This was a surprisingly fun book. I always wanted to keep reading to figure out the many mysteries of Lockwood Manor even when I got the end, which was surprising and just excellently done. I liked Hetty and Lucy as individual characters even if I didn't like them much as a couple. I would have loved them as a couple but I just don't think the writing sold me that they were great together or had a deep meaningful relationship -- in this context, I feel like the writer could have shown more than just tell us they loved each other. But I loved them individually as characters, their perspectives, anxieties, nightmares. Even though sometimes it felt like the chapters got a little repetitive establishing how they felt about things, it moved the plot along consistently and made the ending all the more believable and the perfect ending to the book.

I liked all the additional characters as well. The major, the housekeeper, Mary, etc. They all contributed the underlying feeling that more was going on in the house than one would expect. And although again, it felt repetitive at times, I liked how for most of the book, Lockwood Manor felt like a character itself. It came so alive, dark and encroaching, and sucked you right into the realm of a gothic novel. It was a fun escapist read and I greatly enjoyed it!