I read this as part of this year's Read Your Bookshelf challenge....I don't remember when or why I got it in the first place. It did not deliver what I expected, which was a retelling through the lens of social media posts. Instead it was basic facts about the timeline, formatted as basic social media posts (many of which were unrealistic in terms of the types of information shared), if the way I am making that distinction comes across. This change didn't really add anything to how one engaged with the information, and it really felt like a waste of time. If you want the simple basic facts about the timeline, I would suggest reading an actual history book and getting more detailed info for that. If you want a portrayal of that time period through a social media lens, look elsewhere, because this fails at that too.

I love a good villain origin story, I love a good twist on a tale, I love an emotional roller coaster. This was really good, I couldn't put it down. Some parts were a little simplistic, and others were very clever. The beautiful thing about this is that you know where it ends up, if you know anything about the Queen of Hearts...and the twists seemed clear to me before they arrived....and yet the way they are presented has you watching in horror, unable to look away.

This was a very atmospheric book, and the descriptions were lovely and really painted a vivid picture for me. The characters were...kind of washed out (semi-pun is semi-intended). They lacked depth in many ways. They had elements that could have been relatable, but they just weren't quite there. And even the parts of the personalities that were bad - like Effy's persistent casual bigotry - didn't make her unlikeable so much as...more boring? So even those kinds of issues weren't done in a way that would make me feel strongly. I do understand there were some specific real world inspirations for this book, and I had thought that would be noticeable, however I didn't see a lot of that in there. The plot was there...a little slow, a little repetitive, but overall interesting. There were some heavy topics addressed, and I feel they were done well, if rather surface-level. Despite its downsides, I would say reading this was not a waste of my time, and it may not have been amazing but it also wasn't bad.

With the real review part out of the way, I just have to say....this was the dampest story I have ever read. Everywhere she goes it's raining, and the manor is damp and the cottage is damp and people's hair is damp (and low-key Effy's personality is a bit damp, both literally with all the crying, and figuratively). So. Damp. I have seen it described as "aggressively moist gothic", and it is not wrong.