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Wildfell: A (Semi-Spoiler) Review

Updated: Jan 25, 2021

Okay, so. I have written and re-written this review about a zillion times. I'm trying to be positive about this book, but I can't. I wrote a review that was a big rant with too many details. So, instead of doing that, I will just give you the good and the bad, and let you make your own decisions.


Wildfell, by London Clarke


Synopsis (from Amazon):

After a traumatic experience with her graduate school professor, Anne Fleming disposes of all her possessions, boards a plane, and plans to check out of life. A chance meeting on an international flight leads her to Wildfell, a gothic mansion north of London. At first glance, Wildfell seems like the perfect place to hide out, and Anne is intrigued by its strange atmosphere and history of disappearances and deaths. Soon, echoing voices, ghostly mists, a mute girl with a sketchbook full of murders, and a possessive landlady force her to confront her deepest fears.

Anne’s budding romance with gorgeous Irish actor Bain Tierney holds her to the house. But when Wildfell tenants begin disappearing and dying, Anne must decide if she trusts Bain. Is anyone in the house who they claim to be? Or are supernatural forces at work inside Wildfell? And will they ever let her leave?


More than a Synopsis - The Good:

I liked the creepy feeling throughout the book, and that I didn't really know who to trust. The characters are pretty fleshed out as you meet them, and they all serve their purpose. I felt like I was on the journey with Anne, and curious about where she was going to end up and what was going to happen to her.


The Bad: I hate to call it "the bad" but, well, here we are. While the characters are pretty well written ... what they do sometimes doesn't make much sense. Like how Anne is supposed to be running from her professor (and we never find out why) and laying low, but then immediately starts flirting with Bain on the plane. Things are brought up at random times for no apparent reason. Like how Anne is not very close to her mom, and she's never met her dad. But then (spoiler!) her dad shows up at the very end of the book because he just so happens to be in London. There was way too much going on and a lot of unnecessary information that I felt as if I was reading multiple books at once.


Final Thoughts:

Something did keep me hooked, though, so that is something. I wanted to know what was going to happen at the end. But I just kept getting frustrated with Anne and wondering why she was doing what she was doing. I was really excited to read a ghost/haunted house story, and while that is an element of the story, it's more of a Girl-Who-Is-Dating-The-Wrong-Guy-Because-He's-So-Gosh-Darn-Handsome. I thought it would be spookier, but the end was just this big wrap up and so many strange things were happening that I had to put down my Kindle a few times and just go, "What???"


I don't know that I'd recommend this book, but I would like to dive into more of London's books and see where they take me.




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