Plain Bad Heroines

This was an ambitious book that mostly sticks the landing.The author succsesfully juggles multiple storylines, timelines, and locations and a fairly large cast of characters. The effect was an expansive novel that was entertaining without being overtaxiing.

It helped that the author writes very clearly (doesn't get overly writerly) and didn't rush. Each scene was given enough time to establish the setting and the relationship to the larger plot, so things didn't get confusing. The book is long, but the switching between timelines/perspectives kept interest up, so it didn't feel long.

It also helps that the author was clearly so invested in all of the main characters, so it was easy to keep them straight (no pun intended.) Although this shouldn't be a big deal in 2021, it's worth mentioning that this book is full of queer characters, and while queerness isn't totaly irrelevant ot the plot, it's also not the most important thing about this plot, which was great. Not too spooky but lots of atmosphere and hits the right beats for a gothic novel.

One note: The author's previous bookw as a (great) YA novel. With the exception of some "adult" scenes and themes, Plain Bad Heroines didn't completely feel like an adult novel. Both in execution and in terms of characters (much of the focus is on younger characters in their teens and early 20's) that it still felt somewhat YA-ish. But I didn't find that to be especially problematic.