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abinthebooks 's review for:
A Dreadful Splendor
by B.R. Myers
*2.5
I unfortunately, didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I think the only thing I really liked about this book was the gothic style and tone of the writing (which is what I came for, so at least I received lol). Set in the background of Victorian England, a fake spiritualist in an old, supposedly-haunted manor by the sea is told the only way she can stay out of jail is if she’ll perform a fake séance for the grieving Lord of the manor. A dead lady of the house, secrets & family drama galore, a suspicious house staff, and a desperate Lord. The style of the writing was great; the vibes were all there. But the way the mystery was written made this book a no for me.
The main issue with the writing was the younger way it was written. You could immediately tell from chapter one that this book was marketed for the wrong audience, and should have have been marketed for younger readers instead. A Dreadful Splendor reads glaringly like a YA or even a middle grade mystery novel. And with that said, I don’t think I would have read this if it was marketed for the age range it truly is for: YA. I don’t usually like YA mysteries for their often juvenile themes & characters, lackluster build-up, and obvious twists. Sometimes they’re fun to read to pass the time, but I find they never satisfy me the way I want them to by the end (excluding AGGTM & Truly Devious). By the end of this story, I was beyond tired of the predictable plot, easy mystery, and annoying amount of telling instead of showing. The murderer(s) (no spoilers for y’all) was very easy to guess, and some of the plot twists were even downright funny at times.
It felt really like the author was trying to write a mashup of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights for the plot—however B.R. Myers execution felt lackluster. A Dreadful Splendor has both nudges and similar ideas to both stories, sort of like B.R. was making her own twist? There were so many plot-points that reminded me exactly of the two stories.
Was this book bad? Ehh not necessarily. The concept was great, but the execution was greatly lacking. I think the first mistake was marketing this book as adult when it’s very obviously not. It was just irritating how juvenile and simple this book felt when it could have been so much more had it been written a little older. Overall, I found this one severely underwhelming.
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My Gothic Book Playlist
I unfortunately, didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I think the only thing I really liked about this book was the gothic style and tone of the writing (which is what I came for, so at least I received lol). Set in the background of Victorian England, a fake spiritualist in an old, supposedly-haunted manor by the sea is told the only way she can stay out of jail is if she’ll perform a fake séance for the grieving Lord of the manor. A dead lady of the house, secrets & family drama galore, a suspicious house staff, and a desperate Lord. The style of the writing was great; the vibes were all there. But the way the mystery was written made this book a no for me.
The main issue with the writing was the younger way it was written. You could immediately tell from chapter one that this book was marketed for the wrong audience, and should have have been marketed for younger readers instead. A Dreadful Splendor reads glaringly like a YA or even a middle grade mystery novel. And with that said, I don’t think I would have read this if it was marketed for the age range it truly is for: YA. I don’t usually like YA mysteries for their often juvenile themes & characters, lackluster build-up, and obvious twists. Sometimes they’re fun to read to pass the time, but I find they never satisfy me the way I want them to by the end (excluding AGGTM & Truly Devious). By the end of this story, I was beyond tired of the predictable plot, easy mystery, and annoying amount of telling instead of showing. The murderer(s) (no spoilers for y’all) was very easy to guess, and some of the plot twists were even downright funny at times.
It felt really like the author was trying to write a mashup of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights for the plot—however B.R. Myers execution felt lackluster. A Dreadful Splendor has both nudges and similar ideas to both stories, sort of like B.R. was making her own twist? There were so many plot-points that reminded me exactly of the two stories.
Was this book bad? Ehh not necessarily. The concept was great, but the execution was greatly lacking. I think the first mistake was marketing this book as adult when it’s very obviously not. It was just irritating how juvenile and simple this book felt when it could have been so much more had it been written a little older. Overall, I found this one severely underwhelming.
-
My Gothic Book Playlist