Slow start but intriguing, I really wanted to like this because I love Circe and retellings but I never felt fully engaged in the book. 

Told through multiple POVs via an omniscient third person narration. We get to know about the countess and life in the castle from the servants and young girls interacting with or having knowledge of the countess but never hear from Erzebet herself.

It’s a character driven story with no plot but for this type of story the characters should be more well developed and multi dimensional, they just fall flat!

We get info dumping background on characters in a single chapter and then barely see them again?! I’d prefer little morsels given throughout to grow the character and our connection to them.

I love the idea of exploring human nature and what it would’ve been like to be a powerful, independent, wealthy woman of this time; being accused of a witch simply because of this unprecedented position the countess holds and the men who attacked her for having power. Unfortunately the execution is falling flat for me.

I set this aside thinking maybe I was in a reading slump but after having several amazing reads in a row and trying to come back to try again, it’s not me it’s you (the book) 🥲 DNFd after 132 pages (about 41% in) because at this point of the book I should be connecting with the characters or something should be happening but it’s just been a whole lot of nothing to engage me or hold my interest