Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

This is a very interesting gothic. It starts out pretty slow but does ramp up in the craziness. But, my thoughts are a bit muddled when it comes to this book. Partly because a lot of what happens doesn’t have any clear cut answers. Magic isn’t supposed to make sense which is why I suppose a lot of the magic elements in this book were hard to comprehend. While I do think I have an understanding of what happened, I still have a lot of questions. And there are a lot of moments that are still fuzzy for me. So much was happening towards the end that I felt I needed more clarification rather than obfuscation.

Despite the vagueness at times, I really enjoyed several elements of this book. First off, the mystery is definitely intriguing. Definite gothic vibes with the haunted manor. Some definite Jane Eyre vibes as well, but with a twist. I also appreciated the fact that magic has consequences. It corrupts every user usually leading to a brutal death. I also liked how time wasn’t linear, but to say anymore would be a spoiler.

What I didn’t like was the romance. The hero is a selfish coward, plain and simple. The heroine proclaims that she doesn’t want love and has never felt romantic attraction towards anyone and then falls for this guy within 30 pages. Way to stick to your guns there Jane lol. But what Jane saw in Augustine baffles me. I certainly wouldn’t have done half the things Jane did for him. So, that was a definite weak point for me. Overall, I really enjoyed this gothic but I do think it’s important for people to keep in mind that it starts out slow and once the craziness ramps up it can get a bit confusing. I do think this is a book worth sticking with for its sheer originality and gothic vibes.