Reviews with content warning for Death - All the Dead Lie Down

I think this book could have been so much more. I love a gothic tale, and while a slow start in horror can have an amazing pay off - this one started a little too slow.

The action, intrigue, and mystery really didn’t start up until the halfway point. Once the plot got to the meat of the story, I enjoyed it. It just really took too long to get there.

But if you are interested in a sapphic gothic tale with the vibes of a YA Haunting of Bly Manor and some decent anxiety representation - and you don’t mind a slow burn build up, this might be the book for you.

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dark emotional mysterious

3.5

First 1/3 of the book was a solid four stars. Dropped down to 3 for me as the book went on.

The first half of this novel was everything I want in a gothic novel set in modern times. Old house, off-putting lady of the manor, sinister children, family secrets. As it went on, though, the atmosphere sort of dropped off as the plot became more straightforward with NUMEROUS plot twists. By the end, I was rather exhausted with the plot twists.

How many dang times can someone be raised from the dead? I know that was part of the point, but GEEZ, it was endless! Literally till the last chapter of the book, right when I thought all the resurrection twists were overwith.

The romance between Evie and Marin kind of contributed to the loss of atmosphere, in my opinion. The relationship moved far too quickly for my tastes—for a gothic novel, particularly—and we didn't get much reason for why they fell in love. All of a sudden Marin is making all these overtures, but I couldn't understand how she even got to that point. It was very close to instalove, and much of their relationship was written with a lot of telling instead of showing. There was barely any romantic tension early on. I don't know. I wasn't convinced. I was really excited for a true gothic love story, but it just didn't suit the slow-burn of the rest of the book!

This book hit every gothic note splendidly for the first 1/3 of the book, but then it became a bit spotty as I kept reading. It did scratch my "modern gothic novel" itch, mostly, so that's why I rounded up. I'm still searching for that delicious, creepy slow-burn.

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