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daniellestarredpages's review
2.0
I have to say I wasn't the biggest fan of the way the author left the existence of ghosts up to readers. As a concept I understand it but personally I felt this wasn't the story to leave that plot point open.
I was quite apathetic toward the main character and found her P.O.V a slog to get through but I also found the interspersed psychologist sessions to be slow as well, so I really can't say zi enjoyed much of the of the writing in this book.
The Sapphic relationship, I think did a good job of showing a toxic obsession. So that is one element I guess I could add to the pros list concerning this book.
Overall I can definitely say I didn't enjoy this book.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Incest, Infertility, and Miscarriage
kay_chan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
LOVED the premise, characters and setting were interesting, if a bit shallow.
The POV switch off was what threw me off the most. Having the FMC become an omnipresent "future" narrator was not the shift the story called for. Distanced me too much to feel the creep because I knew it all worked out because she started narrating her story instead of letting it unfold.
The only ick I had was that I was never truly sure how old Roos was during her abuse and then her being "sold" to Agnes. Also, their "relationship" gave me weird vibes in general because of the odd power dynamics and Roos being so blatantly *ignorant* of being a victim most of her life. Agnes' savior complex hit me the wrong way, which i guess was also the point in comparing it to "Turn of the Screw".
Childhood innocence vs intentions
Graphic: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Body horror and Gore
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Incest, and Medical trauma
marimaria's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And the addition of the Doctor's transcripts lowkey gave me
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Self harm
aparker89's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely fantastic writing!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bookeduntil's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Classism
coobugz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I appreciated the interspersed different POVs, and looked forward to the doctorâs POV/case notes. I felt defensive and protective of Roos, and have respect for Dr. Montague. Not gonna lie, Ruth weirds me out and pissed me off sometimes, but thatâs plot for ya.
A solid 2 claps for the ending and epilogue. đđ
I received the book through Goodreads giveaways as an advanced copy and was super excited to read it before the release date, and to give my first review.
âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, and Vomit
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Cursing, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Cannibalism
kristinareadz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Sexual assault
bookishmillennial's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Thank you to Sourcebooks for the ARC (pub date: May 14, 2024) â I am providing an honest review on my own accord.
This was a fantastic piece of historical horror! Roosje practices seances with her Mama to get by, and when the widow Agnes Knoop attends one, she becomes enamored by Roos. Little does anyone know, Roos and her mama have simply conjured up a little ~*~ruse~*~ (ha ha GET IT?!) & their seances are not real. Roos instead lets her spirit friend Ruth inhabit her body, and they put on a performance of othersâ loved ones visiting them for their patrons. Agnes becomes interested in 21-year-old Roos and pays Mama for Roos to come live with her. I wonât give away too much else, as I donât want to spoil it, but the story moves down surprising and dark paths after this!
There are interview transcripts in between every few chapters between Roosje and a doctor, who clearly believe Roos is schizophrenic and does not entertain the presence of the spirit Ruth. They are short, but eventually unravel what has happened and why Roos is even being interviewed (and seemingly investigated/being accused) by a doctor. I thought this was so clever and it built up so much curiosity and intensity for me as the reader!
In the beginning, Van Veen mentions that though there are incredibly darker contents in this book, at the core, it is a love story and that absolutely rings true. I was fascinated by the dynamic between Roos and Ruth, as well as the dynamic between Ruth and Agnes. Regardless of what you believe (whether Ruth is real/spirits are real or if Roos has made her up as a coping mechanism for her traumatic childhood), you can feel the fierce protection, care, and possessiveness of Ruth when it comes to Roos. Additionally, the beliefs that Roos and Agnes share deeply connect them, as well as their painful pasts, and itâs so lovely to see them finally find solace and hope in the other.
Honorable mention to the ending doctor/litigator & how he presents his patientsâ experiences. I sometimes stan cishet men doing the bare minimum, what can I say? đ
The sexual content is not particularly explicit or smutty btw. Not a bad or good thing, I just like to note the steaminess of any sexual content in books to help level othersâ expectations đŤśđ˝
see content warnings below & take care while reading (the author does include a few in the beginning of the book)
Overall, I highly recommend this gothic horror & I will read anything JVV writes in the future!
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
sissix_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My Darling Dreadful thing is a tale woven from the perspective of Roos, our troubled first person narrator, and notes from the doctor tasked with ascertaining her mental state - because sheâs been accused of a gruesome murder.
The clever combination of the two means youâre constantly on edge: chasing more details to put together the story, left wondering what the truth is, and feeling like youâre always a step away from finding it out but not quite close enough.
Roosâ voice is compelling and at times deeply unnerving. Her animalistic descriptions of her spirit companion Ruth are both horrifying and (grossly) delightful. There was never a moment in reading this book that I wanted to put it down - although there were points where I had to so I could digest what Iâd just read.
If you like queer (specifically sapphic) gothic horror you absolutely need to read this book.
Graphic: Gore and Vomit
Moderate: Death, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual assault
gothbaby's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I am enamoured and awed and completely, utterly devoted to this story. I wanted to be explicit in my review and provide a thorough deconstruction of my thoughts but I simply donât think I can. This book was nearly perfectâso nearly perfectâand is, in a way, my own darling dreadful thing. Two things I wish had been better executed: the passage of time was a mystery to me, and I felt a disconnect between the year(s) this story takes places versus when it felt like it should be taking place (late 1800s, in my opinion!).
I loved Ruth with my whole heart. Her attachment to Roos felt so sacred and fragile; I sobbed and sobbed on chapter 32 until I remembered I had a few more chapters to go.
The writing was sublime and I yearned for more of Ruth and Roosâs interactions. I adored Agnes, please donât get me wrong, but something about Ruth shifted something in me.
I cannot wait to read this as a finished work as I know it will be a favourite again. Thank you to the author, Johanna van Veen, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, and Vomit
Moderate: Incest, Racism, and Toxic relationship