I received an audio copy via Macmillian Audio via Netgalley. All reviews are my own.
ROMINAAAAAA! Girl! I'm not here for praises and pleasantries today. After devouring her Lobizona/Cazadora series, I was ready for her new gothic adventure in Castle of the Cursed. Sadly, this one wasn't hitting and had to DNF at 20%.
"THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…
After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.
Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.
As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized."
20% is short to judge, but this is my take: I checked this title out via audio, with narrations from Ana Osorio. Though her voice and performance were perfect for the horror/gothic atmosphere, I couldn't help but think I was reading a middle-grade novel. The storytelling was great on her part; I pictured every corner and detail Garber depicted, but between the performance and what was written, I couldn't connect.
Overall, I refrain from giving a numeric rating. Again, 20% is too short to form a comprehensive opinion. I DNFed not solely due to the narrator but also because I couldn't establish a connection with the story. If I were to remove the audio option, I believe I would have abandoned this book even earlier. After perusing some of the reviews on GoodReads, I realized I'm not the only one who had a mixed experience with this book. It's comforting to know that others also found it challenging, but I also see that if you managed to push further than I did, it sounds like a wild and twisted ride. Until next time, Romina!
Castle of the Cursed is available July 30, 2024
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