Summary (Spoiler Free):
The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses is about Theodora Corvus, who, having grown up in a crumbling manor with her grandmother, leaves her family home to work as a governess. She arrives at Broken Oak Manor to a house filled with secrets and strange noises in the darkness. The child she’s supposed to teach, Ottoline, is more in need of a friend than a governess – and so is her father, Lord Cassias Thorne, who is still hurting from the loss of her wife and isolating himself from the people he loves.
The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the mystery and the fact that it was described as a “gothic romance”. I absolutely Love gothic literature and it lived up to the expectations I had for it. The writing was beautiful and the plot was interesting. I actually read the whole book in a few days even though I had work to do, oops, but it was just good enough that I couldn’t just put it down.
The main character, Theodora, was probably my favourite character from the book. She was nice and caring, but also tough and strong enough to stand her ground when needed. Her and Cassias start out with a strange friendship, which they both really need, but it obviously evolves into something romantic (the book was tagged “Gothic Romance” on goodreads after all).
Grief as the main theme was written really well, especially with the ways the old broken mansions tied into the theme. Every character in the story is deeply affected by a loss in their lives, whether it’s a father, mother, or a wife, and the grief is what ends up bringing them closer together. I really enjoyed that, as grief is one of the only things everyone will have in common, even if we go through it and deal with it in different ways.
I’d recommend The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses to other lovers of gothic books with excellent romances.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
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