bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

Light, frothy YA historical romance that tries to be like Jane Austen but lacks her depth.

Althea Crawley needs to marry a rich man to ensure her family's castle and legacy remains secure. While it is refereshing to see a charachter who is self-aware and a bit self-deprecating (consigned to her lot in life) I never truly found a reason to really like her or root for her. The main love interests are not really fleshed out and what is a lame attempt to pull off a relationship akin to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth falls flat. Of course everything ties up with a perfect ending. Not for me.

Short creepy tale of a young boy and his strange neighbors who have access to a dangerous and mystical world. Very Coraline-esque where most adults are not to be trusted. Since this book was so short I didn't get invested in the characters as much as I normally like nor was any explanations given for the existence of the alternate reality and scary creatures it contained. Still, it was haunting and an enjoyable quick read. And scary.