This book wasn't as scary as I was hoping it would be, but it was the right amount of crossover between gothic horror and romance. I loved the protagoThis book wasn't as scary as I was hoping it would be, but it was the right amount of crossover between gothic horror and romance. I loved the protagonist and her little project, but I was so over the main love interest. The eccentric, but earnest scientist thing he had going on was too much....more
My library copy got returned a couple of times throughout my course of reading this book, which I should have taken as a sign. I love reading gothics My library copy got returned a couple of times throughout my course of reading this book, which I should have taken as a sign. I love reading gothics because they're so atmospheric and moody, but I realize that I appreciate gothics with plots a lot more.
This book was all mood and dreamy sequences, but not much else going on. I felt disconnected from every character in this book, which is how the main character seems to feel in Catherine House as well. But that feeling did nothing to make me want to finish this book.
I kept thinking the plot would pick up or something satisfying would be discovered, but after meandering through about three quarters of the book, which I admit I skimmed a lot of, when the big reveal of what the mystery was, there'd been so many hints and foreshadowings that it just felt anti-climatic.
Even the cliffhanger-like ending failed to make me feel anything other than, "huh."...more
I really, really, really wanted to like this book. After a couple of false starts, I finally dug in and finished it, which I think was a disservice toI really, really, really wanted to like this book. After a couple of false starts, I finally dug in and finished it, which I think was a disservice to the book. I also hate it when authors use footnotes in the way Danforth does here, so that might have tainted my review of the book. The narrator's voice in general was the most annoying part of reading this.
This is one of those books where the structure and the storytelling is a big part of it, and I'm not typically a fan of books where that's the biggest parts. Luckily, this also has a pretty good cast of characters who are all annoying in their own way.
I hope it's not a spoiler to say that this goes hard on the "kill the queers" trope. That's probably why I didn't like it as much, since it's hard to get attached to anyone who you suspect is going to get offed soon. I didn't like any storyline all that much and mostly kept on reading to get to the end. The ending did have an explanation-flavored payoff so I guess that was good?...more
**spoiler alert** I feel lied to. I started reading this thinking it would be a gothic story set in Mexico and it certainly starts off that way, but h**spoiler alert** I feel lied to. I started reading this thinking it would be a gothic story set in Mexico and it certainly starts off that way, but halfway into it, things are not quite what I expected. The more I read and felt cheated about the premise, the more I realized how the book was playing with me. In the end, it was fine. I don't think I would have read it if I'd known the direction it went, but I'm glad I continued with this book till the end. ...more
I was in the mood for something gothic and this fit the bill perfectly. It had that eerie sense of foreboding from the start. The middle dragged a litI was in the mood for something gothic and this fit the bill perfectly. It had that eerie sense of foreboding from the start. The middle dragged a little bit when I thought I figured out what was going on, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the end of the book. The men in this book are all terrible in the way Kate Beaton makes fun of gothic anti-heroes, but I was already prepared for that....more
This was the exact thing I was looking for when I wanted a lighthearted, fun book to read. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book in the series This was the exact thing I was looking for when I wanted a lighthearted, fun book to read. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book in the series to be more of a gothic mystery too. I think I skipped a few books in the series, but it didn't seem like I missed out on too much....more
Not as scary as I was expecting, but definitely very gothic and atmospheric. I was a little annoyed by Connie and her chipper personality, but thankfuNot as scary as I was expecting, but definitely very gothic and atmospheric. I was a little annoyed by Connie and her chipper personality, but thankfully this is a short book. It's the perfect thing to read while sipping a hot toddy on a chilly night....more
"Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we alread(4.5 stars)
"Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day."
It's hard to talk about The Shadow of the Wind without giving too much away and ruining the experience for someone else. It's a book about love, loneliness, the ugliness of war, the ugliness of people, class conflicts, but most of all, it's a love letter written to books. It's part historical fiction, part gothic fiction and a strong part noir.
When he was ten years old, Daniel's father took him to the Cemetery of Books, where he's told to choose a book to bring home with him. He chooses a book titled The Shadow of the Wind and that's when the story starts.
The prose in this book, the outer Shadow of the Wind is so lyrical and wonderful that it's hard to believe it wasn't originally written in English. It makes me want to read the original in Spanish to see if I missed anything. Overall, the book was very strong, but it was especially good toward the end. I thought it slowed down a bit in the middle, but I still found it a pleasant read.
I liked that even though there were twists and turns in the story, the book didn't spring it on the reader in "ah-hah!" moments. I found that I could figure out most of the twists on my own, but that wasn't a bad thing. I was too invested in reading how the characters reacted when they figured out the twists that I didn't mind.
It would have been a perfect book, but I thought the female characters were too one dimensional and served more as a plot device. The main antagonist was also so incredibly mwahahaha evil that it jarred with the believability with the rest of the book. Even though the book sort of explained what caused him to be that way, I still didn't buy it....more
A little predictable in hindsight, but man what a great ride. A wonderfully moody, brooding, gothic tale of suspense and romance. The beginning remindA little predictable in hindsight, but man what a great ride. A wonderfully moody, brooding, gothic tale of suspense and romance. The beginning reminded me a little of Casablanca for some reason and the last quarter reminded me of a twisted Jane Eyre. I was on the edge of my seat for pretty much the last 100 pages....more
This one definitely had a Bronte vibe to it. A little bit of Wuthering Heights, and a little bit of Jane Eyre. Very gothic and moorish. Unlike the othThis one definitely had a Bronte vibe to it. A little bit of Wuthering Heights, and a little bit of Jane Eyre. Very gothic and moorish. Unlike the other two books, I think the relationship between Julia and Brisbane is the main story here and the mystery is only secondary. At least, that's what it felt like while I was reading it.
I'm glad some of the tension that was established in the first book finally got resolved here. Even though the ending was predictable, it was still satisfying. I'm confused that there's a fourth book in the series, because if the series ended here, I think it would be a very neatly-tied-together trilogy. I did see some hints leading into the next book though, so I'm most likely going to read it anyway....more
Oh Wuthering Heights, how much I wanted to like you. After reading the joy that was Jane Eyre, I wanted to give this seminal work by the other Bronte Oh Wuthering Heights, how much I wanted to like you. After reading the joy that was Jane Eyre, I wanted to give this seminal work by the other Bronte a try. But I just couldn't finish it.
At the top of its list of shortcomings is its narrative device. Having a frame within a frame (that's sometimes also within a frame) can be done well, but not in this case. It was just confusing and made the main story of Heathcliff and Catherine feel so far removed, like hearing a story third, or forth-hand.
Then there's the characters. Even our outer-frame narrator, Lockwood, has some major flaws. Every character is despicable! Heathcliff is passionate in the way an abusive boyfriend who should have a restraining order is. He's vindictive, obsessed, proud, crazy, and really has no redeeming qualities. If he were a real person today, he'd have a lame black myspace page with bad emo poetry about death and revenge on it.
Then there's Catherine, who's supposed to be some great, fiery, beauty, but just comes off as spoiled, frail, calculating, oh yeah, also crazy. I think it's supposed to be believed that their love is so strong that it touches so many of the people around them (in not so healthy ways) but man, what a train wreck.
I just couldn't finish reading this melodrama....more
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