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mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
"She stood very still in the dusky passage where the light was the poorest. Like me, she wore the black dress that proclaimed her a maid of the house, but where mine was new, hers was spoiled by mildew and smears of clay. Thin hair, dripping with muddy water, fell to her shoulders in limp, stringy ropes. This was my companion of the night before - and she was dead."
I was wondering what book to re-read next and this one was just perfect. It has been 7 and a half years since I last read it so I was bound not to remember most of the things. Plus, I could use some horror.
Meet Tabby, a sweet 11-year old girl who gets chosen to be a maid in a very big and important house. But getting there she notices that things are off. Not to mention the fact she is seeing dead people everywhere and one even comes to her bed every night (yup, that is just spooky). Strangely there are no live maids or other personnel other than the cook and the old maid in the whole home and that means that until the new master pops up... Tabby has free rein of the home. I loved seeing the girl explore, find new things, and look forward to her new master/boy she has to babysit.
I wasn't a big fan of Himself/the boy, he was just obnoxious and annoying. Eventually we do find out what happened in his past and why that may have totally corrupted and broken his mind. But yeah, he definitely annoyed me. Thankfully, there are also parts where I liked the little heathen git (as he was called). He really opened up at points to Tabby and I loved the bond they slowly formed. Plus, they helped each other when ghosts appeared. Whereas Tabby was haunted by a little maid girl (whose identity we later find out and what connection she has to Tabby), the boy is haunted by someone else. I am not sure which of the ghosts I found creepier.
I guess I will just go for all of the ghosts. I read this one before I went to sleep which was a big fat nope.
As the two kids explore the mansion they discover something dark and demonic.. something dangerous. Which leads to something excited and OMG. The later parts was exciting and I was hoping that the plan would work.
The ending was good, but I think I would have loved it if the whole boy part would have been done before finding out what happened to our girl. It just felt a bit jarring and I had to reread parts to make sure I didn't read it wrongly or missed something.
I found the Brönte connection a bit eh (though I only knew because of the last part of the book with the name of the boy + epilogue, otherwise I wouldn't even have found the connection), but that mostly has to do with that I have tried read a couple of the books by the Brönte sisters and it just wasn't for me. High school really destroyed the classics for me. Thanks.
All in all though I loved this book which was full of spooky ghosts, gorgeous descriptions of the house and what was in it, and I loved how strong the girl is both in her belief and her will. Also bonus points for the epic and spooky cover that will definitely haunt everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was wondering what book to re-read next and this one was just perfect. It has been 7 and a half years since I last read it so I was bound not to remember most of the things. Plus, I could use some horror.
Meet Tabby, a sweet 11-year old girl who gets chosen to be a maid in a very big and important house. But getting there she notices that things are off. Not to mention the fact she is seeing dead people everywhere and one even comes to her bed every night (yup, that is just spooky). Strangely there are no live maids or other personnel other than the cook and the old maid in the whole home and that means that until the new master pops up... Tabby has free rein of the home. I loved seeing the girl explore, find new things, and look forward to her new master/boy she has to babysit.
I wasn't a big fan of Himself/the boy, he was just obnoxious and annoying. Eventually we do find out what happened in his past and why that may have totally corrupted and broken his mind. But yeah, he definitely annoyed me. Thankfully, there are also parts where I liked the little heathen git (as he was called). He really opened up at points to Tabby and I loved the bond they slowly formed. Plus, they helped each other when ghosts appeared. Whereas Tabby was haunted by a little maid girl (whose identity we later find out and what connection she has to Tabby), the boy is haunted by someone else. I am not sure which of the ghosts I found creepier.
I guess I will just go for all of the ghosts. I read this one before I went to sleep which was a big fat nope.
As the two kids explore the mansion they discover something dark and demonic.. something dangerous. Which leads to something excited and OMG. The later parts was exciting and I was hoping that the plan would work.
The ending was good, but I think I would have loved it if the whole boy part would have been done before finding out what happened to our girl. It just felt a bit jarring and I had to reread parts to make sure I didn't read it wrongly or missed something.
I found the Brönte connection a bit eh (though I only knew because of the last part of the book with the name of the boy + epilogue, otherwise I wouldn't even have found the connection), but that mostly has to do with that I have tried read a couple of the books by the Brönte sisters and it just wasn't for me. High school really destroyed the classics for me. Thanks.
All in all though I loved this book which was full of spooky ghosts, gorgeous descriptions of the house and what was in it, and I loved how strong the girl is both in her belief and her will. Also bonus points for the epic and spooky cover that will definitely haunt everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
rebelkiss's review against another edition
3.0
this was an interesting read. I've never read Wuthering Heights so I'm not sure if it really is a prequel to that book or not. But it was a short read
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
Gothic and gruesome, THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS is not exactly my usual type of book, but is an excellent example of what “creepy Gothic literature” should be like.
Dunkle certainly knows her Victorian—or more particularly, Brontean—language. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS reads like it was written by someone who lived during that time and wanted to tell children a scary bedtime story. The historical fiction aspect is authentic and believable.
Accordingly, there is little character development—Victorian lit was never that big on character growth—but in keeping with the tone of the book, that’s okay. The ghost element is creepy enough if you like the gothic. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are indispensable to the creep factor.
THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS ends on a slightly far-fetched note that segues interestingly into the book that it is a mini-prequel for, Wuthering Heights. That being said, one does not need to know Emily Bronte’s romance in order to enjoy this book. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS stands on its own as a creepy, albeit a bit slow, portrayal of the Victorian gothic. Don’t read this on a dark night with the wind rattling tree branches right outside your window.
Dunkle certainly knows her Victorian—or more particularly, Brontean—language. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS reads like it was written by someone who lived during that time and wanted to tell children a scary bedtime story. The historical fiction aspect is authentic and believable.
Accordingly, there is little character development—Victorian lit was never that big on character growth—but in keeping with the tone of the book, that’s okay. The ghost element is creepy enough if you like the gothic. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are indispensable to the creep factor.
THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS ends on a slightly far-fetched note that segues interestingly into the book that it is a mini-prequel for, Wuthering Heights. That being said, one does not need to know Emily Bronte’s romance in order to enjoy this book. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS stands on its own as a creepy, albeit a bit slow, portrayal of the Victorian gothic. Don’t read this on a dark night with the wind rattling tree branches right outside your window.
dormilona's review against another edition
5.0
Fun even though I'd forgotten most of the plot of Wuthering Heights.
blissofalife's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A quick, enjoyable listen over a few days of commuting to and from work. I enjoyed trying to connect the story to my (hazy) memory of reading Wuthering Heights, definitely a last minute reveal. I quite liked the ending. For the most part, there was very little plot. They existed. Tabby isn't the most compelling narrator but her naivety never wavers making for a supremely unreliable narrator which I did like. Ultimately a forgettable read, but not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Murder, Death, and Violence
thestoryowl's review against another edition
3.0
Very short but definitely does its part to get you to want to reread Wuthering Heights.
Dark and violent, I wouldn't suggest this for younger or more sensitive teens.
Dark and violent, I wouldn't suggest this for younger or more sensitive teens.
omgbiscoffspread's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. It was ok, the best part was the end when the author tied everything into the life story of Emily Bronte. I really only read it because Wuthering Heights is my all time favorite novel, and I wasn't very impressed.
justlily's review against another edition
3.0
For such a small book, this packs a very creepy punch. It was actually the perfect length, just long enough to make you care and freak you out in equal parts, not long enough to be boring. The illustrations included along with the beginning of each chapter were genuinely pretty terrifying as well.
gbliss's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent. Creepy. Beautifully written. Full of atmosphere and things to make you shiver. Do not need to have read or committed Wuthering Heights to memory to enjoy, but it WILL make you want to return to that ol' classic.
I want this author to explore the ghostly paranormal more!
I want this author to explore the ghostly paranormal more!
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
Creepy and a bit odd. Possibly this is what happens when you read Wuthering Heights at age nine, as Dunkle apparently did (she must be more sophisticated than I was; I read it at twelve and barely understood a word of it).