Book Review THE CURSE OF PENRYTH HALL Jess Armstrong

Thank you to the author Jess Armstrong, publishers Minotaur Books, and SMPI, for an advance digital copy of THE CURSE OF PENRYTH. Thank you also to NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All views are mine.


I read this book twice! I loved the settings, and the mouthy female lead and her irascible senior roommate. Certain things about the mystery, I found deliciously Gothic, which I adore. The killer's methods delighted me and grossed me out! But unfortunately, I read this book twice because the plot lost me. Both times. Beyond the details, I couldn't connect with characters or plot because it was all too convoluted.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I adore this mouthy female, what, detective? Inspector? A dire cynic smack in the middle of a supernatural tale. Excellent protagonist. 

2. The dynamic between the first person narrator, Ruby, a young woman, and her irascible roommate, friend and benefactor(?), the older, disabled, and greatly resourced Mr. Owen, is very entertaining and funny!

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The plot is so convoluted, I'm having trouble following the narrative. And unfortunately, the narrative is largely told in dialog, which I struggle to connect to without sufficient description. 

Rating: 🧘🧘 gifted healers
Recommend? Maybe
Finished: Jul, Nov 2023
Format: Digital arc, Kindle
Read this book if you like:
ðŸĶ‍⬛ gothic
🔍 mysteries 
ðŸŠĪ creative murder
💇‍♀️ women's coming of age

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: PAPER NAMES Susie Luo

Image
I found PAPER NAMES by Susie Luo on the Libby app. Check for your local library on the app and read great books for free!📚 In certain sections, this book is beautiful and moving. I enjoyed the primary characters, Engineer educated in China and working in the US, Tony, and his first-generation US-born daughter, Tammy, well enough, for what they were, which were unlikable characters who changed relative to each other through the course of the story. Their troubled relationship hurt for me to read, and felt rewarding when they gained personal ground: “Tammy! You did it!” he said, blocking the TV. “Did what?” she said. His heart swelled so rapidly that he lost his breath. He wanted to tell her about the entire day, what she had made possible, every one of her words that had come out of his mouth during the review. But only one thing, a memory buried deep in his bones, almost someone else’s voice, spoke through him. “Ni shi wo de xin gan.” “What’d you say?” said Tammy. How coul
Read more

Book Review BLUE RIDGE Peter Malone Elliott

Image
Thank you to the author Peter Malone Elliott, publishers Level Best Books, and Get Red Book Tours, for an advance paperback copy of BLUE RIDGE. Thank you also to NetGalley for an accomanying widget. All views are mine. My feelings on this book are lukewarm. I loved the concept and storyline; I'm a sucker for both domestic thrillers and warring twins. But the book needed fleshed out; another 50 pages of description would have done this one some good! Three (or more) things I loved: 1. The descriptions of Virginia are lovely. Tinged with shades of blue, purple, and green, I always say the majestic, rolling landscape of the Blue Ridge is nature's equivalent to the music of Patsy Cline-- an inexplicably perfect cocktail of sumptuous beauty, haunting melancholy, and dark-edged mystery.... Loc.49 2. Like many thrillers with clarity issues, this book has an excellent premise. Part political thriller, part domestic thriller, BLUE RIDGE abounds with tension and intrigue. I w
Read more

Book Review THE WITCHING TIDE Margaret Meyer

Image
Thank you to the author Margaret Meyer, publishers Scribner, and as always NetGalley, for an advance audio copy of THE WITCHING TIDE. Martha is a mute midwife in 17th century England, who uses a form of sign language to communicate with those who are close to her. She's so different and aloof, and there's her proximity to every still birth in the last ten years, not to mention every birth defect, every single pregnancy. Once Makepeace, the witch hunter, comes to town, it isn't long before the townspeople set him on her scent. I read this book twice, as the first time through, I didn't keep up well with all the narrative turns. It's definitely a twisty, suspenseful tale, and the second time through, I was hooked. This time, I was more prepared for the wild plot, so I had no trouble following the many threads. Even though this book is not written in multiple timelines or perspectives, Meyer provides abundant detail about all the secondary characters, set
Read more