I’ve FINALLY got around to reading this book, and oh boy is it a long one! Was it worth it? Almost.

I’ll start this off by saying I’m not usually a horror reader. What appealed to me about this book was the sapphic and feminist themes, and the settings – a boarding school in the early 1900s, and modern day Hollywood. So while I can’t comment on how it compares to other horror books, I can say that it was sufficiently creepy and was definitely one I avoided reading late at night!

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In many ways, I got what I was hoping for. Almost every character is queer, and many of them obsessed with the writings of a slightly odd first-wave feminist. Those themes were very present and strong throughout the book, and it was great to see them explored in a genre book like this one. I liked some of the characters, and the ones I didn’t like I loved to hate.

There are two timelines, one in the past and one in the present. While I initially really enjoyed seeing how they interacted, as the book went on I kept hoping for more linking between the two, and was ultimately disappointed. It fizzled out rather than ending with a bang, and I would have liked to see both storylines become much more intertwined.

It was also just too long. The very start was so creepy and intriguing, but we were soon going on meandering side-quests with the modern-day storyline. It could easily have been 100 pages shorter, and much more effective.

Had this book had one more ruthless edit, it would have been a very different reading experience. As it is, I will remember it for its creepiest moments, which were absolutely brilliant.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.