reads_vicariously's review
3.0
Lots of atmosphere, imagery, and terror in such a short amount of pages! I really liked how the ghosts would just pop up out of nowhere and instantly turn any scene into a fright-filled nightmare, keeping me on my toes as I read. The character Helena is also a relatable and engaging protagonist, with a lot of mystery around her that was fun to try and figure out
I did feel a little lost with some of the other characters, and it took me about halfway through to get a handle on who everyone is. Some scenes and pacing seem choppy, and sometimes there are just too many descriptive phrases and strange word choices. But all of these qualms vanished, or moved to the background, in the second half of the book where things really picked up for me. Overall it’s an interesting (if occasionally confusing) story with some truly creepy scenes! Would be interested in seeing what this author comes out with next!
I did feel a little lost with some of the other characters, and it took me about halfway through to get a handle on who everyone is. Some scenes and pacing seem choppy, and sometimes there are just too many descriptive phrases and strange word choices. But all of these qualms vanished, or moved to the background, in the second half of the book where things really picked up for me. Overall it’s an interesting (if occasionally confusing) story with some truly creepy scenes! Would be interested in seeing what this author comes out with next!
theliteraryhooker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
While I loved the gothic atmosphere and thought the overall idea was excellent, I struggled with the writing. Smith can clearly write beautiful prose, however this book desperately needed another round of editing. Some phrases were used so frequently that it started completely pulling me out of the story when I came across them, and there are a lot of typos. I'm always willing to cut indie books a little more slack in the typo department, but when certain phrases start distracting me from the plot because it's all my brain can focus on, it becomes a problem. I also wish Helena's powers had been more fleshed out. Still, I'm excited to read more of Smith's work as she clearly has the potential behind her ideas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Mental illness
Minor: Confinement and Death of parent
discoharpy's review
2.0
I struggled with this book. We do not always need three adjectives or a metaphor of something to describe everything in this book. I wasn't very happy with the ending either. Overall I was just kind of disappointed and bored.
spooky_librarian's review
4.0
“What kind of woman has a fascination with death?”
•
I adore gothic literature. I’ve loved it ever since I was a young girl deep in the pages of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Give me brooding gentlemen and dark manors. Give me black lace and grieving ghosts. I want lovers scorned and haunting secrets. I LOVE gothic fiction. Claire L Smith’s HELENA was no exception to that love.
•
Smith’s book introduces us to Helena Morrigan, a struggling mortician and funeral director in the 19th century who is constantly haunted by the dead! Business is low for Helena until she takes up residence with the orphaned Tarter siblings, whose home is closer to the cemetery. When it is learned that a serial killer is on the loose, leaving a trail of brutalized bodies that boosts Helena’s business as well as fears, an alarming murder mystery unfolds.
•
As thin of a book as it is, I felt HELENA to be a slow-burn in the best way. The story never felt rushed and the characters were well developed for only 141 pages. Smith’s writing is heavy with macabre imagery—lost spirits grotesque in appearance and corpses missing their innards—which was an excellent addition to a slowly unraveling murder mystery I was itching to see resolved by the final pages. Honestly my only complaint is that I wish the book had been longer so I could’ve gotten to know Helena better! As the leading lady, I found her intriguing with her haunted past, her personal familiarity with death, and her confidence within her profession. Omens, nightmares, disemboweled corpses, paranormal activity and a mystery to be solved, HELENA is a must read for lovers of gothic horror and it comes out October 13th!
•
(Special thanks to CLASH Books, Night Worms, and Claire L. Smith for the opportunity to review this book!) #NightWormsBookParty
•
I adore gothic literature. I’ve loved it ever since I was a young girl deep in the pages of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Give me brooding gentlemen and dark manors. Give me black lace and grieving ghosts. I want lovers scorned and haunting secrets. I LOVE gothic fiction. Claire L Smith’s HELENA was no exception to that love.
•
Smith’s book introduces us to Helena Morrigan, a struggling mortician and funeral director in the 19th century who is constantly haunted by the dead! Business is low for Helena until she takes up residence with the orphaned Tarter siblings, whose home is closer to the cemetery. When it is learned that a serial killer is on the loose, leaving a trail of brutalized bodies that boosts Helena’s business as well as fears, an alarming murder mystery unfolds.
•
As thin of a book as it is, I felt HELENA to be a slow-burn in the best way. The story never felt rushed and the characters were well developed for only 141 pages. Smith’s writing is heavy with macabre imagery—lost spirits grotesque in appearance and corpses missing their innards—which was an excellent addition to a slowly unraveling murder mystery I was itching to see resolved by the final pages. Honestly my only complaint is that I wish the book had been longer so I could’ve gotten to know Helena better! As the leading lady, I found her intriguing with her haunted past, her personal familiarity with death, and her confidence within her profession. Omens, nightmares, disemboweled corpses, paranormal activity and a mystery to be solved, HELENA is a must read for lovers of gothic horror and it comes out October 13th!
•
(Special thanks to CLASH Books, Night Worms, and Claire L. Smith for the opportunity to review this book!) #NightWormsBookParty
oddly's review
3.0
This is an atmospheric and lushly written novella that mixes the Gothic supernatural with a serial killer.
For such a small book, Smith manages to pack in quite a lot of story. Helena is an interesting and well-rounded character who is independent and self-assured despite those around her being put out by her job as a mortician.
It was easy in reading this to get swept away by the prose, which is very flowery and descriptive. I felt of two minds about this; on the one hand, Smith is a talented writer with an eye for description. The sections with ghostly visitations are especially creepy and almost fever-dreamlike in delivery. But on the other hand, the style sometimes impeded my understanding of what was actually going on in the story.
What I most appreciated about this novella was its mixing of the conventional and the completely unique. If you love Gothic tales, this one will appeal to you in both substance and style, but it will also surprise you.
My thanks to Clash Books for my copy of this one to read and review.
For such a small book, Smith manages to pack in quite a lot of story. Helena is an interesting and well-rounded character who is independent and self-assured despite those around her being put out by her job as a mortician.
It was easy in reading this to get swept away by the prose, which is very flowery and descriptive. I felt of two minds about this; on the one hand, Smith is a talented writer with an eye for description. The sections with ghostly visitations are especially creepy and almost fever-dreamlike in delivery. But on the other hand, the style sometimes impeded my understanding of what was actually going on in the story.
What I most appreciated about this novella was its mixing of the conventional and the completely unique. If you love Gothic tales, this one will appeal to you in both substance and style, but it will also surprise you.
My thanks to Clash Books for my copy of this one to read and review.
greyxwaren's review
5.0
"The open sky grumbled like an empty belly, the blotchy grey clouds smothering the blue behind it..."
Aside from being a fantastic artist and website designer, Claire L. Smith has a gift for gothic mystery. Helena is a masterfully woven tale that follows mortician and funeral director Helena Morrigan, living on the outskirts of London in 1855. Helena (so named for the iconic My Chemical Romance song and thus one of the many details that drew me to this tale), struggling with finances and the burden of her past, takes up residence near the graveyard and finds herself in close quarters with the lost souls that seek to claim her place in the moral world. Helena unwittingly finds herself thrown into a murder mystery that threatens to expose horrific family secrets and destroy new friendships alike, and Helena seems to be the only one holding all of the clues, diverted as she strives simply to live a peaceful existence that is, in the end, hers alone.
The premise of this beautiful Gothic novel is exactly the kind of tale I would ordinarily pick up on my own, and the contents did not disappoint. Brimming with haunting imagery, nods to classic Victorian tales, compelling characters and a dark, divine sense of mystery that spellbinds from beginning to end, Smith combines lyrical prose with vivid imagery and a driving narrative to create a spectacular, timeless work, outdone perhaps only by Helena's fascinating and epigrammatic character.
A few of my favorite touches (without spoiling the mystery) were the wonderful and characteristically secretive Victorian lesbian representation, and the nods to the classic Frankenstein, as well as the symbolic use of ravens throughout.
I only wish I could explore this work again for the first time. Beautiful and encompassing, I would deeply recommend this to fans of Gothic mystery, lovers of Mary Shelley, devotees of MCR, and anyone who feels innately drawn to a good story. I'm glad to have picked this up, and highly recommend checking out the rest of Clash's published selection as well.
Aside from being a fantastic artist and website designer, Claire L. Smith has a gift for gothic mystery. Helena is a masterfully woven tale that follows mortician and funeral director Helena Morrigan, living on the outskirts of London in 1855. Helena (so named for the iconic My Chemical Romance song and thus one of the many details that drew me to this tale), struggling with finances and the burden of her past, takes up residence near the graveyard and finds herself in close quarters with the lost souls that seek to claim her place in the moral world. Helena unwittingly finds herself thrown into a murder mystery that threatens to expose horrific family secrets and destroy new friendships alike, and Helena seems to be the only one holding all of the clues, diverted as she strives simply to live a peaceful existence that is, in the end, hers alone.
The premise of this beautiful Gothic novel is exactly the kind of tale I would ordinarily pick up on my own, and the contents did not disappoint. Brimming with haunting imagery, nods to classic Victorian tales, compelling characters and a dark, divine sense of mystery that spellbinds from beginning to end, Smith combines lyrical prose with vivid imagery and a driving narrative to create a spectacular, timeless work, outdone perhaps only by Helena's fascinating and epigrammatic character.
A few of my favorite touches (without spoiling the mystery) were the wonderful and characteristically secretive Victorian lesbian representation, and the nods to the classic Frankenstein, as well as the symbolic use of ravens throughout.
I only wish I could explore this work again for the first time. Beautiful and encompassing, I would deeply recommend this to fans of Gothic mystery, lovers of Mary Shelley, devotees of MCR, and anyone who feels innately drawn to a good story. I'm glad to have picked this up, and highly recommend checking out the rest of Clash's published selection as well.
readingvicariously's review
3.0
Lots of atmosphere, imagery, and terror in such a short amount of pages! I really liked how the ghosts would just pop up out of nowhere and instantly turn any scene into a fright-filled nightmare, keeping me on my toes as I read. The character Helena is also a relatable and engaging protagonist, with a lot of mystery around her that was fun to try and figure out
I did feel a little lost with some of the other characters, and it took me about halfway through to get a handle on who everyone is. Some scenes and pacing seem choppy, and sometimes there are just too many descriptive phrases and strange word choices. But all of these qualms vanished, or moved to the background, in the second half of the book where things really picked up for me. Overall it’s an interesting (if occasionally confusing) story with some truly creepy scenes! Would be interested in seeing what this author comes out with next!
I did feel a little lost with some of the other characters, and it took me about halfway through to get a handle on who everyone is. Some scenes and pacing seem choppy, and sometimes there are just too many descriptive phrases and strange word choices. But all of these qualms vanished, or moved to the background, in the second half of the book where things really picked up for me. Overall it’s an interesting (if occasionally confusing) story with some truly creepy scenes! Would be interested in seeing what this author comes out with next!
ghostlydreamer's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. For it being so short, I felt like most of the details it needed to be a cohesive story were there. There were times I was a bit confused though and could have used more description, not about how Helena was feeling or what she was looking at (all of which is excellently done), but about the plot itself.
On that note, I finished the book feeling mildly confused and full of questions. I'm not sure if this is because I missed crucial details in my reading (particularly during the climax) or if I simply had a harder time wrapping my mind around what happened than I expected to.
Also, when you read the description, it says Helena has to tame and free the spirits by her home. By the end, I think I finally understood how she did that. But I would have liked to know why it needed to be done. Why it was Helena who needed to do it.
Despite any qualms I had with the book, however, these weren't things that actually annoyed me to the point of distate. I found myself liking Helena, Audrey, and Eric. If the book were longer, we could have gotten to know them even deeper. But it did a great job considering it's length. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the descriptions in the book. And for a book this short and of the gothic fiction genre, I think the unanswered questions and slight confusion are typical and expected, and aren't things to condemn too harshly. At least in this case. I also liked that we discovered bits and pieces of Helena's past overtime, and how that served a purpose in the plot and helped create that atmosphere. Because we could have been given an information dump, and I'm glad we weren't.
I only wish it had been longer. I'd have liked more details in certain scenes. And while I mention part of that is because clarity would have been nice, the other part of that is that I simply enjoyed the book and would have liked more of it.
On that note, I finished the book feeling mildly confused and full of questions. I'm not sure if this is because I missed crucial details in my reading (particularly during the climax) or if I simply had a harder time wrapping my mind around what happened than I expected to.
Also, when you read the description, it says Helena has to tame and free the spirits by her home. By the end, I think I finally understood how she did that. But I would have liked to know why it needed to be done. Why it was Helena who needed to do it.
Despite any qualms I had with the book, however, these weren't things that actually annoyed me to the point of distate. I found myself liking Helena, Audrey, and Eric. If the book were longer, we could have gotten to know them even deeper. But it did a great job considering it's length. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the descriptions in the book. And for a book this short and of the gothic fiction genre, I think the unanswered questions and slight confusion are typical and expected, and aren't things to condemn too harshly. At least in this case. I also liked that we discovered bits and pieces of Helena's past overtime, and how that served a purpose in the plot and helped create that atmosphere. Because we could have been given an information dump, and I'm glad we weren't.
I only wish it had been longer. I'd have liked more details in certain scenes. And while I mention part of that is because clarity would have been nice, the other part of that is that I simply enjoyed the book and would have liked more of it.
axxias's review
3.0
This book was a fun read! It could've definitely used another round of both developmental and copy editing. Some descriptions were way too excessive in their drama and redundancy, while typos were a bit abundant. Like I said, one more round of editing would've perfected it!
ohhdeanna's review
2.5
2.5 stars.
Originally a three but the more I had time to think about it, the more I realised I didn't really enjoy it. It was difficult to follow and kind of repetitive in places. I don't know if it's just me but I got confused reading a few passages. Highlights were the female characters, I thought they were well written. I don't know if this is one of the those books that I need to re-read to really grasp, I'd be willing to give this another go as I really liked the premise.
Originally a three but the more I had time to think about it, the more I realised I didn't really enjoy it. It was difficult to follow and kind of repetitive in places. I don't know if it's just me but I got confused reading a few passages. Highlights were the female characters, I thought they were well written. I don't know if this is one of the those books that I need to re-read to really grasp, I'd be willing to give this another go as I really liked the premise.