This was a really captivating narrative. Once you understand more, the world and the main character's experiences become somewhat clear, but once you do, you won't want to put it down!

In order to recall her life, Lady Ramillia Winmoore is creating a book in which she is chronicling every moment of her life. Every section is separated into a "phase" of her existence, and Ramillia's whereabouts are a mystery. I enjoyed reading the book because of its engaging plot overall and my need to know what was going to happen next. In spite of her odd actions, I definitely learned to love Ramillia.

However, I will concede that there ought to have been more clarity in the trigger warnings—or lack thereof. There was a lot of gore, trauma, darkness, and taboo content that not everyone would enjoy.

My opinion of the book was impacted by a few things, including the confusing and oblique way in which the multiple points of view were switched between. It would take me some time to figure out who was speaking. There were a few recaps at the start of Parts 2 and 3 that seemed pointless and redundant. Each section appeared to be its own book, even if that was not the case. In addition, the ending felt hurried, and despite all the build-up over the entire book, it wasn't a satisfying conclusion.

The worldbuilding was intriguing and the writing style was enjoyable. If someone wasn't a fan of the dark or horror genres, I'm not sure if I would suggest it.

DNF at 53%

Well I tried and tried to read this book. but it was so boring

The start off this book was a bit off a shock (there are trigger warnings I did read them at a later point in the book, I normally never read them I have yet to find a trigger for me) but I powered through that part it actually kind off interesting.
The beginning 25% was graphic fast paced and interesting but then the true story and background started and the pace when from fast to. snail pace. Which is not normal how many off my books go. suddenly the story starts making sense and the pace picks up. Here the opposite happend and was truly shocked by it.

When I was about 40% in I was willing to continue to give this book a. chance. but I just felt. the same things keept happingen en there was no story progression and at 53% I just could no longer finish it.

I think if the pacing and the way that the story was put together I may have enjoyed more but I just could not handel it anymore.

If someone is mindful of the triggers somebody may enjoy it but this was just not for me

Gothic horror at it's best but with warnings. This book is not for everyone - it contains very hard subjects. But after adjusting to the events and writing style the reader is pulled in for a riveting tale.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to experience this book.

i had to dnf @20% the trigger warnings were definitely needed and should've been provided by the author. i couldn't finish reading it.

:::3.5:::

The writing is beautiful. The gothic atmosphere is heavy and I would definitely recommend reading the content warnings before going in. I felt there were too many instances of info dumping that messed with the pacing, especially in the beginning, and that had me struggling to continue. I would recommend this to anyone looking for very dark gothic horror

This was a really captivating narrative. Once you understand more, the world and the main character's experiences become somewhat clear, but once you do, you won't want to put it down!

In order to recall her life, Lady Ramillia Winmoore is creating a book in which she is chronicling every moment of her life. Every section is separated into a "phase" of her existence, and Ramillia's whereabouts are a mystery. I enjoyed reading the book because of its engaging plot overall and my need to know what was going to happen next. In spite of her odd actions, I definitely learned to love Ramillia.

However, I will concede that there ought to have been more clarity in the trigger warnings—or lack thereof. There was a lot of gore, trauma, darkness, and taboo content that not everyone would enjoy.

My opinion of the book was impacted by a few things, including the confusing and oblique way in which the multiple points of view were switched between. It would take me some time to figure out who was speaking. There were a few recaps at the start of Parts 2 and 3 that seemed pointless and redundant. Each section appeared to be its own book, even if that was not the case. In addition, the ending felt hurried, and despite all the build-up over the entire book, it wasn't a satisfying conclusion.

The worldbuilding was intriguing and the writing style was enjoyable. If someone wasn't a fan of the dark or horror genres, I'm not sure if I would suggest it.

This book was not at all what I expected! It was a little hard to follow at first but once I got the concept, it was a really intriguing book! Loved the strong female character and her story. It can be a bit gruesome at times so check trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

The first this to say is that you must be aware of trigger warning before you pick this up. I do not have any but this read was very dark. I did enjoy the writing style and it has the gothic feel. Once you get over all the triggers, it is well written, and I enjoyed the storyline of power and redemption. 3.5 stars Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the this e-arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t even know what to say about this book. It was disappointing to say the least. I want to CAUTION everyone there are a LOT of trigger warnings and this is a very very dark book, so read at your own risk.
I felt the book was very stagnant and sluggish. The book didn’t seem to accomplish anything by the end of the novel. I had high hopes but was let down.

oh this was DARK dark these trigger warnings were definitely needed and should be taken very seriously

Dark. Gothic. Erotically disturbing.

Wow! This was dark. I knew it would be pretty dark but I didn't expect for it to get THAT dark. A few moments in this book will stick with me for a very long time, I won't say in my nightmares but certainly looming in the darkest corners of my mind.

This is not a book for the faint hearted by any means and from start to finish it was a very heavy read with some content that may be both triggering and deeply disturbing to some individuals. I think perhaps there may be some more trigger warnings on the first page.

I loved the setting. It was refreshing to read a new gothic fiction that actually depicted the ambience of gothic novels of old. I am a big fan of Poe and there were moments in this book that were somewhat reminiscent of his style which, I loved.

Perfect for all the twisted souls out there who love the most twisted of tales and are not easily disturbed!

Thank you NetGalley and Natalie Gibson for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read the ARC. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 60%. I tried, I really did. I read the trigger warnings and was prepared for those parts of the story, so that's not why I didn't finish. It's not the page count - I regularly read books of 600+ pages. I didn't think the language was overblown or difficult. If anything, it's that the book took too long to move things along. My copy didn't have a Table of Contents, so when I turned a page and saw "Part 2" I may have groaned a little. Information about the immortals was being released in bits and pieces, but even at 60%, I didn't know enough about them to maintain my interest.

Ramilia is a victim of her circumstances: at her home as a child, as a woman in English society, and as a wife to Julian. Julian is jaded and entitled and his friends aren't much better. I was sympathetic to Ramilia, but none of the characters inspired the feeling of wanting to find out what happened to them.

If a more compact form were released, I think I would be more interested in finishing Ramilia's story. As it stands, I may or may not come back to this book later to see what happens.

So I’m going to start off by saying, make sure you read all trigger warnings. This book is not for the faint of heart.

It’s hard to sum up this book. It starts as a tale of a disturbed young girl who has had to face many horrors and injustices in her life and her mind has fractured as a result of this. It then becomes a story of vampires and body snatchers. Then it completely goes off the rails and becomes filled with incest, rape, violence, and then some how zombies. The writing has an eloquent feel to it but I still almost gave up on this book multiple times. It just felt like it didn’t know what it wanted to be. I found myself thinking that it took bits and pieces from other horror books and stories and tried to fit them all into one book and it just didn’t work. By the end I wasn’t sure I truly understood the purpose of this book. There was no character I could say I really liked because they had no redeeming qualities and were not relatable. The flow of the book seemed to drag for the first part of the characters life and then randomly skim over whole decades at a time. There were things mentioned in passing that were never fully addressed and others that didn’t really make sense or were just added in for shock value. I was hoping the end of the book would have a big reveal or twist that would save it but it didn’t. It just jumped ahead decades again and then ended on an unsatisfying ending. I feel like the book had a lot of potential but it just couldn’t rise to the occasion.
Thank you to Netgalley and BHC Press for an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a wild ride this was. 4⭐ This is going to be a long review. I have so many emotions right now, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget this book.

❤️ Atmosphere
❤️ Strong, resilient female lead
❤️ World-building and magic system
❤️ Character development
❤️ Vivid, evocative descriptions
❤️ Unpredictable plot twists
❌ Incomplete trigger warning list
❌ Anti-climactic ending

At first, I thought it would be *another* one of these books where triggering content is laid on thick just for the sake of shocking the reader. But as I read, I realized that Gibson perfectly described the way men graced with immortality could lose their humanity, their greed eventually turning to perversion. She showed us the very worst parts of mankind, with all sins laid bare. Thinking back on what I just read, I don’t think she could have done otherwise or toned it down: the cruelty and depravation were central to the plot. That being said, please please please, do read the list of trigger warnings provided by the author as well as the list below. Some warnings are minor spoilers, but I think it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you dive in this book.

● Trigger warning list provided by the author: graphic violence and gore, language, scenes of sexual nature, BDSM, SA, self harm, and child SA.
● My own additions: incest (lots of it), pedophilia, cannibalism, gang rape, animal cruelty, murder and mutilation (including of children), incest, human skin wearing, child birth and death (miscarriage, forced abortion), mental health issues, undead / reanimated corpses, drugs, and dismemberment.

Plot:
A highborn Victorian lady, Ramillia spends many years in an asylum after the gruesome murder of her parents. She endures years of torture and suffers from memory gaps until an arranged marriage to a very powerful man grants her freedom. Finally, everything seems just right. But the veil slowly lifts and Ramillia realizes that her idyllic life is a deception, and the horrors she now faces are far worse. Armed with skills she doesn’t know she has, Ramillia will stop at nothing to attain freedom for herself and all oppressed.

This book hooked me and intrigued me right from the start. It’s not an action novel, but there are so many twists and turns that it never gets slow. I usually smell plot twists and tropes for a mile away. But whenever I thought “Oh, I see where this is going,” Gibson would either go in a completely other direction, or she would go that way but add a totally unexpected twist (like killing off a main character behind the scenes and telling us about it later). My mind was blown many times. With first-person POV narrating and the early realization that the narrator is unreliable, in addition to never knowing if a character is in charge or is being controlled by another being, made it easy to suspect everyone and everything.

It was a difficult book to read, but the focus on female resilience and power in a deeply patriarchal setting was *chef’s kiss*. The social criticism was omnipresent, but not overpowering.

Characters:
There were many characters, and they were all memorable. The character development was on point, and characters were so complex and nuanced that even the ones that seemed most evil could evoke a sense of empathy. With the exception of the very few characters that I absolutely loved (*cough* Leon and Ed *cough*), I toggled between love and hate for most of the main characters, including Ramillia.

Writing:
Unpretentious and accessible, yet lavish. Biting. Sometimes the shortest and simplest of phrases forced me to reflect on uncomfortable topics. The descriptions (settings, characters, food, clothing, etc.) was vivid and evocative, and Gibson was amazing at describing human emotions. I loved her prose and is interested in reading more of her books.

I want to start by saying, I’m extremely thankful for the chance to read this ARC. The premise of a dark Victorian style read was nothing if not exciting and thrilling. However, the book quickly became a DNF. The book is extremely triggering, more than I expected. When I initially requested the book the trigger warnings were not listed on the NetGalley website, nor I found a list of them when opening the ebook.

Although I was aware of the heavy content while requesting it, a TW for certain aspects would have been more than appreciated. The level of dark content was truly too much for me. A shame because the writing style is well done!

I attempted this book twice and could not finish it. I think it needed way more trigger warnings than provided!

So thankful for the chance to read, I originally was very excited for a dark Victorian kind of read but this was a DNF, I started reading & noticed it was a lot darker than I had anticipated. The trigger warnings were not listed well in the description on Netgalley, the copy I received or elsewhere that I could find until I read other reviews. I wouldn’t have requested this copy if the TW were listed clearly. This may be the right read for others but simply not for me.

There is a lot of very heavy & dark content to just have a simple trigger statement as “I must warn you: this tale is not for the faint of heart. Highborn Victorian Lady that I was, my life was one of violence and cruelty. As such, this novel does contain graphic violence, language, and scenes of a sexual nature, but when writing about a race of bloodthirsty cruel immortals, would you expect anything less?” Did I expect it to be dark in nature? Yes, but this does nothing to warn of the actual content & level of dark material, such as SA of a child. Which should 100% be listed outright, nothing should be hinted to in these warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an e-ARC to review.

Now, I skipped the content warning page and immediately started to read this. The first couple chapters gave me pause. When perusing other reviews I noticed I had skipped that page. I had to DNF due to the content warnings. I love dark books, but sometimes something is a bit too dark for my personal taste. 1 Star due to content, not the writing. I hope dark fantasy readers find it more enthralling than I could.

Thank you to BHC Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was a 2 ⭐️ novel for me.

I will preface this by saying that horror is not my usual genre but that I do enjoy it from time to time and that I do very much enjoy a good gothic novel. This also sounded very much like a vampire-esque novel, which had me hooked, as I also usually enjoy those types of novels. However, this one was not for me, even though a few parts were very intriguing to me.

I will *also* preface and disclaim this by also stating that prior to reading this novel, one should check the trigger warnings (TW or TWs) as they are *heavy* for this type of novel. When I first requested it, certain TW were not named, however, post-request and approval I did learn of the TWs before I read the novel. I would not have requested this novel had I know about certain TWs before requesting.

I did really enjoy the writing here, it was really interesting and well thought out. Everything read and felt very intentional, like puzzle pieces carefully being placed. I found it both complex and easy to understand, there was a lot of nuance given and yet it also didn’t feel like too much. The thoughts and ideas flowed and most of the events flowed well into the story as well. The writing was a strong reason why I did continue on with the story. However, the pacing and change of tone in the third part of this novel did surprise my in an unpleasant way and was my least favorite part of this novel by far.

I also enjoyed the fact that this was set in our world, but that this lived deeply in the hiding in plain sight type of undercurrent of power in the world. This may may not make sense until you read it, but there is a secret world that our main character is involved in, that is able to live in plain sight and hide that way - which is another interesting social dynamic created here.

The characters and character dynamics in this novel were truly unique for me. They were very intriguing as they were unique but also very confusing. During the part 1 of the story, this was very exciting and intriguing to discover. However, by part 3 this became very confusing and took away from the story rather than added to it. It became overdone at one point and very convoluted even being able to follow the story. Our main character was well written and her account of her life and the story as it flows was generally enjoyable to read, her account of all the events flowed well into the story. Her thoughts and accounts were great and I felt as though she was a fleshed out and nuanced character that felt real.

The plot of this story seems straightforward, however as the story and characters and circumstances become more convoluted, the plot becomes lost within the chaos. The ending of part 2 and part 3 as a whole is a jarring experience in this manner, and is a big contender for my rating of this novel. This novel is one of extremes, and we certainly went to every extreme imaginable (and unimaginable). This didn’t serve the plot each time it was presented or done, however, and was distracting overall.

Even though this was not for me, I think this would intrigue fans of horror, deep gore and extreme social dynamics.

This was a DNF for me at roughly 10%. I have a very dark, twisted and morbid imagination but child SA is a HARD NO for me with ANY book. I read the trigger warning and was immediately put off but felt obligated to give it a shot. However, I am not the audience for this book.