A twisty, Gothic gem

I was nervous starting this because the Serpent & Dove trilogy wasn’t my favourite, but this book is gorgeous. It embraces the beauty and horror of vampires in equal measure, creating a dark and sumptuous atmosphere perfect for any fan of Crimson Peak and classic Gothic literature. The depth of the heroine Célie, her arc, and her complicated relationships were artfully written, and surprisingly relatable. The plot dragged slightly near the beginning when she arrives at the Isle, but it picked up again and once it did it was such a great murder mystery threaded with just enough romance, full of twists right up to the end—and THAT ending!!! I’ll be thinking about this one for weeks.

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Is this the narrators first job…?

This book is exactly what you’d expect. Theres YA-style drama, slow burn romance, PTSD, and a hint of mystery.

Ultimately it’s predictable and comfortable, low stakes fun reading that keeps your interest throughout.

Tha narrator however, does her very best to butcher it throughout the entire thing.

She reads in a raspy, quick-paced, monotone voice, paying absolutely no attention to different character descriptions, moods, or other factors that are meant to immerse the reader into the story.

The male protagonist and romance interest suffers most from this, his voice portrayed as if he smokes nine hundred cigarettes a day and lives in a foggy swamp. Through the narrator, he speaks like a caricature from a children’s story.

Moments and lines that are meant to be funny, romantic, sweet, or otherwise emotionally heavy - is torn to shreds by the narrators choices.

She single-handedly brings this book down from a solid 4/5 book, to a 2/5 book.

I can’t help but wonder if this was her first day on the job, or if she was chosen exclusively because she speaks French, with no regard for ability to convey emotions or storylines.

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Wow...

This book can be read without reading Serpent & Dove (I did not, and never will).

I actually bought this book on an impulse, while placing an order on Waterstones; as it was signed and had sprayed edges. I decided to also get it on Audible, as I currently have some eyesight problems.

Now, the book itself - there are so many things that are wrong with it! The writing isn't all that bad but the plot is sloppy, and the characters have the depth of a crêpe.

The mfc annoyed me so, so much; all big talk and nothing to show for it. She is absolutely USELESS and has the situational awareness, intelligence, and personality of a lamp post. She is nothing but a silly damsel in distress, who constantly needs to be rescued.

Just like with 90% of YA books, the mfc suffers from PTSD, and the author has no intention of letting us forget it! Of course, this only adds to her appeal as a damsel in distress.

Although I could not stand Jean Luc, I am not surprised he did not want Célie to join the others while hunting, I am surprised she was accepted as a huntswoman to begin with, the girl couldn't catch/defeat a dead snail.

The author tries to push the idea that Célie is a smart, powerful ('' I am not a doll, I am a bride of Death ''😒), independent woman, while proving she is actually none of those things.

Célie talking about Dimitri - "He's done awful things, yes, unforgivable things, but then again so is everyone.'' 🤦🏼‍♀️Really!? The guy killed hundreds, most likely thousands of people (seeing how he is more or less the same age as Michal) and we are supposed to root for him? Talk about stupidity and romanticizing evil.

As to the mmc, he is a 1000+ years old vampire, who acts like a teenager, drooling over a babbling 19 years old idiot.

This book caused me physical pain! I almost DNF at chapter 45, 'cause come on, give my brain a break.... Michal, an ancient vampire, tries to bond with dumb Célie by asking her an equally dumb and ridiculous question - ''Would you rather be reincarnated as feline or canine? '' WHAT?! Dear God, now this is a question worthy of any women's magazine.

There are way too many WTF moments in this book to mention.

Also, the overuse of French throughout the book might be just a bit too much for non-French speaking readers. I really appreciate the fact that at least the narrator speaks French, I doubt I would have finished the book had I had to listen also to bad pronunciation.

I will not continue with this series (shocking, I know) BUT that does not mean there aren't readers (pre-teens) who would enjoy it.

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