⭐️⭐️⭐️I have been struggling with what to say in this review. Not because I hated this book. In fact, this book was fine. If you like dark academia, if you like 18th century Venice, if you want to read Phantom of the Opera but Lesbians--you will have a good time reading this book. I did not love this book. I did not hate this book. I wanted more from this book. I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. Look, my online handle has Baroque in the title--I love Baroque music, I love fantasy, this should have been my jam. And I was really enjoying the set up for this book. The vibes, as the youths say, are immaculate. I just wanted a little more pay off. Some other reviewers have taken issue with the purple prose, but I didn’t have a problem with that. This book is luxurious, this book is plush. Yes the prose are a part of that experience. I think I just wanted this book to lean in to the horror genre instead of away. To go “full gothic nonsense.” Ultimately it felt like it took itself a little too seriously. If you’ve read Mexican Gothic--I kept waiting for *that moment* and it never happened. If you like Dark Academia and Horny Lesbians Making Bad Life Choices in 18th Century Venice. This book will deliver on that, but ultimately the best Genre books transcend the tropes that comprise them, and this book couldn’t quite make that leap, so it’s just fine.
I received a free advance copy in exchange for this honest review.
