Reviews

Bride of Pendorric by Victoria Holt

evesn's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

shelbyday's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 A friend bought this book for me at a thrift store. She read it and loved it in high school and she thought the gothic romance would be right up my alley. The story did not disappoint. The crazy plot twist and always wondering who the villain was kept me insanely turning the pages. Is it a literary masterpiece? No. But it’s a damn good read. :)

holl3640's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

noellita234's review against another edition

3.0

I’d call this a cozy gothic. All turns out well but there’s suspense and mystery all along the way.

christineandbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition

4.0

On a gothic romance binge. It's what I used to read growing up and my brain seems to think it's twelve years old again in these trying times. After a few not so great ones I decided to go back to the queen of the genre. This one has it all. Lovely mansion in Cornwall filled with people named Roc and Barbarina and Morwenna, shifty nurses and governesses and maybe bastard children, spooky mausoleums and dangerous cliff paths and mysterious deaths. And twins! So many twins. Excellent reading when you want to forget about the apocalypse.

maplessence's review against another edition

4.0

Victoria Holt had clearly swotted up on [bc:Rebecca|17899948|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386605169s/17899948.jpg|46663] & [bc:Wuthering Heights|11019333|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385412726s/11019333.jpg|1565818] before writing this doom laden account of a young girl's infatuation & marriage to an older man. After her father's unexpected death, Roc whisks Favel from Capri to Cornwall where she is terrorised by the legend of the Brides of Pendorric.

While reading I found Favel's constant unease surprising in one so young (nineteen) but she was completely on her own & married to a man she barely knew. So I'm cutting her some slack.

A major weakness for me was that I didn't find Roc appealing - neither the description of his physical appearance or his (generally distant) behaviour. & there were far to many characters to keep track of & a lot of them didn't add much to the story.

Spoiler

I thought I had guessed the solution early but I missed some obvious clues.

The ending felt forced & rushed, but I loved this book as a teen so I'm giving it a charitable 4*

awhite1554's review

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

anniesangal's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

texanoffer's review

2.0

I really liked my first Victoria Holt novel, "Mistress of Mellyn" but was disappointed in this one. I didn't like the story as well, and thought it was somewhat predictable.