Book: Bloodgrove by Elisabeth G. Mark
Reviewed by Michelles_Cosy_Booknook
Rating: 3/5
Bloodgrove is a darkly gothic read, dripping with opulence and Victorian atmosphere.
One of the strongest aspects of the book for me was its characters. Each felt distinct, with their own personalities and approaches, while still being united by a common purpose. I particularly enjoyed watching those differences play out and the bonds between them develop.
The writing itself is also beautiful. There were long stretches where I could completely lose myself in the language and prose, which gave the story an almost classic gothic quality and created a wonderfully rich atmosphere.
Unfortunately, there was another area where I found myself getting lost — and this time, not in a good way.
I struggled with the plot, which at times felt jumbled and difficult to follow. I regularly found myself going back through earlier chapters to work out whether I'd missed an important detail or simply misunderstood something. Each time I had to do this, it pulled me out of the gorgeous atmosphere the writing had worked so hard to create and ultimately affected my overall enjoyment of the book.
There's still plenty here to appreciate, particularly for readers who love atmospheric gothic fiction, character-driven stories and a different approach to vampire lore. The prose and character relationships were definite highlights for me; I just wish I'd been able to follow the plot with the same ease.
If you do pick this one up, my advice would be to pay close attention to the details — and perhaps keep a few notes along the way!