Reviewed by Lianne on
Instead, I found myself trudging through the novel. It wasn’t quite what I expected it to be compared to the premise provided: the novel focused a lot on William’s backstory and family affairs and everyday business dealings. I don’t mind backstory as it gives the reader a sense of who the character is but 30% into the novel, I found myself wondering when Mr. Black and the “macabre” side of the story would start. And when the macabre/Gothic elements did kick in, it felt rather mute compared to the rest of the story.
Bellman and Black I think would make a visually interesting movie but as a novel, it felt like a miss to me: something was missing to make it really interesting for me (especially compared to her first novel, which I loved). Maybe my expectations were too high but the novel lost my attention somewhere halfway.
You can read this review in its entirety over at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/10/14/review-bellman-and-black/
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 14 October, 2013: Finished reading
- 14 October, 2013: Reviewed