This was an enjoyable read. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I was still drawn into the story and found it interesting.

I didn’t realise this was a retelling of the fairytale Bluebeard. Although it was extremely well written it just wasn’t to my liking. I found it a bit too chaotic and I didn’t love all of the topics involved in the book. However this is just my opinion and If you like the sound of it, I urge you to read it yourself as you may love it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity.

I won’t lie, I had no idea this was a Bluebeard retelling until about 30% in (and then had to have a quick google). I’m not sure I fully loved this book? It’s very well written and feels chaotic chopping and changing through all the wives. Think it was quite repetitive and I enjoyed the story with Eunice/Tristan the most. Don’t think it’s a bad book, it’s just not for me!

A Bluebeard retelling with a modern twist. I love how the author mentioned the walking on fire embers, this is a traditional ritualistic dance in Bulgaria which is practiced thill this day and it's indeed magical. The storytelling is disjointed at times and there are no quotation marks, but this is because of the person who is telling the story and the situation she's in. The only negative I have for this book is the repetition at the end, the fairy tale repeating itself with no clear descriptions of how some wives perished, most of them were just mentioned briefly. The most full and developed story was the one of the first wife and the son Tristan. I loved him as a character and found his narrative very touching and hopeful. Overall this is an exceptional book, I would highly recommend it if you love retellings and historical fiction. The horror is light as there are no gruesome descriptions only short mentioning of things happening around and because of the lord. But the situation our storyteller is in is really horrific. The story it's heavy on its metaphors regarding domestic violence, which is not my favorite, but it's done very well. My rating is 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC.

if you loved the fairytale of Bluebeard you will love this ..a fairytale for adults.

It is a well told story with ghosts of the past and fears for the future.

A boy is told a tale of something awful that has happened and this will follow him and dictate his future.

It has a moral of sorts and it is a q modern read that will get you thinking..