The writing is great, and the mystery is interesting. I love thrillers that involve insane asylums or anything like that. It was alright and I didn't love the ending.

Interesting historical fiction about a woman searching for the truth who is stymied at almost every turn. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! Slow read with an okay story. I expected more and it didn't deliver. I rate the book a 3.1

I'm going into this new year with a new mindset - of a book doesn't grip me in the first 10%, I'm done with it. There's way too many good ones to waste on those I do not enjoy.

And this one is one of those that didn't grip me. In those 10% I read, I eather had no odea what was going on, or there was too much talk and pictures of a dead body, funeral preparation or whatever all of that is called.

Not the read I can enjoy at the moment.

I was so looking forward to this, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. The first half was quite hard going and slow, although the prose was beautiful. However it did pick up and I really enjoyed the latter half!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A fun women's fiction novel. Recommend

Good pacing overall, but I felt the ending was rushed and confusing. I looked back to see if I'd missed a chapter. Several other loose ends weren't tied up. A bit unsatisfying. The basic premise and story were good.

Review published on Goodreads, 15 March 2021:

I like moody, broody reads, but AFTER ALICE FELL is almost unrelentingly depressing. The book's subject matter is dark, it's true, but the story also features cold, unlikable characters; an austere writing style; and just an overall vibe of grimness. Its premise intrigued me, but the first half of the book dragged so much that I almost put it down. The action does pick up in the second half - still, the plot is predictable and the tale never really becomes unputdownable. Although Marion is not an easy heroine to like, I did want to know what was going to happen to her. I kept reading for that reason. Usually, I love these kinds of atmospheric, Gothic-y reads, but I found AFTER ALICE FELL to be just an okay read, which is a bummer because I thought I would like it a lot more. If I could, I would give the book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

📖My Thoughts📖

I have mixed feelings about this one. The storyline is a pretty good one, however, there were times throughout the book I found myself losing interest and getting a bit confused, but towards the end, it really had my attention. It seemed as though the majority of the twists were also towards the end of the book. Personally, I like having them spread out sporadically through the book almost like sort of a teaser. At times I felt as though some of what I was reading was more or less fluff, and unfortunately I didn’t really feel a connection to any of the characters, which is one of my favorite parts when reading a book. The bones of the story are there, and it has some great potential. Overall it was a pretty decent book.
Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kim Taylor Blakemore for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I was really exited to read this book but it fell short for me. I DNF. I tried but I struggled to keep reading. I kept losing interest. I did like the writing style and I feel this book does have an audience. Just not for me.

After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore is set in 1865 and opens with a moving scene where Marion Abbot is identifying the body of her sister, who has died in an apparent accident at an asylum. Marion is unwilling to accept the explanation she has been given at face value and cannot understand why her brother and his new wife are keen to bury the past as quickly as they can bury Alice. Unconvinced that the account of the asylum staff is true, Marion becomes fixated on uncovering the truth about what really happened, but what she finally uncovers is the stuff of nightmares.
This gothic tale is definitely a slow burn, with the first two thirds of the book building the story for a dramatic pay off in the last part of the book. Readers who do not like very descriptive writing may struggle as the prose is quite meandering in style , and while this can be very atmospheric at times , it can occasionally be a little frustrating. I liked the denouement a lot , and I appreciated the way it played into the historical time period in which the book is set. Overall an atmospheric slow burn of a read.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read.

I really wanted to love this book, the synopsis grabbed my attention, but the book just didn't. It was slow and dragged, but the overall story was good.

I do not think After Alice Fell was for me. I would like to see other books from Kim Taylor Blakemore and give her work a try again. TI do not think After Alice Fell was for me. I would like to see other books from Kim Taylor Blakemore and give her work a try again. Two stars. wo stars.

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down because I just knew Marion was going to get to the bottom of what happened to her sister and I definitely knew who was responsible but that didn't in any way deter me from staying up late to finish it. It had a gothic vibe to it for me, and I loved the timeframe that it took place. Mental health was so abominable in the past and this book, while not getting completely graphic and detailed, let the reader understand just how deplorable the time was for those who suffered from mental health issues (and the majority of them being women as we all know). I would definitely recommend this book to friends, loved it!!

I sadly had to DNF this read. Although I did really like the idea of the book, I just couldn't get into it. The meandering style of writing that didn't really tell me anything really failed to keep my attention, and when at 25% in nothing had happened I decided this book just isn't for me.

I really had a deep respect for the atmospheric elements and the way the time period was brought to life in this book. I definitely wanted to like this one much more than I did. I found the part about the lantern to be really compelling and unique to the period and found this to be a story element that played well as a turning point to the book. In the end, however, .I felt that the mystery was drawn out ad nauseum and it made it hard to understand at any given moment who the suspect was and what actually happened. I really wish this book would have been tighter, but it was not a terrible read.

Really enjoyed this gothic mystery/historical fiction. The plot pulls you in from the first page! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Great gothic read that left me wanting more. Recommend picking it up!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.