Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any book that has such a dumbfounding and pleasurably dark turn! Some of it feels a little cheap and sensational, but if you love Dickens, or Waters’ “Tipping the Velvet,” or girls who love girls…you’ll probably love this.
The book doesn’t ride on just surprises though. There are such achingly sweet and heart-rending moments, you will find yourself doubled over in pain and delight at our heroines’ ups and downs.
There is not a single character in the entire book that I respect, trust, or would want to befriend. But I loved it. It’s dark, sexy, weird, intriguing, adventurous, and filled with mind-games that you couldn’t tolerate in real life, but in a book…horrible and exhilarating!
The first section of the book [and its mirror] went by beautifully for me. It was fun, well paced, and interesting. I quickly grew to love hating and hate loving the characters.
But after awhile the book seemed to drag a bit, and then a lot until the satisfying ending. Waters seemed to reach for farther-fetched histrionics, surprises, and melodramatic backstory. If the pace was accelerated and 100 pages edited out, I wouldn’t have minded. But everything is as it is, and it’s super enjoyable.
I will probably never read it again because of how it drags, but I’m so glad I did read it. If it sounds interesting to you, I’d suggest it eagerly!