Tag: Gothic

Review: Cape Fever

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Title: Cape Fever
Author: Nadia Davids
Pages: 240
Release: December 9, 2025

Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller by Nadia Davids.

Set in the 1920s within an unnamed colonial empire, Cape Fever immerses us in the inner turmoil of Soraya Matas, an overworked and underappreciated housemaid. Davids deftly shapes Soraya into a more-than-meets-the-eye protagonist, one whose thoughtfulness and quiet wisdom are clear to us even as her devious employer, Ms. Hattingh, demeans and degrades her. As Soraya’s circumstances grow more perilous, she’s visited by the ghosts that haunt the house.

Davids weaves the supernatural seamlessly into a clear-eyed exploration of class and culture, guiding the story toward an expected yet deeply satisfying twist. 

★★★★1⁄2

My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and Edelweiss for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Thirst

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Title: Thirst
Author: Marina Yuszczuk
Translator: Heather Cleary
Pages: 256
Release: March 5, 2024

An evocative read that is ultimately unsatisfying in its execution. 

The prose is quite pretty, especially in Part I, which vividly depicts the tumultuous life of a 19th-century vampire lusting for blood and leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. However, Part II fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion, abruptly jumping to the present day and losing the momentum of the first half. The writing here feels stilted and uninspiring, lacking the sorrowful beauty of the first half. 

The integration of the two plotlines is awkward, and the plot sometimes reads like a series of disjointed events rather than a cohesive narrative. While vampire enthusiasts will have plenty to sink their teeth into here, this book fell short for me.

★★½

My thanks to the public library for providing me with a post-release copy in exchange for a promise that I’ll return it within 14 days. (I did).

Review: King Nyx

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Title: King Nyx
Author: Kirsten Bakis
Pages: 320
Release: February 27, 2024

A tightly woven and haunting gothic mystery that left me supremely satisfied.

A creepy island, a reclusive benefactor, and three young girls vanished into thin air. If those ingredients weren’t enough to hook you, the evolving mystery at the heart of the book does a tremendous job of pulling you deeper and deeper into the abyss as important answers always seem tantalizingly out of reach.

It’s more eerie than it is scary, but Bakis sets the atmospherically rich and period-specific tone incredibly well, as the dialogue and imagery effectively evoke the the haunting quality that brings the plot to life.

The story itself tackles contemporary issues through the lens of life in 1918 – the rejection of science, toxic men in high places, and even a disease outbreak requiring quarantine! Timeless themes, an alluring mystery, and beautiful prose make this a supremely satisfying read.

★★★★½

My thanks to the public library for providing me with a post-release copy in exchange for a promise that I’ll return it within 14 days. (I did).

Review: The Bone Orchard

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Title: The Bone Orchard (March 22, 2022)
Author: Sara A. Mueller
Pages: 432

The Bone Orchard is an ambitious and inventive novel about the lengths someone will go for self-preservation amidst extreme trauma. 

While the main plot concerns a poisoned emperor and the subsequent whodunit – the real stars here are Shame, Justice, Desire, Pride, and Pain. These five “boneghosts” are richly drawn and complex characters who answer to Charm, our central protagonist. Their relationship to Charm is fascinating and evolves in unexpected ways throughout the course of the novel. And, once I could keep all of the characters straight, I really enjoyed the world Sara A. Mueller conjured up – even if sometimes it felt like the narrative could have been tighter. Bonus points for an outstanding cover!

★★★¾

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.