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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
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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