unfortunately, this was a DNF for me @ 15%. i was trying to at least make it through a quarter of the book to be fair, but i couldn’t do it. the writing unironically reminded me of that meme that’s like “his emerald orbs broadened in astonishment” — every single sentence is written this way and it’s exhausting.

the plot and pacing were already tripping over themselves in the amount i managed to get though. why start with the wedding and abruptly cut to six months later? we miss so much in those vital first moments of their marriage — the anguish belle feels at her husband rejecting her, the development of her relationship with florence, the uncertainty of being on her own for the first time in a strange place — and instead we’re informed of these events and emotions after the fact, from the perspective of someone who’s already been through it and adapted to the circumstances. it makes me feel like i’ve been cheated out of a piece of the narrative. i had hopes for a unique gothic narrative, but this one didn’t work out for me.

This book has such a cool concept and I was sucked into the writing style immediately. I think this book does much better in physical form, as I was seeing a large image every 5 or 6 pages and it was the same image. Large images do not show well on my ereader and I avoid graphics novels and other such media heavy books for this reason. I will look for this in the stores and online and see if I can add it to my bookshelf, as the ereader format did not work with my brain, but I did enjoy the story I was able to indulge in.

Thank you for allowing me to sample this lovely work of art. I appreciate the opportunity to provide honest feedback. I am leaving this feedback voluntarily.

This cover is really cool, but it just goes absolutely nowhere. The author is so hell bent on drawing a sexual triangle and scandal that she just repeats the same things. It comes off as she is trying to hard to drawn people in. GET ON WITH IT!

this was the most perfectly perfect gothic atmospheric read!! (if you saw me reading this in the spring, mind ya business). i am the biggest fan of all things dark, feminine, and mysterious, which is exactly what this book brought to the table. it may not have been the greatest piece of american literature, but it did what it needed to do for ME and for that i say- period! 💅