"You may laugh at a comedy, but you'll forget it in time. Tragedy has burrs. It sticks to your heart. You remember what it made you feel, always."

3,5 stars
I try to avoid impulse purchases, but when I was trying to decide what books to read on my London trip, I stumbled upon this on Goodreads. Purcell was unknown to me, but I had to take the risk. If you've ever been to one of those old London theaters with faded carpets, cramped staircases, and dim corridors, you know that they're the perfect settings for everything gothic and horror.

Where The Whispering Muse really shines are the characters and the evocative descriptions (the plot was fine, too, but it didn't fully captivate me). When dresser Jenny is hired to spy on Lilith, the lead actress, it becomes clear that Lilith's pact with the muse Melpomene has unleashed darkness on the theater. From the start, this is a little bloody, a bit gruesome, and atmospheric.

Most of Purcell's other books have pretty interesting themes as well, so I added a few more to my library wishlist to ensure I have plenty of choices in the darker months.