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Synopsis:
I am Lady Ramillia Winmoore, daughter of the very late Earl of Brooksberry, or I was lifetimes ago. I am an immortal, and this is my story. Do what you will with it, but I must warn this tale is not for the faint of heart. Highborn Victorian Lady that I was, my life was one of violence and cruelty.
Lady Ramillia Winmoore has suffered gaps in her memory her entire life. This darkness has proven to be a blessing until the day she awakens strapped to an examination table at the West Freeman Asylum for Lunatics. Imprisoned for the gruesome murder of her parents, she is forced to endure years of torture until salvation arrives in the form of a benefactor named Sir Julian Lawrence. Betrothed to her through an arranged marriage, Julian helps her gain freedom.
But appearances are deceiving and soon Ramillia learns the cost she must pay. The horrors she encounters in his household are far worse than the asylum. When he inducts her into a society of bloodthirsty, cruel immortals, she is forced to join them and accept their way of life.
Armed with talents she doesn’t know she has, Ramillia must break free of a prison she cannot see, kill an enemy who cannot die, and find a daughter who she cannot remember—all with the help of an ally she does not know.
It is important for me to point out that I thought this novel was well constructed, and that the themes used weren't done flippantly to further the plot. Rather they were used carefully and with respect, to create an in-depth character, and her personal journey. That being said, I personally have not experienced the themes (or triggers), and therefore saying it was done "well" would be doing a disservice to those who have. Please read the trigger warnings carefully, and if you're unsure about the triggers included ask someone who has read the novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and BHC Press for providing me an ARC of this book!
Readers be warned, the tale you're able to read is not one for the faint of heart.
This book was... a lot. Now that isn't to say it was a bad novel, in fact for the most part I enjoyed the story it told. However, there is a lot going on, and it is easy to get lost. The novel is best seen as three separate books within the one. It is segmented into parts, and definitely should be read that way to simply digest and understand what is going on.
Written as a flashback or journal, the reader gets to learn the things that make Ramillia, Ramillia, at the same time she does. This leads for a breadcrumb tale, with plot twists and carefully placed wow moments throughout.
Set in the gothic-era, Ramillia is no stranger to violence and pain in her life, or is she? Having suffered from "blackouts" for the majority of her life, she slowly begins to learn what these blackouts actually mean for her, and the unfortunate circumstances that caused them. Once Ramillia begins her path of understanding, knowledge, and power, she slowly begins to see what has been around her, the entire time. She is not normal. Natural, yes. But normal, she is everything but. Having a genetic variation to the regular human, Ramillia is immortal. But that isn't all. She is a "carrier" and an "incola", meaning she can ride around in people's heads and bodies, if she so chooses, but unfortunately, that means the same can be done to her. She learns this the hard way and loses a piece of herself and her husband - thus setting off the plot for the rest of the novel.
This novel becomes a story of reclaiming one's power, through whatever means necessary, and redeeming what perception one has of themselves - the rest of the world be damned. Unfortunately for our protagonist, the "be damned" ends up resulting in her swaying from the very things she fought so hard to obtain. Family, Power, Wealth, Life.
What I liked:
The reclamation of power from Ramillia
The way those around her didn't see her "splinters" as making her "crazy", and rather respected her, her power, and that she was still HER regardless of the things that "afflicted" her beyond her outward self.
The writing was beautiful. Gibson has an amazing way with words
The world-building, utilised enough of the known past to make the novel relatable whilst still creating an "underworld" hierarchy on a global scale.
What I didn't like:
When Ramillia manages to leave the facility in which she is held, only to become enamored with a strange man, enough to flippantly gloss over the disappearance (and death) of her friend, and the gaslighting of her brothers death. I understand after reading further this was a key plot point to the development of Ramillia's character, but I still thought it was too teenage dream romance for the overall vibe of the novel.
The ending.. DID SHE MANAGE TO KILL THE OCTOPUS OR NOT MAN.. (I don't like a cliff-hanger, sue me)
Would I read this again:
Yes, but not for some time. I think it's such a detail-dense novel that it would be easy to DNF the first time around, let alone the second.