I feel bad for not rating this higher, to be fair I really did like this book! Not using the girls’ voices is an interesting device and I like how it emphasises their lack of any say in what is being said about them/their own fate. However, I did find myself wishing for more fleshed-out characters, and MORE weirdness, MORE descriptive grossness or uncomfortable vibes, MORE animalistic thriller vibes. I wanted more strange occurrences around the town, rather than just continual animal maiming. The discomfort and uniqueness of the badger scene was great, if only the rest of the novel were as descriptive. I wanted it to be a bit more atmospheric! As it was this book felt a bit repetitive - even though it switched POV a lot. I felt that this book continuously beats the reader over the head with the idea of girls turning into dogs, but doesn’t actually offer many differing ideas, perspectives or even much backstory. I felt distant from the girls still, it was difficult to get a sense of who they were and why I was supposed to care. Having said that, I still really enjoyed the read! Just not as much as I anticipated.

A bit slow to start, and not my favourite Austen, but they are SO correct when they refer to this as a “gothic parody”. Honestly it reads like a spoof, a-la-Scary Movie, but if it was a spoof of a gothic novel instead of a horror movie. I have a soft spot for the main character - it helps that she’s so young, so she’s allowed to be a lil stupid and unassuming!