I've been staring at this book for most of 2019 knowing full well I wanted to read it. It ended up on my shelf and floated around for years, and I mean YEARS. I I originally bought Haunting Violet when it first came out (way back in 2011. And I did! I finally picked this book up, knowing full well I'd love it. I know Alyxandra Harvey is one of my favourite authors, so I figured I'd have to find a time to sit down and binge read the whole darn book.
I originally bought Haunting Violet when it first came out (way back in 2011. What little characterization was present was akin to the old adage "telling not showing." Not to mention I found little to like about most of the characters. Ugh.įinally, the characters were poorly done.
More than once, a character "swept passed" another. How in the world can an adult writer or an editor confuse "past" and "passed." There were several errors in the book, but this was the most egregious. The editing was very poor in the novel as well. In fact, I'm surprised to hear that Harvey has other books. Maybe still not good, as the plotting left much to be desired, but at least not terrible. I genuinely think that in the hands of a better writer, the book would have been not-half-bad. That summary probably even makes the book seem more interesting than it is. (But who really cares, why was this even in the book?) There is a semi-love triangle that was really forced. Violet decides to try to find out who murdered Rowena (this is about three chapters). Mainly, she sees a young girl that was murdered a year before on the property. At this house party, Violet begins to see spirits of her own. They are fairly successful and are invited to a spiritualist house party. Violet's mother is a fake medium in the late 1800's, and she uses Violet and a boy she found on the streets, Colin, to help her scam people. I found little calling to finish this book except for the fact that I rarely leave books half-read. She just wants a ghost to leave her alone. So who cares? I guess maybe you could say she's investigating because it's the right thing to do, but she's not. Obviously, a murderer walks free, but this doesn't really affect Violet. Well, I'm not really sure what will happen if she doesn't. Violet must find out who murdered Rowena or else. Well, let me tell you about the "stakes" in this novel. Most of the stakes presented were in the following format: so-and-so must do _ OR ELSE _ happens. Obviously, low stakes make for a boring novel. The stakes in a novel must be high to encourage a reader to want to finish the novel. Obviously, a murderer walks free, bu Recently I read a writer's blog challenge about stakes. Recently I read a writer's blog challenge about stakes.
Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love.
She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.Īfraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. She Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts.