My first book by Caitlin Starling and a great read.

I loved the character Evelyn. She was flawed and selfish, but likeable, making tough decisions throughout, especially towards the end as her entire world starts to crumble around her. Her relationship with her servant and right hand, Violetta was the highlight of the book.

There was a really creepy atmosphere throughout, the girl on the road and the empresses party being standouts. Its amazing how caitlin made me feel so much dread and paranoia just by a characters gaze at Evelyn. Those staring eyes really are haunting.

I won't pretend that I fully understand the ending, but I appreciate it enough that I can like it. It was certainly different. I have Caitlins first book, The Luminous dead staring at me from my bookshelf. Reading this just bumped it right up my TBR.

As always, it's hard for me to find the words to review such a short piece of fiction, but rest assured that this is the sapphic gothic novella of your dreams no matter how short I keep my opinion. Parts of it will make you want to throw your copy/digital reading device into a box, tape it shut inside, and watch it from the corner of your eye at all times. Imagine "The Yellow Wallpaper" - only with more drugs and collapsing societies in a siege nearing its end. I found it absolutely marvelous how Starling weaved the unsettling horror into a fictional world that is never quite explored in its entirety, but always looming at the edges of the plot, making me wish this was a full-length political fantasy novel. The ending may have been a little too wtf for me - but you know what? I couldn't imagine a more fitting one.

It is a short story so i couldn't relate a lot with the main character.
Although it is a easy read and it isn't a lot of terror.

Caitlin Starlight has a powerful voice in Yellow Jessamine. She created a novel that recovers the best from Gothic classics, added some fantasy and horror to make it more current, and decorated with a bit of romance, and who doesn’t like a supernatural fairy tale out of hell? We need more books like this in the market, please!
Full review (Aug-11): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2020/08/resena-review-yellow-jessamine.html

Having read (and loved) Starling's debut novel The Luminous Dead not once but twice, I knew I needed to get my hands on this novella and supported the Kickstarter campaign back before quarantine. Yellow Jessamine has everything I needed: all the Gothic vines (pun/typo intended), queer ladies, and Starling's evocative prose. She doesn't waste words, but what some might find extraneous is used to brilliant effect, painting the main character's fracturing psyche across the page.

The only downsides are: I wanted more description and worldbuilding. Descriptions particularly of house and garden. This is a very Gothic story and the settings are so important. I wanted time and care and attention given to the house and every plant and jar and tincture in Evelyn's house/greenhouse/workshop. As for worldbuilding, I didn't feel like we had much of a handle on the greater world, even though it ended up being rather important to the plot. There are hints that definitely intrigued me (namely: the soldier) but I felt unsatisfied by it.

I will say that Starling is a master of weirdly descriptive but very internalized horror-adjacent writing. I'm very excited for my finished copy to arrive, as per my Kickstarter backer perks, because this was a story I was able to devour in an evening and probably would again.

I didn't imagine what reading Yellow Jessamine would be like. I thought I would get a mysterious disease in a town somewhat led by a weird woman, but instead, I got a mysterious businesswoman, expert in herbology and poisons who seems to be followed by an odd disease.

One thing I want to highlight before anything else is the beauty of the book ! The cover is gorgeous and totally drew me in ! You can add to this the beauty of the headers at the beginnning of each chapter. The attention given to the details of the header is crazy ! I loved it !

Now, Yellow Jessamine is a character-driven story, where everything revolves around Evelyn. The disease is here, but it seems to revolve around her as well, chasing her and the people around her. Evelyn is a very well-crafted character. She's the opposite of a hero, and she just wants the world to forget her existence and live in peace (what a relatable character !). I liked reading about the evolution of her mind, seeing how she thinks, tries to figure out solutions to protect herself and her maid Violetta.

Violetta is another reason I loved this novella. She's nice, loyal, and ultimately quite fierce. She's not afraid of Evelyn, never hesitates to voice her opinion, and brings out the best in Evelyn. I loved that she tried to help her mistress the best she could, dealt with all the obscure sides of Evelyn, yet never left her side.

I'm not giving this book 5 stars because I would have wanted to read more about the disease, and have more answers about it. Ultimately, the disease is just a way to help getting inside Evelyn's head and uncovering her past, when I wanted it to be its own entity and have a big impact on its own.

Overall, this is a great novella, quick to read and utterly captivating. I mean that. You become glued to the book, and don't let it go until the end. It had been a while since I had been so fascinated by someone's writing.

2020 is good for one thing: gothic fiction. This haunting and dark novella is deceptively straightforward at first, but it is rotten to its core (in all the best ways). As a mysterious plague spreads through Delphinium, we untangle the tragic and complicated life of Lady Evelyn Perdanu.

I have a soft spot for herbalist, witchy women, at home with their tinctures and potions. So I loved Evelyn, bruised and battered and defiant in a world that cares not a spit for her.

Starling reveals this story with the dread of a door creak. YELLOW JESSAMINE felt like my unsettling chaser to MEXICAN GOTHIC. (It also notches just below that novel in my book cover power rankings for the year.)

Gorgeous prose, haunting story. I was spellbound by the plot, the characters, the aura that surrounded this novel. It is the perfect read for a cozy fall evening.

Oh. Wow. This was amazing.

I'm not a horror reader at all, but the beautiful cover (and the lgbt tag) got my attention, so of course I had to read it! (took me quite a bit because for some reason in my kindle it showed with all the words stuck together, so it was... quite a task to read through everything, even if it was very short lol).

Evelyn is a rich lady in the doomed city of Delphinium, the last place not taken by whatever empire took over the rest of the country. The story begins with her ship arriving and a strange sickness falling upon her sailors, and continuing to spread all over town and reach out to her.

It's a short book and incredibly creepy with all the illness and Evelyn trying to figure out what is happening, what can she do, what can she come up with in her garden full of plants and poisons. The narrative flows well, the word choices are just amazing, and the dialogues between Evelyn and Violetta (her maid and loved one) were just. Perfect. I loved their relationship, I loved Evelyn and her desire to keep her power and life, and everything else about this book.

Maybe it's a sign I should check out more horror lol.
tws: gore, death, murder

So, this book wasn't for me. The writing style is good and there are some interesting ideas in this book. But for the first 50% it feels like the story is getting nowhere, there is a conflict between two countrys (?) which simply is but was never fleshed out. When it finally started to get somewhere the author had already lost me so I had to push myself to finish this book. I only finished it because it was a rather short book otherwise I'd given up.

I also very much disliked the main character Evelyn. She is selfish and cold has no inner thoughts that prove otherwise and in the end she suddenly gets all shaken by the death of someone who didn't even seem to be a friend to her up until that point, she mourns her mother an so on.

This book is shelved as LGBT+ by the publisher but for almost 70% there is not the smallest sign that this might be the case. Actually Evelyn is admired by a male. Only in the end we are informed that her handmaid loved her and Evelyn might have felt something for her too, which was rather disappointing at that point.

***Thanks to NetGalley and Neon Hemlock who provided me with an ARC of this book.***

I did like this how the horror element was presented in this. The world building was good and this could have been developed into a full length novel as this was a little shorter than i thought it should be. The queer element is missold and is not really explored or has anything important done with it, it is just a longing that is behind all the text and if you can't read the codes then you miss it entirely. The ending was okay but it was a tiny bit confusing in how it was presented as the outcome was not written in such a clear way to follow. I did like this but this needed to be edited again to get it to where it should be.

If Yellow Jessamine’s gorgeous cover isn’t enough to hook you, then maybe this description will: Sapphic gothic horror story about a murderous gardener. Are you in yet?

Evelyn Perdanu has inherited monumental wealth in addition to her father’s shipping company after every member of her family has mysteriously died. She and her right hand woman, Violetta, must navigate running a business in the dying city of Delphinium which is ruled by an failing empress and devolving into civil war. Evelyn hides behind her mourning veil and tends a well-kept and poisonous garden full of foxglove, belladonna, and hemlock— among other things. The novella begins when an otherworldly sickness claims some sailors on one of Evelyn’s ships and she must desperately try to stem the coming plague before it ruins her by unearthing her deadly secrets one by one.

This book delivers exactly what it’s selling— a surreal and fantastical gothic horror experience. It’s quite short and fast-paced, easily read in the time it would take to watch a movie. Its premise is unmistakably similar to that eerie scene in Dracula in which the ship is found empty and the horrifying illness which renders its victims almost possessed is reminiscent of the best demonic horror films. I would categorize this book as a novella, a form that favors plot over character development. Evelyn is a well-sketched character and the plot builds around the reader uncovering her many secrets. Violetta and Evelyn’s relationship is tender and loyal, and though it was not fully developed, it reminded me a little of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith. Starling’s writing is poetic and beautifully descriptive, especially concerning Evelyn’s luscious garden, and she has a knack for horror. This book is like a fast-paced combination between Carmilla, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and a biography of Lucrezia Borgia.

This novella packs interesting social drama, political intrigue, and an overarching mystery into a short number of pages. I was really intrigued by the description of the dying city and the mysterious illness that kicks off the action of the story. The latter third or so of the novel moves at a somewhat disjointed, dreamlike pace, which I think lessened the impact of certain reveals. I really enjoyed this novella overall, and I look forward to reading more from this author!

I don’t normally read this kind of book but it was very good strange but good. It is very well written and you really feel for the characters in the story I definitely couldn’t stop reading I just had to know what happened next. I definitely recommend this book

this was such a creepy little novella. I loved the aesthetic but wish the story wasn’t as hard to get into. I also wish that it had more of an explicit WLW romance rather than pining. the length was really good and fit the story. the characters were also well crafted and made me want to keep reading. halfway, once the story picked up, I didn’t want to put it down.

"Nobody mistook her for a delicate, damaged flower, but few doubted that such horrid grief could leave a woman untouched. Her veil was armor. Her veil was indispensable."

[2,75]

Has happened to you that you start a book sure that you’ll love it, with an amazing premise and a promising beginning, and the end fucks all the book? That’s what happened to me with Yellow Jessamine, a promising book, with a curious premise, but that it has a too hasty end. For me, what the book’s missing is at least 100-150 pages. In that pages that the book is missing would have be awesome see more world building and character development. For giving a quick end credibility is taken away of the book.

This book, even if has only 131 pages (151 according my Kindle) ISN’T a light book and is that what I was curious in the beginning. ¿A book with less than 200 pages published? That is not seen every day. Little subsection: I need to hug the cover artist! This book is the short book’s reivindication, but unfortunately I didn’t liked it completely.

Really, I tried hard to like this book, but at the end of the day, I didn’t get it. First, I’ll tell you the positive aspects. 1. It has an amazing, funny, agile and exciting writing. That makes that you’ll never get bored. 2. Is and amazing premise and in general, I loved the first 100 pages. Is has a dark vibe and I loved that.

Now, the negative aspects, to continue with the story. 1. It has an awful world building. There’s a lot of loose ends, half-told stories and really we don’t know ANYTHING about where we are. 2. The characters are too shallow and they’re at the service to the plot. They’re there for only drama. 3. The end is TOO hasty! I think that the book’s missing at least 100 pages. 4. It can be better, but is a poor development.

In Yellow Jessamine we find Evelyn Perdanu. A shipping magnate that lives in Delphinium city. In her last ship, The Verity, has come part of its crew infected with a mysterious plague, that puts the person in a type of coma. Evelyn, that is the richest person in Delphinium, can hide the secret with bribes and murders (like always), but slowly that will take possession of everything.

I can’t say anymore, ‘cause being this a very short book, after the page number 20 there start the spoilers. I need to say that, even if is short, this isn’t a light read. Is a book in all rules, that needs to be read with a lot of attention. Now, about the story and like I said, I seemed that this’s an incomplete book. Unless that the book will have a sequel (something that will not happen) it, by itself, it’s missing a lot of pages. This’s a good idea but an awful development. Is missing a lot of world building and character development, because what it tells us isn’t enough. The only thing that it does is tell the things, don’t show them. It just explains the principal aspects superficially and it doesn’t get out of the protagonist’s perspective.

Like I said, the end was a complete deception. It goes in an accelerated way, I didn’t understand many things and many others are removed from the sleeve. In general, I think this’s a book that goes nosedive. I would have loved to know more about the rebellion, the other side, the wall, the war reasons and many other things about the world that neither don’t show us or don’t mention.

The characters are quite superficial, and something that I don’t like, that they are 100% at the service to the plot. It’s few characters and I’ll mention only the most relevant ones, ‘cause any of they liked me. 1. Evelyn: Is too worthy, she doesn’t neither accept her mistakes or shows her emotions and her “plot twist” is too boring. 2. Violetta: She can be mi favorite character, but she had a lousy development. That’s it.

About the ending i didn’t understand ANYTHING. I think that the end, being so hasty, it doesn’t explain enough, and, if the end had been better, the book could have reach the 5 stars. Apart, something that I don’t understand, ¿Is this an LGBTIQ+ book? In my opinion, no. The “relationship” has a bad development and is basically for marketing.

In general aspects, is a good idea with a mediocre development. The book’s missing many pages of development, but I’ll keep reading the author. I hope that her next books will be better. Include LGBTIQ+ relationships in a horror novel is something new that I haven’t see. If you’ll read the author, don’t start with Yellow Jessamine.


MontFort says bye!

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

Yellow Jessamine is like if you took The Monster of Elendhaven and made it sapphic. That’s the easiest way to describe it. It’s almost scarily similar in vibes, in fact (which is to say, small town, creepy goings-on, a cabal of powerful people who will sacrifice whatever it takes for their cause, and murder).

First things first, it’s a very atmospheric novella. It’s short and almost like the end of a longer story, but it immerses you in the world nevertheless. That’s probably the best part about this novella, the writing and the atmosphere it creates. I’m not a huge horror fan, but I would really just go pick up everything Caitlin Starling has ever written on the basis of this writing.

Along with the creepiness of the atmosphere, it’s also a story that keeps you on your toes. You’ll think you have everything figured out, but then, at the end when it all becomes clearer, you realise that what you thought you knew isn’t right.

I think the only thing I would say about this novella is that, while it worked as a standalone, it felt like it should be set within a longer tale. I mean, I guess that’s a simultaneously good thing and bad thing, because it made me want more, but also made it clear that I didn’t get enough. What I’m trying to say is that the didn’t-get-enough outweighed the wanting-more. I wanted more because I didn’t get enough, not solely because I wanted to read in that world for longer.

But anyway. If you’re a fan of horror, you won’t want to miss out on this one.

(Review will be posted on my blog on July 5th, 2020, it is currently up on Goodreads.)

Story—★★★★☆
Characters—★★★☆☆
Writing Style—★★★★☆
Overall—★★★★☆

What do you grow in your garden? What do you sow? What do you reap? Poisons or antidotes?

Yellow Jessamine hits the creepy nail on the head with its presentation of the first victim of the new "plague:" Evelyn stands over a catatonic sailor, alive but no longer human, empty of humanity and reaction as a fly lands directly on his eyeball. Starling paints a glum picture of Delphinium, a city dying from the inside out and the outside in as plague steals the lives of inhabitants, downed ships throttle trade and enemies close in on the border. Amongst all this death is a surprising story of love and devotion, one which doesn't hesitate to ask questions—Does devotion necessary equal love? Can you love someone without knowing them? What does love look like to a person who loathes themself? Starling crafts a smart story wrapped in an intense and paranoid narrative. The infected victims searching needily for Evelyn are perfectly unnatural and other in their presentation: their bright eyes, their insistence. 

Lady Evelyn Perdanu stands at the center, death all around. She lost her mother at a young age, and a few years later her father and all her brothers in short order. At her side, is her devoted assistant, Violetta Fusain. They had a quiet, understated relationship, which pushed the bounds of employer and employee. Evelyn is a fascinating elevation of her archetype—she is practical and direct in her actions, doing what is necessary, both to move forward and to protect herself. Both her paranoia and panic come through clearly: she is a woman with everything to lose and is scrambling to save anything, no matter what the cost. 

Two key issues keep Yellow Jessamine from reaching its peak potential. One is the beginning: starting on a note where readers are introduced to a number of mostly throwaway characters is a weak, distracting foot to begin the book on. The second, and most imperative, is that Evelyn and Violetta lack a key "bonding" scene, something simple and effective where the two endure something together. I love their dynamic and the sort of bittersweetness between them, but in order for the latter half and ending to hit the emotional note they need to at full strength, readers need to see something that tests, reinforces or strengthens their relationship and displays their personalities very early on. 

Starling's writing style is top-shelf: clean and practised, elegant and brutal. Her vocabulary is broad and her word choice appropriate and precise, making for prose both easy and enjoyable to devour. The switch of tone from sombre and paranoid to frenetic and fearful as events spiraled and the story approached its climax was conveyed clearly and effortlessly. In this regard, Yellow Jessamine was a delight to read. My only complaint in this area is Starling's tendency to "tell over show" when it comes to writing emotions, opting for direct statements of "she was afraid," etc. in contrast to letting them hit home with a few select descriptions of Evelyn's physiological reactions. However, given the length of the story and the frantic turnover of emotions as things progress, it's fairly forgivable. 

I don't think it's a story that will appeal to everyone, but I think to those it appeals to Yellow Jessamine will satisfy.

This novella was really interesting and I would absolutely love more books in this universe? Realm? There were moments where I did feel lost, however, I had to remind myself there’s only so much you can keep in a novella. Additionally, I would have loved more development of the relationship of the two women, as this was marketed as an LGBTQ+ book and expected a little more in that aspect. All in all though, it was really solidly creepy and fantastic! I love a good creepy parasitic style garden as much as the next guy (probably?).

Yellow Jessamine follows Evelyn Perdanu in the dying city of Delphinium. The only member of her family left, Evelyn is head of the Perdanu estate and manages an import business. When a mysterious condition befalls many of the people of Delphinium, seemingly possessing them to seek out Evelyn, Evelyn must confront her many causes of lifelong guilt.

Starling has spun an intriguing and well-written Gothic tale, full of chilling atmosphere and interesting horror elements. While it certainly could have used additional worldbuilding, the town of Delphinium and the people within it are clearly defined. As others have previously mentioned, a full-length novel may have suited the story better; I would have liked Evelyn, Violetta, and the mystifying disease to have been fleshed out more. I also wish that there had been more explicit romance or tension between Evelyn and Violetta, as I’d expected a legitimate LGBTQIA story but it’s not really even a subplot of the novella. I won’t mention it here to avoid spoilers, but I appreciated how the theme of Evelyn’s guilt manifests as it does in the end.