#TBRCHALLENGE October 2021 - Gothic

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 For this month's #TBRCHALLENGE the theme is Gothic.

I actually had to look this up in Amazon and turns out I didn't have a single book in my TBR that matched the description. I went ahead and ordered A Lesson in Thorns by Sierra Simone. (Which negates the purpose of the challenge, I know, but I was intrigued by the theme and wanted to stick with it).



I have read this author before and enjoyed her. This book was a bit different and I would not classify it as a romance, more like a paranormal mystery with some kink tossed in. There are four books in the series.

Thornchapel is a mystical ruin that six children find one summer. When they are reunited as adults, they decide to participate in a ritual together. Where I got lost is understanding why these people made these decisions and seemed to have intense feelings about their relationships, even though most hadn't been in touch since that summer.

I think there was SO MUCH going on with each character and their connection to the other five. Maybe the book needed to be split into multiple books and the characters fleshed out more for me to connect with the story.

Comments

  1. WhiskeyinthejarOctober 20, 2021 at 12:58 PM

    Which negates the purpose of the challenge,
    I have added so many books to my tbr from participates reviews that I have definitely negated the purpose of cleaning off my own tbr. I really enjoy Gothics so I hope this has encouraged you to try again in the genre :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C.J. MillerOctober 20, 2021 at 1:12 PM

      Do you have any recommended titles? I had a hard time finding a gothic romance, and I am not even sure I actually found one :)

      Delete
    2. WhiskeyinthejarOctober 21, 2021 at 12:50 PM

      Sure! If you're still not sure if you're going to like the genre, the Dark Gothic series by Eve Silver often has books that go up on Kindle for free. I've read the first three and liked #1 & #3 but thought they represented the Gothic genre well with a lot of the tropes used.

      If you want to try a few touchstones of the genre, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

      If looking for a little lighter touch of Gothic, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen pokes fun at the genre with still utilizing some of the tropes.

      And if wanting a more modern take Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I haven't read this one yet but it's on my tbr and friends have rated it really high.

      I hope you find one you can enjoy!

      Delete
    3. WendyOctober 23, 2021 at 8:16 PM

      Simone St. James. She's fantastic, although a bit more "romantic elements." Silence for the Dead and The Other Side of Midnight are both very good and both feature stronger romantic elements than some of her others. But all her books are great, so you really can't go wrong picking up any ol' random title.

      Delete

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