Syndrie
Gothic vibes? Yes. Historical setting? Yes. Evil old mansion? Yup. Ghosts? Multiple. Lesbians? Absolutely.
“The Wives of Herrick Hall” is set in the year 1799 and I’d say that Julie Lew did a great job making the prose really straddle the line between being historically accurate while also remaining accessible enough for modern day readers. I also found the pacing to be really well done, although I could see some other readers finding it a bit slow in parts. I’d argue that the slower portions are necessary to fully set the scene as well as really establish our main cast of characters — so even though the portions of Josephine wandering the halls of the house night after night aren’t the most action-packed moments, they were still important moments that give both her, and thereby the reader as well, insight into the house itself as well as some of the shady characters that reside there. (And don’t worry, the action definitely picks up as the story progresses, so there’s no lack of exciting moments either!)
I’d have to say my only real gripe with this story is simply that there were so many unlikable male characters involved — although this is definitely an intentional choice and not just a symptom of poor characterization. If anything, I’d say the characterization was really quite well done as everyone had their own distinct set of motivations and they managed to stick to them faithfully. (So really, my gripe is probably more so due to the fact that these unlikable men were just a bit too accurate overall…) As far as the women’s characters went, I really did enjoy Josephine from the very beginning while Nora was one that I really couldn’t stand at first, but she ended up growing on me as the story progressed. By the end, I could say I was pleased with Nora’s overall character arc and I definitely could understand her more.
Overall I’d absolutely recommend this book to readers who enjoy gothic horror romances!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Quill & Crow Publishing House, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Gothic vibes? Yes. Historical setting? Yes. Evil old mansion? Yup. Ghosts? Multiple. Lesbians? Absolutely.
“The Wives of Herrick Hall” is set in the year 1799 and I’d say that Julie Lew did a great job making the prose really straddle the line between being historically accurate while also remaining accessible enough for modern day readers. I also found the pacing to be really well done, although I could see some other readers finding it a bit slow in parts. I’d argue that the slower portions are necessary to fully set the scene as well as really establish our main cast of characters — so even though the portions of Josephine wandering the halls of the house night after night aren’t the most action-packed moments, they were still important moments that give both her, and thereby the reader as well, insight into the house itself as well as some of the shady characters that reside there. (And don’t worry, the action definitely picks up as the story progresses, so there’s no lack of exciting moments either!)
I’d have to say my only real gripe with this story is simply that there were so many unlikable male characters involved — although this is definitely an intentional choice and not just a symptom of poor characterization. If anything, I’d say the characterization was really quite well done as everyone had their own distinct set of motivations and they managed to stick to them faithfully. (So really, my gripe is probably more so due to the fact that these unlikable men were just a bit too accurate overall…) As far as the women’s characters went, I really did enjoy Josephine from the very beginning while Nora was one that I really couldn’t stand at first, but she ended up growing on me as the story progressed. By the end, I could say I was pleased with Nora’s overall character arc and I definitely could understand her more.
Overall I’d absolutely recommend this book to readers who enjoy gothic horror romances!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Quill & Crow Publishing House, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)