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rhiannonxgrace's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Whilst large swathes of this were fairly easy to predict, the ending did catch me by surprise! I loved this book (Governesses and ghosts are like catnip to me) and once I got out of my reading slump I could hardly put it down. I'm a fan of Turn of the Screw by Henry James and this was a read in the same vein.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, and Sexual violence
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is such a great period ghost story. It borrows elements from Dickens (in fact some of the exclamations and run-on sentences are incredibly Dickensian) and Jane Eyre, and fits right into that period. It's filled with delightful foreshadowing as Eliza commits her tale to paper, and it feels like classic Victorian fiction, albeit a little easier to follow.
I love the insistent fog (again like Dickens) that wraps the story in intrigue when it needs to. For Dickens fog was indicative of the filth pervading London at the time, and for Boyne it's pure atmosphere.
The ghost story itself is really clever in its simplicity, but it gives a tragic, sympathetic air and highlights an interesting conversation about complicity in domestic abuse of women and their role in society. But for me the scares seemed to lack that creeping sense of dread that I find really chilling. That is, until I read the very last chapter, which was truly spine-tingling and will definitely stay with me!
I love the insistent fog (again like Dickens) that wraps the story in intrigue when it needs to. For Dickens fog was indicative of the filth pervading London at the time, and for Boyne it's pure atmosphere.
The ghost story itself is really clever in its simplicity, but it gives a tragic, sympathetic air and highlights an interesting conversation about complicity in domestic abuse of women and their role in society. But for me the scares seemed to lack that creeping sense of dread that I find really chilling. That is, until I read the very last chapter, which was truly spine-tingling and will definitely stay with me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
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