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A review by _snarkysharky
The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up
Consumed in audiobook format.
The Cruel Dark is a gothic new adult romance. Millicent Foxboro has spent two months in a mental ward due to traumatic amnesia, which has hindered her ability to find work. So, when an opportunity for an assistantship to a reclusive professor of mythology arises, her desperation leads her to Willowfield, Professor Callum Hughes's haunted estate.
I love how atmospheric this book is. I'd say it leans more towards horror than gothic. I made the mistake of listening to it at night, and my scaredy-cat instincts kicked in—I could barely move a muscle! LMAO.
I love the mystery and the vibe but I didn't connect with the romance aspect at all. Given that this is primarily a romance book, this was a letdown. The relationship felt like an insta-lust/insta-love scenario, which isn't my favorite. *SPOILER ALERT* This was explained in the last chapter, but having to go through the entire book with a trope I dislike wasn't a great experience.
I understand that some people aren't bothered by that, so I'm sure others would enjoy it. The spicy scenes were steamy and rough (run, don't walk, if you love roughhousing). The twist at the end was good, but since I read a lot of mystery thrillers, I saw it coming from miles away.
There were also mentions of Celtic folklore, most notably the Dullahan, which I was excited about because I enjoyed the Legend of The Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Unfortunately, despite the multiple mentions of the creature, it didn't have any significance in the story.
In hindsight, I think it was the audiobook narration that threw me off. The FMC sounded young and sultry, while the professor sounded super old. I'm not into age-gap romances (which this book is NOT), but the sound of their voices made me think it was. Don't get me wrong, the narrators aren't terrible—in fact, I love their voices individually. It just didn't make sense for me that the characters sounded that way.
Overall, The Cruel Dark was just an okay book. My rating is greatly influenced by my personal taste and not by how it was written. The writing style is actually good, in my opinion; it's just that the romance trope and choice of voice narration weren't my cup of tea.
Consumed in audiobook format.
The Cruel Dark is a gothic new adult romance. Millicent Foxboro has spent two months in a mental ward due to traumatic amnesia, which has hindered her ability to find work. So, when an opportunity for an assistantship to a reclusive professor of mythology arises, her desperation leads her to Willowfield, Professor Callum Hughes's haunted estate.
I love how atmospheric this book is. I'd say it leans more towards horror than gothic. I made the mistake of listening to it at night, and my scaredy-cat instincts kicked in—I could barely move a muscle! LMAO.
I love the mystery and the vibe but I didn't connect with the romance aspect at all. Given that this is primarily a romance book, this was a letdown. The relationship felt like an insta-lust/insta-love scenario, which isn't my favorite. *SPOILER ALERT* This was explained in the last chapter, but having to go through the entire book with a trope I dislike wasn't a great experience.
I understand that some people aren't bothered by that, so I'm sure others would enjoy it. The spicy scenes were steamy and rough (run, don't walk, if you love roughhousing). The twist at the end was good, but since I read a lot of mystery thrillers, I saw it coming from miles away.
There were also mentions of Celtic folklore, most notably the Dullahan, which I was excited about because I enjoyed the Legend of The Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Unfortunately, despite the multiple mentions of the creature, it didn't have any significance in the story.
In hindsight, I think it was the audiobook narration that threw me off. The FMC sounded young and sultry, while the professor sounded super old. I'm not into age-gap romances (which this book is NOT), but the sound of their voices made me think it was. Don't get me wrong, the narrators aren't terrible—in fact, I love their voices individually. It just didn't make sense for me that the characters sounded that way.
Overall, The Cruel Dark was just an okay book. My rating is greatly influenced by my personal taste and not by how it was written. The writing style is actually good, in my opinion; it's just that the romance trope and choice of voice narration weren't my cup of tea.