Format: ARC, eBook
Gothic, bizarre, creepy, and unsettling, My Darling Dreadful Thing is a unique, dark, and original book. While reading there were times that I wasn’t sure that I enjoyed the book, but I also didn’t dislike it either. This book is unsettling, chilling, and creepy.
Roos Beckman has one good thing in her life and that is Ruth, a corpse like dead woman that has been around for centuries, that only she can see. Roos participated in seances that her horrible mother hosted until the day she caught the eye of Agnes, a wealthy widow, who asked Roos to come live with her in her crumbling estate. This should have been a bright new beginning for Roos but then someone is found dead……
The book is told in the past where readers are privy to Roos life doing seances, living with Agnes, and how the death occurred. In the other timeline, readers see Roos being treated by Doctor Montague, who is tasked with determining if Roos can stand trial.
Is Ruth real? Roos knows she is, she has had a close and loving relationship with her…
As I mentioned, this book is creepy, eerie, and bizarre. It is oozing with atmosphere and an underlying tension. This book played out like an old black and white movie in my mind, with the characters in the cold, dark, crumbling estate. Roos and her relationship with both Anges and Ruth were intriguing. The unsettling feeling of something not being right, in fact the feeling that something is quite wrong permeates throughout the book. Is Roos being haunted or is Roos the one doing the haunting or is something else at play. What is real, what isn’t real? You will need to read to find out.
Overall, I found this to be well written, gripping, and well thought out. I especially enjoyed the sections between Roos and Dr. Montague. I also loved the unsettling vibe in this book. I thought the author did a fantastic job setting the stage and providing a chilling read.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
