A review by blewballoon
A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had low expectations for this book, and then I found myself getting super into it. I listened to it on audiobook (good narrator) and I found myself wanting to get back to it and thinking about it when I wasn't listening. Sometimes with audiobooks my mind drifts and I miss things, but I was laser focused and trying to piece all the information together and make deductions and predictions. I was happy I figured some stuff out, but there were also a couple twists that I enjoyed. There was a twist towards the end that kind of ruined the story a bit for me
I understand the dramatic irony of having the main character fooled into thinking there is a ghost when she has been peddling false ones herself, but I always prefer my stories to have actual supernatural stuff rather than just "maybe supernatural, oh just kidding."
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I also was really sad at what happened to Audra's character. I wish she hadn't just flipped a switch and gone so violent so suddenly. It was a bit foreshadowed with her family history, but it felt too out of character with the rest of her story.
, but the following events and epilogue helped make up for it, so I wasn't too disappointed and still came away with an overall positive experience. Great spooky seaside estate vibes, lots of twists and mysteries, very suspenseful. Nothing super graphic happens on the page. The main character was fairly clever and observant
although I feel like she dropped the ball/picked up the idiot ball a few times
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The romance was actually decent, I liked them together.
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