My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen

This was such a good read!

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My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen

Released May 2024

Source: Library Borrow

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Ahhh I loved this one. It gives off old-school gothic everything.

It tells the haunting tale of a young woman named Roos who has been taken advantage of her entire life by a mother who cares more about money and herself than her child's safety. Roos can see spirits and allows herself to be inhabited by one named Ruth to bilk people out of money. After years of torment, Roos becomes a companion to a woman named Agnes and moves into an old manor, complete with a woman dying of consumption and another resident spirit.

The story is told after all the dreadful things have happened. A doctor interviews Roos, giving the reader tiny hints about what is coming. I enjoyed this format because I’m nosy and it kept me guessing about what really happened in that dreary old home.

“Some things are so horrible that the only sane response is a bit of madness.”

Roos is a sympathetic main character. She has dreams of warm shoes and a loving wife but everything she wants feels incredibly out of reach until she meets Agnes but her need to please may be her downfall.

The story is mired in dark secrets and past trauma but it didn’t feel excruciatingly heavy. I think the author got it all just right and I enjoyed everything about it.

Final Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher Plot Synopsis 

Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos' life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos' backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of 'hysterics', Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she'll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

Tammy is hosting the SUMMER OF HORROR over on her booksbonesbuffy.com and you should check it out for more horror fun. Click the pic to check out her blog.