Reviews

this had like actual spooky vibes to it. i feel like some books that are advertised as spooky only have a scene sprinkled in n that's it but this book got the eerie atmosphere down when it had to be

ik that the romance was inevitable but gosh darn it I was really looking forward to just them being mates. it also felt a little just like...thrown in there with the twist. i figured that ppl weren't actually dead but it also felt really rushed?

good, solid book will definitely be recommending but it wasn't a "wow!" factor one for me

leelee88's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.5

mibarros's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

elle_e_d_light's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

abirami_perry17's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-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

4.0

I was looking for a book for spooky season. A Dreadful Splendor sounded like it would suffice. It had a medium in a haunted house, a dead ingenue, an inheritance on the line, and the tides coming in at the seaside home and practically lapping at the walls of the estate.

It would have made an excellent black and white movie, barely lit by lamplight and covered in seaweed. It was very moody, and the vibes were there.

The plot was predictable. The characters were archetypes. The pacing was uneven. But my biggest issue was the transitions between the diary entries and the MC POV. They were too similar, and I would often forget which one I was in. I relied heavily on context clues to figure out who was speaking. But by then, I was pulled out of the story.

I listened to the audio book, and perhaps on the page, it's clearer. Overall, this was a nice atmospheric read and not a bad edition to my fall reading.

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