3 months ago
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Posted On: July 27th 2026, 04:08 pm
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I CANNOT believe this is a debut novel. Calling all gothic horror lovers, this one’s for you. Thank you to NetGalley & Dutton for the early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Plot: Set in 1877 in Pernambuco, Brazil, this unsettling story follows a pregnant nineteen year old who must procure a proposal from her baby’s father or suffer major consequences from her family. After she manages to tell him, they are involved in a thunderstorm induced carriage crash. When she wakes up the next day at her beau’s crumbling plantation, something is very not right. He doesn’t seem the same as he did before the accident. Who was that ghostly old woman in the mirror? And why is this creepy doctor doing his level best to not let her go home? I’m not giving any more details than that because this is definitely one of those books you want to go into completely blind.
The Vibes:
I got the same feelings reading this as I did when reading The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas or Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - meaning I enjoyed the story, the twists, and the characters in their own separate ways just as much as I did in this one. The gothic aesthetic and tropes obviously differ based on setting and characters, but I would wager to guess if you vibed with those two, you’d vibe with this one too.
Standouts:
The Twist. I knew there would be a twist (obviously) but I didn’t put the whole thing together until the middle of part 2. I loved the plot of this story so much. If you like books where you’re like wtf is going on?!! in the first half, this one might be for you!
Stars: This is gonna get a 4.75 out of 5 stars from me. Why did I deduct .25? What would have made it 5 stars for me? I wanted more back story about evidence that Madalena discovered toward the end of her POV in the story. That’s the best I can do while keeping it spoiler free lol. So message me if you’ve read it and want specifics!
The Plot: Set in 1877 in Pernambuco, Brazil, this unsettling story follows a pregnant nineteen year old who must procure a proposal from her baby’s father or suffer major consequences from her family. After she manages to tell him, they are involved in a thunderstorm induced carriage crash. When she wakes up the next day at her beau’s crumbling plantation, something is very not right. He doesn’t seem the same as he did before the accident. Who was that ghostly old woman in the mirror? And why is this creepy doctor doing his level best to not let her go home? I’m not giving any more details than that because this is definitely one of those books you want to go into completely blind.
The Vibes:
I got the same feelings reading this as I did when reading The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas or Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - meaning I enjoyed the story, the twists, and the characters in their own separate ways just as much as I did in this one. The gothic aesthetic and tropes obviously differ based on setting and characters, but I would wager to guess if you vibed with those two, you’d vibe with this one too.
Standouts:
The Twist. I knew there would be a twist (obviously) but I didn’t put the whole thing together until the middle of part 2. I loved the plot of this story so much. If you like books where you’re like wtf is going on?!! in the first half, this one might be for you!
Stars: This is gonna get a 4.75 out of 5 stars from me. Why did I deduct .25? What would have made it 5 stars for me? I wanted more back story about evidence that Madalena discovered toward the end of her POV in the story. That’s the best I can do while keeping it spoiler free lol. So message me if you’ve read it and want specifics!
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