musebeliever's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
I never knew cosy horror was a thing, but this worked for me! Even if this first book seems like a general introduction for what is to come, the writing and dialogues are delightful and got me cackling. I am a bit sad that many plots are to be resolved later though. This is very light reading and it made my knitting session delightful. I would definitely buy more of the series on sale. The narrator is delightful, too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Violence, Gaslighting, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual harassment
swirls's review
4.0
Delightful. I caught a few minutes of the radio adaption on Radio 4 Extra and was so charmed by the concept that I sought out the actual book. It's a clever and loving homage to gothic horror that made me smile with every chapter. I find myself feeling quite fond of Brenda now. Time to order the next book!
emkovar's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
squishies's review
4.0
Some were a bit freaky (if I really thought about it) that I couldn't really read it at night. LOL. I'm such a spaz, but I did end up only reading this book during the day.^^^^I <3 Neil Gaiman =D
gavreads's review
3.0
This is one book that after I read the blurb and just had to read.
Never the Bride is set in Whitby, which is also a setting in the original vampire novel Dracula, so it’s no stranger to scenes of weirdness and Paul Magrs has made it very strange indeed. B&B landlady Brenda and her best friend Effie like mysteries. And with age reversing beauty salons, more than perfect guests, psychic investigators and games of bingo at the Christmas Hotel there is more than enough to go round.
It’s a gentle humour filled adventure that’s split into seemingly unconnected episodic chapters. Each slowly reveals more about Brenda and shows that Effie is more than a pensioner who has taken a judo class last summer.
Magrs draws on old myth and monster tales and adds a big dollop of unique twist. The strange characters he’s created seem at home and normal in the company each of them keeps. He also makes it seem that this tale could be happening in Whitby right now.
They are a quirky couple, in a quirky place, in a wonderfully entertaining tale that’s only just begun. Even though we meet a few strange characters this time there are other residents of Whitby who maybe more than they seem.
Paul Magrs has set himself up for a series with a lot of potential. I can’t wait to see what trouble Brenda and Effie get into next and how they manage to get out of it.
Never the Bride is set in Whitby, which is also a setting in the original vampire novel Dracula, so it’s no stranger to scenes of weirdness and Paul Magrs has made it very strange indeed. B&B landlady Brenda and her best friend Effie like mysteries. And with age reversing beauty salons, more than perfect guests, psychic investigators and games of bingo at the Christmas Hotel there is more than enough to go round.
It’s a gentle humour filled adventure that’s split into seemingly unconnected episodic chapters. Each slowly reveals more about Brenda and shows that Effie is more than a pensioner who has taken a judo class last summer.
Magrs draws on old myth and monster tales and adds a big dollop of unique twist. The strange characters he’s created seem at home and normal in the company each of them keeps. He also makes it seem that this tale could be happening in Whitby right now.
They are a quirky couple, in a quirky place, in a wonderfully entertaining tale that’s only just begun. Even though we meet a few strange characters this time there are other residents of Whitby who maybe more than they seem.
Paul Magrs has set himself up for a series with a lot of potential. I can’t wait to see what trouble Brenda and Effie get into next and how they manage to get out of it.
sardugg's review
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
grubstlodger's review
1.0
This one seems pretty innocuous. It’s a quirky, cosy mystery about an old woman who runs aa B&B in Whitby. She and her friend Effie investigate mysteries in the town that all have an odd, genre-novel, twist.
The tone the book is trying to reach is a Douglas Adams-esque, fun romp full of crazy ideas and hilarious jokes but it does it in an extremely lacklustre way. There isn’t a plot as such, it’s more like a number of short stories squeezed together. The jokes almost always fall flat. Sometimes a book can feel a little unsteady at first but eventually the authorial voice comes together and you can rely on them to keep you on track for the rest of the book - this book never does that.
The authorial voice reminds me of one of those people who try and be funny by doing comedy catchphrases, or like an awkward uncle who doesn’t really know any children trying to be fun for the nieces and nephews. It’s clumsy and sad and irritating.
The most irritating part about this book (which irritated me no-end in general) was Brenda’s mysterious backstory. She’s covered in scars, she takes different size shoes, she’s extremely strong, she’s…The Bride of Frankenstein. Oh-ho, how we failed to laugh!
The tone the book is trying to reach is a Douglas Adams-esque, fun romp full of crazy ideas and hilarious jokes but it does it in an extremely lacklustre way. There isn’t a plot as such, it’s more like a number of short stories squeezed together. The jokes almost always fall flat. Sometimes a book can feel a little unsteady at first but eventually the authorial voice comes together and you can rely on them to keep you on track for the rest of the book - this book never does that.
The authorial voice reminds me of one of those people who try and be funny by doing comedy catchphrases, or like an awkward uncle who doesn’t really know any children trying to be fun for the nieces and nephews. It’s clumsy and sad and irritating.
The most irritating part about this book (which irritated me no-end in general) was Brenda’s mysterious backstory. She’s covered in scars, she takes different size shoes, she’s extremely strong, she’s…The Bride of Frankenstein. Oh-ho, how we failed to laugh!
philipf's review
4.0
Murder She Wrote crossed with the X-Files and starring the Bride of Frankenstein.
Lots of fun. Looking forward to the other volumes in the series.
Lots of fun. Looking forward to the other volumes in the series.