Well written and entertaining! I greatly enjoyed it. I find it much easier to read when I find something about the characters interesting or intriguing.

This is an interesting story of a group of college aged people who are intrigued by a Gothic, possibly haunted house. Any story about college kids and haunted houses with a Gothic twist is adding the tropes I like, so sign me up. This is well done, with interestingly written characters who are richly drawn. The story is compelling for the most part as well.
#TimesFool #Netgalley #Unbound

Too many legends are being incorporated into this book, my head cannot make head nor tail of it. Way too many themes slammed into one book.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve never waited so long for something to actually happen before, and even then I’m not sure anything really did happen. This was one of the more poorly done vampire stories I’ve read. I’m not sure whether the author was trying to achieve a loosely based modern day retelling of Dracula but certain names and situations were very very familiar. The only reason I kept reading this book was because the build up was so great. Really drawn out, but done well, other than the fact that nothing really happens. The characters were mediocre. Sophia and Jon’s relationship was so frustrating and annoying, Steven was alright other than his character really didn’t act on any impulse whatsoever. The only character of interest was Lucy, and well we know how that ended.

Not my favourite. I’d pass on this

I received this from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book is well worth the read. It kept me very intrigued. The world was very well written. This book has several POV's and I loved that each one was very different. You knew who was speaking so even with multiple POV's, I was able to following this story.

Now, with the build up from this story I was left feeling like I was missing something at the end. It think it was just a let down and now a big bang like I wanted it to be but that could be because I was just really engrossed in this book. BUT, with that, I still highly recommend this book.

An unusual gothic novel. Not my usual read but overall pretty good.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Time's Fool is not my type of book. I didn't realize that this book was vampires. I'm not a fan at all, so I just skimmed through this one. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Unbound Digital for an ebook edition via NetGalley of this contemporary Gothic novel. I did also buy a copy on Kindle.

The opening chapter’s title, ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, could easily serve as a subtitle for this novel. ‘Time’s Fool’ is set in Barchester, the fictional town created by Anthony Trollope, and features three friends: Sophia, Steven, and Lucy with Sophia’s fiancé John also present (though he can barely tolerate her friends and vice versa). For on Halloween they visit a local crumbling manor reputed to be haunted. However, they find it isn’t deserted as expected and encounter its enigmatic owner, Julian, who quickly befriends Sophia and Steven.

He appears to be strongly attracted to both yet holds back. Meanwhile, there are reports of missing persons and gruesome murders taking place in the town but this doesn’t particularly attract the attention of the young protagonists.

Enthusiasts of Gothic horror wait for these Millennials to start making some connections regarding their new friend. It serves to demonstrate that even those drawn to the Gothic tradition and horror films can still be quite clueless when faced with what they consider irrational and this provides an interesting contrast to other novels in this genre.

I felt the characters were well realised and ultimately cared about their fates. There is quite a focus on the interpersonal relationships and coming to terms with adulthood, which again is rarely explored in supernatural novels. Likewise Julian’s very different relationship with time is explored, often through flashbacks.

Earl’s prose is elegant and lyrical evoking the style of classic Gothic novels yet remaining fresh and contemporary in tone. The novel has many literary and popular culture references throughout

I would certainly recommend it to those seeking an intriguing novel that explores gothic/horror tropes with intelligence and flare. The final chapters blew me away. Powerful and deeply moving.

They gave my ratings a boost to 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

I love a good vampire story and it's been a while since I've read one. Apparently it's going to be a while longer.

This was bad. I mean reallyyyy bad. Perhaps the worst vampire novel I've ever read and, believe me, I've read a ton.

I can't think of a single redeeming quality in this book.

The characters are a mystery to me as, even after finishing the book, I know nothing about them. One of the players, Steven, is such an annoying pompous ass that I ended up skipping over his dialogue altogether.

The vampire, omg I've already forgotten his name. I wish I were kidding. Anyways, he is ridiculous. The author has clearly tried to make him mysterious and seductive and it's hilarious. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intended outcome.

Each chapter starts with a quote and they aren't even good ones. I can't wrap my head around why they are a part of the book.

The author has tried to create a highbrow take on the vampire story but has ended up with a pretentious flop.

Perhaps the worst part of this story is the dialog between the characters. Due to the formatting it is so hard to follow it became an annoyance starting with the first page. And boy do these people love to hear themselves talk.

The story ends in a way that suggests there could be a sequel. No comment.


P.S. I went back and looked and the vampire's name is Julian.



I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

This hooked me from the start, with the opening scene where Steven is being obnoxious and philosophical. College students having pretentious but passionate debates about their area of study? Sign me up. (And it's a recurring theme throughout the novel, which I found delightful!) There's geeking out and bullshitting your way out of the corner you've talked yourself into, and genuine contemplation on the nature of life and love and what have you.

The second great strength of this was the interpersonal relationships which made the aforementioned arguments enjoyable and made the plot in general work. I love the mix of banter and tender moments between Steven, Sophia, and Lucy — even the romantic entanglements worked for me, for the most part — a bond which not even Julian or John could derail. I also loved how matter-of-factly character's non-heterosexuality is presented, and that it generally subverts stereotypes and tropes.

The writing itself was terrific. Enough details to picture the scene, but not so many that it bogged down the action; and each of the POV characters was distinct. The narrative didn't hinge on big reveals and instead was upfront about what was going on, which was refreshing since I've guessed all the twists I've come across lately and been underwhelmed by the subsequent lack of tension. I did cringe a little at the sexual parts (nothing overtly explicit, but flirting with the boundary of PG-13), but I'm not sure there would've been a non-cringey way to convey the scenes that Earl did.

What didn't work so well for me was the ending. It seemed a little abrupt, especially the fairly cliched ending which was pretty disappointing considering all the great buildup.

All in all, this is a fascinating modern homage to Dracula, Frankenstein, and other scifi/paranormal/Gothic classics, well-told with charismatic characters and an exciting plot.