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Book Review of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
elizardbreath avatar reviewed on + 18 more book reviews


This was a five-star read for me clear up to near the end where the secrets start to be revealed and then... "Wait, WHAT?!! What is happening?? Whoa. No. NO NO NO!!! You're ruining it! NO! Oh no, there you go again! Stop! STOPPPP!"

I found out about this book through Katie's BookTube channel and couldn't wait to get my hands on it as I really respect her book choices and I just all around like her. A Victorian gothic with an irresistible cover --- Yes!

I loved it from page one and was so engrossed with her excellent storytelling and flawless writing style that it felt like a door slammed me in the face when she started to reveal the novel's secrets. One after another they snowballed toward me, faster than I could keep up, and I ended the story feeling shocked, betrayed, frustrated... I feel like Margaret's character completely changed in the span of minutes --- the entire tone of the story was turned on its head. The whole thing just broke my heart and I'm seriously bummed.

Bummed.