A review by sanmeow
Don't Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
don't tell a soul is a story about bram, a girl who moves to her uncle's creepy mansion that he's been taking care of after his wife died. bram learns that the people of louth, the town where the mansion is located, aren't very friendly towards newcomers. bram also learns of the legend of the dead girls through rumors in the town. apparently, the dead girls died at her uncle's mansion and still haunt it, and bram starts seeing them around the house. as if that wasn't enough, bram is also intrigued by her own family history. her uncle james lost his wife in a fire that was supposedly started by his daughter. bram starts exploring more about her family and the disappearances and deaths of the girls in the town.
what i enjoyed most was the theme of the empowerment of women. despite being the protagonist and facing some thrilling mysteries, bram isn't left to fight it on her own, instead, she has the help of other women, and that's truly refreshing. bram is also an inspiring character because of her willingness to explore things further and her sense of justice. i thought the writing style was alright and the plot was pretty good. i have some issues with the pacing as the book was unnecessarily slow at times, especially in the first half. other than that, this was an enjoyable gothic mystery.
what i enjoyed most was the theme of the empowerment of women. despite being the protagonist and facing some thrilling mysteries, bram isn't left to fight it on her own, instead, she has the help of other women, and that's truly refreshing. bram is also an inspiring character because of her willingness to explore things further and her sense of justice. i thought the writing style was alright and the plot was pretty good. i have some issues with the pacing as the book was unnecessarily slow at times, especially in the first half. other than that, this was an enjoyable gothic mystery.