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lallie91's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nolanm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Diving into Ward's work after being absolutely blown away by Needless Street, it was pretty much a guarantee that book would be impossible to top. So I'm not surprised that I was cooler on her debut novel, which I found didn't quite pull off it's multi-POV, time-jumping story with any amount of deftness.
Not to say there aren't moments where Ward's strengths as an author shine through - moments of revelation that make you groan in anguish and bittersweet revelations where everything clicks into place beautifully and painfully. Definitely not where I'd recommend people start with her books, but still a worthwhile read.
Not to say there aren't moments where Ward's strengths as an author shine through - moments of revelation that make you groan in anguish and bittersweet revelations where everything clicks into place beautifully and painfully. Definitely not where I'd recommend people start with her books, but still a worthwhile read.
melsbookshelves03's review against another edition
4.25
4.25 rounding down to 4 for GoodReads. This was a fantastic novel and one that will probably be even better on a reread. I decided to listen to this one on audiobook and the audiobook was narrated phenomenally but I don’t think it is the best way to grasp all the tiny details of this story. I think a reread of this one physically could bump it up to a five star read. Ward has a way of weaving in these details that change the way I think about reading a story and her ends always come with some shocking revelation that causes me to reevaluate the entire novel. A standout for me while reading this one was the atmosphere. Most of the novel takes place in the late 1800s and early 1900s and I really felt that while listening. Ward captured the gothic novel atmosphere perfectly with one. I am very much looking forward to anything she writes next!
sapien85's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
katcanwrite's review against another edition
The TWISTS! I kept gasping with revelations in the last hour.
magbb's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
spookybeth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.75
divinemaddy's review against another edition
3.0
I have many opinions and mixed feelings about this book.
At first, it was hard to get into as the first protagonist Iris kind of speaks in riddles. The book then follows several other narrators as the book progresses, and you will see why.
To explain the plot with the least amount of spoilers possible, Rawblood is the house where people go to die. Anyone that marries into the Villacra family or even falls in love with one will soon die. It is a literary gothic horror novel, with a non-linear timeline and an undeniable potential.
Many other narrators speak in riddles, and this coupled with the intense imagery and vivid illustrations made the book hard to comprehend. I got the big picture, but half the time I wasn’t sure what was going on and half the dialogue felt pointless.
I was very interested 50 pages into the book and by the end the suspicion fell flat and the ending was quite anticlimactic. The ending was somewhat predictable, and for what it’s worth, not scary at all.
This novel feels like something I would have had to read in my advanced high school english class as the entire book is basically it’s own allegory with a lot of room for interpretation and analyzation.
Overall, I think this book was average and could have done more. It put me into a reading slump. That being said, I powered through. I also think it would translate well to the big screen. 3.5 if goodreads allowed.
*Somewhat spoiler ahead*
The novel has the slightest hint of queer characters that inevitably die, killing your spirit with you. I am rooting for Charles and Alonso in the afterlife.
At first, it was hard to get into as the first protagonist Iris kind of speaks in riddles. The book then follows several other narrators as the book progresses, and you will see why.
To explain the plot with the least amount of spoilers possible, Rawblood is the house where people go to die. Anyone that marries into the Villacra family or even falls in love with one will soon die. It is a literary gothic horror novel, with a non-linear timeline and an undeniable potential.
Many other narrators speak in riddles, and this coupled with the intense imagery and vivid illustrations made the book hard to comprehend. I got the big picture, but half the time I wasn’t sure what was going on and half the dialogue felt pointless.
I was very interested 50 pages into the book and by the end the suspicion fell flat and the ending was quite anticlimactic. The ending was somewhat predictable, and for what it’s worth, not scary at all.
This novel feels like something I would have had to read in my advanced high school english class as the entire book is basically it’s own allegory with a lot of room for interpretation and analyzation.
Overall, I think this book was average and could have done more. It put me into a reading slump. That being said, I powered through. I also think it would translate well to the big screen. 3.5 if goodreads allowed.
*Somewhat spoiler ahead*
The novel has the slightest hint of queer characters that inevitably die, killing your spirit with you. I am rooting for Charles and Alonso in the afterlife.
duncanvb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cait_henry56's review against another edition
3.0
I've been on a Catriona Ward kick, so it's been interesting to go back to her debut novel, which felt like exactly that. A little rough, certainly meandering, but the promise of future works shown through in what would eventually become, in my opinion, calling cards of Ward's work: expertise in nonlinear storytelling and truly surprising twists. As for Rawblood, I only recommend it if you are explicitly seeking out to read all of Ward's work. If not, when her second book Little Eve tightens her craft while providing the historic gothic meditations that are both centerpieces of her early work that l, frankly, I am glad Ward strayed from since as beautiful as the prose is, overall I believe it weakens the intrigue and slowly building terror that works so well (and now that I think of it, this historic yet muddling bent is also what I disliked most about Looking Glass Sound). From someone who has devoured all of Ward's books, my top recommendations are the Sundial and Last House on Needless Street, and Little Eve; Rawblood brings up the rear with Looking Glass Sound as meditations that meander for too long.