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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, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, and Murder
xx_andrea_xx's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
nikki_in_niagara's review
3.0
Saige Wolvercraft has returned to the family manor for the wedding of her brother. Paige has a chequered background of mental health breaks, thus her family treats her with kid gloves. Right away she sees the manor ghost who she thinks is going to kill her brother's fiance, Zoe. This is just the beginning of her ghostly encounters, the reason her family has had her committed in the past.
This was ok for me. I liked the ghost, horror, and gothic vibes but the romance annoyed me. It is an enemies-to-lovers trope and all the miscommunications and things left unsaid just plain bothered me. The spooky manor and finding out about the ghosts' identities in life along with the cause of their deaths was a lot of fun. The writing is simple but suits the story. An engrossing read and I'd read the author again.
This was ok for me. I liked the ghost, horror, and gothic vibes but the romance annoyed me. It is an enemies-to-lovers trope and all the miscommunications and things left unsaid just plain bothered me. The spooky manor and finding out about the ghosts' identities in life along with the cause of their deaths was a lot of fun. The writing is simple but suits the story. An engrossing read and I'd read the author again.
bookdrgn's review
5.0
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The mystery surrounding the curse was interesting. Saige's family were infuriating. Utterly infuriating.
I wish Jasper had told them she hadn't imagined their entire relationship. He was kind of cowardly.
Saige is a great character. Unfairly tormented but strong and determined.
I don't know if Anna's chapters were necessary to the plot, although it was important information that could have been summarised so readers could get to the intense ending.
I received a copy of this via Librarything, and all opinions are my own.
I wish Jasper had told them she hadn't imagined their entire relationship. He was kind of cowardly.
Saige is a great character. Unfairly tormented but strong and determined.
I don't know if Anna's chapters were necessary to the plot, although it was important information that could have been summarised so readers could get to the intense ending.
I received a copy of this via Librarything, and all opinions are my own.