with little development)
Regarding the romance: the clichés would be second-chance + forced proximity + lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers. Those were well developed, I think. Romance is not one of my most common genres, but I think fans of those clichés will definitely love this book.
There were other clichés regarding the family and friends that I didn't enjoy, mainly, the "not like other girls" one and the "evil and shallow beautiful woman". Honestly, Zoe didn't need to be such a b*tch for the story to work. In general, I wish characters had been less black-and-white, with more nuances to their behaviour. At the beginning, the story looked more adult/mature, but then it becomes more new/young adult, with a lot of insights on the main character's overthinking. Also, she was SO many unjustified knowledge; sentences like "she could feel that it was true" were too frequent. It would have been more believable for me if those statements -and other explanations- weren't there. It's okay to build doubt.
That takes us to the horror story: it had some twists that I didn't expect, although I'm not a frequent reader of horror stories; probably more experienced readers would have guessed them. My impression is that many of this twists were mainly included for some shock factor, but honestly, I don't mind. They do make the reading experience agile and entertaining.
So yeah, in summary: not a complex book and it will probably disappoint readers that look strictly for horror. BUT for the rest of us, specially those who like romance, this will be an enjoyable read, perfect for spooky season o a weekend trip.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tangled Tree Publishing for the eARC!
This book is a page-turner, that's undeniable. It definitely kept me hooked. However, I think it's important that readers start this history with the appropriate expectations: this a romance novel with a supernatural/gothic setting. There are a bunch of creepy scenes, ghosts, curses and scary moments, but this is mainly a love story set in a haunted house.
The overall impression that the reader has is that this is going to have a happy ending - which for me is one of the main characteristics of romance novels. Another one is strong feelings and sudden realizations/changes of mind (sometimes with little development)
Regarding the romance: the clichés would be second-chance + forced proximity + lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers. Those were well developed, I think. Romance is not one of my most common genres, but I think fans of those clichés will definitely love this book.
There were other clichés regarding the family and friends that I didn't enjoy, mainly, the "not like other girls" one and the "evil and shallow beautiful woman". Honestly, Zoe didn't need to be such a b*tch for the story to work. In general, I wish characters had been less black-and-white, with more nuances to their behaviour. At the beginning, the story looked more adult/mature, but then it becomes more new/young adult, with a lot of insights on the main character's overthinking. Also, she was SO many unjustified knowledge; sentences like "she could feel that it was true" were too frequent. It would have been more believable for me if those statements -and other explanations- weren't there. It's okay to build doubt.
That takes us to the horror story: it had some twists that I didn't expect, although I'm not a frequent reader of horror stories; probably more experienced readers would have guessed them. My impression is that many of this twists were mainly included for some shock factor, but honestly, I don't mind. They do make the reading experience agile and entertaining.
So yeah, in summary: not a complex book and it will probably disappoint readers that look strictly for horror. BUT for the rest of us, specially those who like romance, this will be an enjoyable read, perfect for spooky season o a weekend trip.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tangled Tree Publishing for the eARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Mental illness
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