You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jenknox's Reviews (494)
Wow. OK, so, this book opened up a dark door in history for me, one that I will most definitely return to out of sheer morbid curiosity. I think this is what the author was going for, and she accomplished it!
Countess Erszebet Bathory is the subject, though the narration of this book is done by a friend, Amara, who seems desperate to cling to old ideas about her sociopathic gal pal. The thing is, as much as this book piqued my interest about the Countess, I was far more invested in Amara. I liked this character and had no problem sticking with her for over 500 pages. This is no easy task, as this is the e-age and my attention span is waning. I love books, but tend toward those under 350, that I can read in two or three days time.
The care and precision that went into the scenic details of this book deserve applause, and I was completely immersed in the word. I will say that I felt a little cheated in areas, a few scenes were mentioned that could've been drawn out (look at me, wanting even more pages--a rarity!).
I heartily recommend this book! And I will be reading the sequel.
Countess Erszebet Bathory is the subject, though the narration of this book is done by a friend, Amara, who seems desperate to cling to old ideas about her sociopathic gal pal. The thing is, as much as this book piqued my interest about the Countess, I was far more invested in Amara. I liked this character and had no problem sticking with her for over 500 pages. This is no easy task, as this is the e-age and my attention span is waning. I love books, but tend toward those under 350, that I can read in two or three days time.
The care and precision that went into the scenic details of this book deserve applause, and I was completely immersed in the word. I will say that I felt a little cheated in areas, a few scenes were mentioned that could've been drawn out (look at me, wanting even more pages--a rarity!).
I heartily recommend this book! And I will be reading the sequel.
Heartbreaking. Beautiful. Poetic. A memoir filled with such valuable insights that I want to share it with everyone (but I don't want to loan it out).
I liked the characters. There was nothing overly polished or bland about them; they were ordinary people, believable. I also appreciated the fact that Holloway was able to weave in a bit of social commentary.
I have to say that I was jarred by pacing, which largely explains my three star rating. There were vague descriptions and the action moved fast, albeit with many surprising twists.
This is definitely a plot-driven story, and I read very few such works so I am, undoubetly biased. I tend to favor character-driven stories, and although Holloway's characters are believable, they are not very three-dimensional. I wanted more from them, to really get to the 'heart' which, in turn, would feed not only motivation but also work to add more nuance and poignancy to the surface-level sociological study of said characters. I wanted, I guess, to feel more empathy and understanding because the action was so fast-moving. The book should be longer for all that happens, to slow down so that I can really see each scene. I feel that I got only a glimpse of scenes and a lot of action, like a friend was telling me this story as she was drinking a triple latte and chain-smoking and speed-walking, and this friend had really only heard the story from another friend so she didn't know all the details.
I have to say that I was jarred by pacing, which largely explains my three star rating. There were vague descriptions and the action moved fast, albeit with many surprising twists.
This is definitely a plot-driven story, and I read very few such works so I am, undoubetly biased. I tend to favor character-driven stories, and although Holloway's characters are believable, they are not very three-dimensional. I wanted more from them, to really get to the 'heart' which, in turn, would feed not only motivation but also work to add more nuance and poignancy to the surface-level sociological study of said characters. I wanted, I guess, to feel more empathy and understanding because the action was so fast-moving. The book should be longer for all that happens, to slow down so that I can really see each scene. I feel that I got only a glimpse of scenes and a lot of action, like a friend was telling me this story as she was drinking a triple latte and chain-smoking and speed-walking, and this friend had really only heard the story from another friend so she didn't know all the details.