Filled with deadly secrets and the monsters you thought only existed in your mind …
You’ve heard of Frankenstein’s monster, you’ve heard of Dracula, but have you heard of the Villa Diodati? Eve, Griffin, Hal and Ren embark on a summer they’ll never forget at the birthplace of all things Gothic.
The summer is beset by mysterious happenings, as the monsters they create begin to clamber out of their minds. Events rise to a horrible climax when, on a dark and stormy night, one of the villa’s guests is found dead and each of our foursome becomes a suspect in a gruesome murder.
It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. But when the stuff of nightmares becomes their reality, will they make it out alive?
Perfect for fans of Wednesday and Stranger Things.
Introduction
M.A. Bennett is well known for her intricate, plotty books; the STAGS series is her most famous, but she's written others as well. While Gothic specifically is new to her, I couldn't wait to see how she'd handle it. And look at that cover! Although I'm going spoiler free here, I'll tell you that everything on that cover relates to something that happens in the book.
Plot Summary
As you read above, the plot concerns the Villa Diodati, the famous summer house where Byron, the Shelleys and Polidori created their infamous works of fiction during a cold, stormy summer. Frankenstein, his monster, and the progenitor of Dracula were all born in the villa. Four English teens are invited to stay as part of a creative workshop hosted by a Swiss philanthropic company. They are all afraid of something; they are all running from something. But they may find their demons have followed them.
Characters
Our four main characters seem like fairly typical teens. No spoilers, but each has a tragedy of a different kind in their pasts. I appreciated that there were only four to keep track of - I often have trouble with large casts! The characters were nicely different from each other without being complete stereotypes.
Writing Style
MA writes in a chatty, easy to follow style. She is excellent at building tension and knows exactly when to back off and let things rest a little. Her descriptions of the surroundings are amazing, all sky blue lakes and creepy churches and decadent houses. Amazing.
Themes and Messages
This is more or less a straight horror story, but there are a few hints of messages - that we aren't always responsible for what we think we are, that 'responsible' and 'guilty' aren't the same thing, that we should embrace all parts of ourselves, even the parts that seem monstrous. None of this is 'beat you over the head', it's all just in the background, simmering away under the horror and jump scares.
Setting
I mentioned the descriptions of the setting above, but I'll mention them here again because it really is brilliantly done. The decandence of the villa, the different rooms and spaces, the views outside. Even the trips they take away from the villa are amazingly described. It all adds incredibly to the atmosphere.
Strengths
It really is a remarkably creepy book, and we're given just enough information at just the right times to let us figure out what's happening and who it's happening to and to guess at the ending. I got some things right and some things wrong, which is pretty good for an M.A. book!
Weaknesses
Especially in the middle of the book, it felt a little like we'd got stuck in a loop of 'scary thing happens, everyone discusses while keeping secrets, scary thing happens, everyone discusses while keeping secrets'. Luckily that didn't last long, the kids started communicating properly, and the story moved on. I'm also not 100% sure what the aim of the antagonists was? I may have missed something in the monologuing - oh yes, there's monologuing. Perhaps it'll be explained more clearly in the probable sequel.
Personal Connection
I genuinely did find this creepy, and I'm not someone who scares easily with this kind of thing. I thought the earlier parts, where it was all mysterious and we didn't know what was going on, were more creepy than later, but then I enjoyed having a better understanding as well, so I guess it balances out!
Conclusion
This is a great read for horror or mystery loving teens. You don't need to have read Frankenstein or Dracula; the basic pop culture knowledge we all have will be plenty to carry you through.
Further Reading/Viewing
If you enjoyed this one, you might like M.A.'s STAGS series, or the stand alone The Island. I also recommend the Red Eye series, a set of mostly unconnected horror stories for teens - I especially recommend Frozen Charlotte for horror or, for another isolated setting, Fir. And of course you could try Dracula and Frankenstein for some OG horror!
Young Gothic publishes on the 4th of July, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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