The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses - L.V. Russell - ★★.½

AUTHOR: L.V. Russell

GENRE: Gothic Horror.

RATING: 2.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A Gothic historical fiction. Had great potential; fulfilled only a part of it. The ending elevated my experience somewhat.

Story Synopsis:

Theodora Corvus has stayed in her crumbling family home since years with only her grandmother for company. But after she loses her job as governess at Kingsward Manor, her grandmother finds her a similar position in the distant Broken Oak manor.

As governess to eight-year-old Ottoline - daughter of the enigmatic Lord Cassias Thorne, Theodora finds herself in a house that has many hidden secrets and lurking shadows. The biggest mystery seems to be the location of Lady Thorne, who is said to be away at the coast. If so, who is wandering through the house at night and making all those noises?

The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of Theodora.

Bookish Yays:

😍 The ending. I had guessed a part of it, but didn't see many things coming. The execution could have been better, but the idea was still good. Do note that the ending is similar to that of a famous Gothic horror movie of recent years, the name of which is mentioned in several other reviews. If you want to be surprised, don’t read any other review and go into the book blind.

😍 The scenic descriptions, right from the appearance of the houses to the spectres at the lake, are wonderfully written.

😍 At 194 pages, this is a short and quick read.

😍 Ottoline's character was the most interesting and well-sketched. She felt like her age, though in many ways, she was not like a typical child her age due to her situation.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

😐 A great part of the story is reminiscent of the classic Charlotte Brontë work, ‘Jane Eyre’. The house, the noises in the attic, the orphaned governess, the wilful but adorable child, the housekeeper, the problematic house owner... It went so much into Jane Eyre mode that I fell into a comfort zone, assuming that I knew how things would proceed. When the final quarter went a different way, I was pleasantly surprised. So the ending worked well, but the rest created strong feelings of déjà vu.

😐 I liked how Theodora’s surname was linked to the corvid family, who make plenty of appearances in the plot. I wish they had been utilised more. Gothic and crows work so well together as a concept, and the cover also promised more of the birds.

😐 Staying true to the Gothic genre, we get not one but three creepy houses, though not at the same time. The houses and grounds were used to create a nice, eerie atmosphere. At the same time, the book could have been so much creepier, what with such a house and the porcelain doll and the mysterious noises and the night wanderer. But somehow, the spooks aren't fully utilised. I barely even flinched at any of the supposedly scary scenes.

Bookish Nays:

😣 This should either have been a short story (cutting out all the fluff such as the events that happened at Kingsward Manor – barely relevant to the main plot) or a longer novel with all details sketched in to avoid the logical jumps in the flow. At this length, it's neither here nor there. As such, we get some details that are irrelevant, and some relevant details are missing. This also creates several plot holes.

😣 The character development is flat. What we see on the page is what we get. There is no depth at all, which leads to a disconnect with almost everyone in the story.

😣 Many important scenes feel rushed. I'd have preferred the novel to focus more on the creepy elements than on general conversations and the romance. Moreover, several key things occur off the page. The focus of the novel should have stayed on its core theme.

😣 The romance was neither believable nor acceptable. It was too instant, and unlike in Jane Eyre, awkwardly guilt-free, especially considering that both parties knew about one of them being married. The ending explains this partly, but it is still not convincing.

😣 Which year is it set in? I always like to know the era so that I can place the stories better in my head. But this detail is nowhere to be found.

😣 As the plot is still clearly historical, it is safe to say that the dialogues and Theodora’s behaviour aren’t authentic to the era. (And please, slapping your employer just because he greeted you without your noticing his arrival is plain weird, regardless of the era!)

😣 Minor complaint: The spelling of the main lead’s name was very distracting to my eyes. Isn’t it always ‘Cassius’ and not ‘Cassias’? I couldn’t find any reference to ‘Cassias’ as being an acceptable alternative spelling.

All in all, this story had plenty of potential, but the writing let it down. Had all the plot holes been sealed and the story streamlined, this could have been an impactful indie read. But in its current form, it provides an average experience despite that stunning plot twist towards the end.

2.5 stars. (with the 0.5 being added solely for the ending.)

My thanks to Quill and Crow Publishing House and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.