Midnight Rooms

"Orabella Mumthrope, a biracial orphan, is betrothed to Elias Blakersby, as payment for her uncle's gambling debts. However, after Elias expresses absolute devotion, Orabella, agrees. At Korringhill Manor, Orabella is shocked to find structural decay, skittish servants, and cryptic elders. Rooms are forbidden and Orabella can never venture outside unattended. She becomes dizzy after every lavish dinner, time is lost, memories blur and sleep is fitful. How long until she loses herself entirely?"

At first, I was invested in Orabella's plight as a seemingly headstrong young woman forced to bend to familial pressure. Her uncle is strict, her aunt is traditionally submissive but seems supportive, and her dear friend Sister Jane is show more encouraging. Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding the engagement, Orabella is hopeful. But after Orabella's arrival to Korringhill Manor, we never hear from Jane or her family ever again. Not so shockingly, the Blakersbys are confiscating her letters, but then why introduce a distinct friend like Jane in the first place? And that's not the only plot point I was confused by. Orabella is trapped, so the days blend together of course, but for the reader it is repetitive. She awakens, wanders the halls, is caught, eats and goes back to bed. She is pulled this way and that, gaslighted, manipulated, and completely loses agency in her own story. I understand the intent, but I needed some kind of plot direction. The truly horrifying elements are merely hinted at, so it never feels truly satisfying.

While clearly this one wasn't one of my favorites so far this year, you will not find a modern Gothic book more hauntingly atmospheric than this one. Coles' writing is an enticing feast for the brain. You can smell the damp, the rot, the ruin; hear the creaking floorboards; and feel the mossy floors under your feet. However, it wasn't enough to make up for a lackluster ending and a lot of unanswered questions. show less

I was drawn to this as a fan of Donyae Coles's short fiction and was fascinated to see her imagination at play over a longform work. Yes, this is very much in the gothic fiction category but is also quite weird. It may remind you at times of Jane Eyre, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, or the works of Angela Carter. It also reminded me a bit of Shirley Jackson's story "The Lovely House."

Loved reading it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a horrifying and also sometimes steamy gothic tale!

Orabella Mumthorpe is the orphaned daughter of a white man and a black woman and taken in by relatives. She has mostly resigned herself to being alone in the world when an offer of marriage takes her by surprise. It's a rushed marriage and when she gets to her new house is is not prepared for the wierdness she finds there or how out of it she feels. Things only get worse.
Not a book I particularly liked but I can see how some would love it.