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Receiving books free in exchange for reviews will
never sway the outcome of my reviews. All my reviews are own my personal
thoughts and opinions whether they for review or bought. While I may feel a
certain way, others may feel differently. So sit back and relax and check out
my thoughts on this book. Don't forget to share your thoughts (no spoilers) on
the books or reviews on this blog in comments.
Format: ebook
Pages: 368
Published:9th April 2019
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: YA, Gothic, Thriller
Shelfability: Borrow
Ivy Bloodgood’s mother is dead, and she should probably be sad about it. But she isn’t. Myra Bloodgood was a manipulative personality who never told the truth—about where she came from, who Ivy’s father was, or why they were living their lives on the run.
Now that Ivy has been sent to the family estate on Darkhaven, an island off the New England coast, she is forced to reckon with her mother’s past. Ivy can tell right away there are long-held family secrets buried within these walls, but when she wakes up from one of her nightmares covered in someone else’s blood, Ivy fears that whatever demons her mother battled while she was alive have come to roost in her own mind.
Scared that she can no longer trust what she sees, Ivy seeks the help of a boy who thinks her episodes are connected to the sordid history of Darkhaven—but what they don’t know might kill them both.
I grabbed this from Edelweiss because the cover caught my eye. When reading the blurb I thought it sounded like my kind of read. I love a good dark and gothic story. The darker the better if I am being honest. And while this did have that dark elements and the gothic setting the story itself just fell fall for me.
Ivy has spent her life moving around with her mum. She never settles in one place. However, when tragedy strikes, she is forced to go live with an uncle she never knew existed. Right away she knew something was off about Darkhaven. And to help with her own demons she goes digging into her family history and uncovers and dark and twisted secrets.
Is "Meh" really a feeling? Can you describe a plot to a book as Meh? Because that is just how I felt. I went into this with high hopes because it sounded fantastic. It started out a very slow. It wasn't really gripping my interest like I hoped it would. However, I keep reading because I did quite liked Ivy and the connection she had with Doyle. Ivy is very independent and a strong character. You can see how much she is struggling throughout the story. I think Doyle kept her from going right over the edge at times. The banter they had was quite funny and natural.
The plot was a slow one. I found myself sitting at around 70% mark wondering if something mind blowing was going to happen. And sadly for me it just didn't. Everything was rather predictable. The last part of the book was probably the only part that any sort of speed to it. But you know what was going to happen. I like a good plot twist and I saw this one a mile off which was rather disappointing.
I will say the setting of Darkhaven was amazing. I love gothic settings. The old fashion manor on the island that you can only get to by boat. It gave me the creeps which is always a good thing in a gothic story. The back story of her family and the back story of Doyle's family was very intriguing I would have loved for that to be explored a lot more than it did.
One of the big positives about Dreaming Darkly is how it doesn't shy away from mental health. Mental health issues still in this day and age seems to be such a stigma around it. People still don't talk about it and we need to talk about them. The more books that deal with mental health in them of any kind the better in my opinion.
If you like books that have that gothic setting then please give this a try. Just because this wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be yours.
Ivy has spent her life moving around with her mum. She never settles in one place. However, when tragedy strikes, she is forced to go live with an uncle she never knew existed. Right away she knew something was off about Darkhaven. And to help with her own demons she goes digging into her family history and uncovers and dark and twisted secrets.
Is "Meh" really a feeling? Can you describe a plot to a book as Meh? Because that is just how I felt. I went into this with high hopes because it sounded fantastic. It started out a very slow. It wasn't really gripping my interest like I hoped it would. However, I keep reading because I did quite liked Ivy and the connection she had with Doyle. Ivy is very independent and a strong character. You can see how much she is struggling throughout the story. I think Doyle kept her from going right over the edge at times. The banter they had was quite funny and natural.
The plot was a slow one. I found myself sitting at around 70% mark wondering if something mind blowing was going to happen. And sadly for me it just didn't. Everything was rather predictable. The last part of the book was probably the only part that any sort of speed to it. But you know what was going to happen. I like a good plot twist and I saw this one a mile off which was rather disappointing.I will say the setting of Darkhaven was amazing. I love gothic settings. The old fashion manor on the island that you can only get to by boat. It gave me the creeps which is always a good thing in a gothic story. The back story of her family and the back story of Doyle's family was very intriguing I would have loved for that to be explored a lot more than it did.
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If you like books that have that gothic setting then please give this a try. Just because this wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be yours.
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