I think this book was trying to do too much.
I'm not a huge fan of Historical Fiction, though I have read quite a few, and those parts of this were pretty good.
The "horror" parts were - "eh" at best. I'm still interested in reading the Hunger by the same author, as I did enjoy her writing style, but the book just felt disjointed. ( )

This was an interesting book told from two different time lines, four years apart. I like that both parts of the story took place on White Star Line ships that ended their service by sinking. I thought the intertwining story lines of the characters was a great touch, it made all the twists and turns even better. Looking forward to reading more of Alma Katsu's books in the future. ( )

This one had the potential to be an amazing "Hill House meets Rebecca but on the Titanic!" but it lacked the spark.

It's difficult to explain what wasn't there for me without using spoilers, so to whoever reads this, you have been warned. Spoilers ahead.

I loved that there were many characters and all were multifaceted. Not all were young, rich nor straight. The feminist notes throughout -the commentary on gender inequalities, gaslighting, women's desire alongside the tender queer representation were refreshing and gave vibrancy to the world. The ending was somewhat expected and had been solidly planned since the beginning, I felt neither cheated not bamboozled as a reader. There were multiple clues throughout but the solution also had a few surprising notes.

What was missing then?
I fear it's a less than perfect presentation of the character's inner thoughts. We learn than Annie was haunted and so had the memories and wants of 2 different people. While this was presented in an elegant way, it created an important flaw for me. I never got to know her, and most of the story is from her point of view. I didn't know or care about her in any way.

More than that, most characters hide things that are later revealed casually, creating confusion as to their own desires. Most times this is done deliberately to hide the duplicity of Annie, but to me it created a needles confusion and it was a thinly veiled attempt to mimic the classic "turn of the screw" of hauntings, where the reader is teased and left to wonder if the haunting was real or if it was all in the imagination of a troubled person.

The last thing that bothered me was that it was all a love story, a story where women throw everything away for the love of a pretty, but ultimately, useless man.

The notes of “so close yet so far away” concerning warnings about icebergs and mines (the pitfalls of the Titanic and the Britannic) that both have the involvement of main characters as an explanation for the sinking of the ships is, at best, tacky.

In all the writing was pleasant, most themes were enjoyable, the research was thorough and I had a good time.

Ask me the plot though and besides the sinking of the ships I find it hard to answer anything other than “lady killed herself and haunted a maid to spy on her husband on both ships”.
Ultimately it was a forgettable book that graced me with two evenings of enjoyment. Not bad overall.


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I started this book a few months ago because I wanted to take a swing at the horror genre. I figured one based in history would be most appealing for me. Well, I didn't like it at first, but it still intrigued me so I just set it down for a few months. I picked it back up for October and spooky season, and it got better. I finally lost myself to the story and devoured the rest of it in a few days. I retracted one star because it started out slow and because I got confused easily at times, but overall, it was good. ( )

History blend with a bit of the paranormal? Count me in. From the get-to I was immediately intrigued by the blurb. Like holy shit guys did you read it? The retelling of both the Titanic and Britannic tragic collapse, and used of the real life millionaires who tragically met their end on the passenger liner maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City was a refreshing concept. I was impressed but the author's writing style and in her ability to allow the reader feel apart of this historical moment. Sure not everything was peachy reading this novel. There were scenes here and there that the pace could've picked up because I zoned out more than I can count and a few plot holes that weren’t completely resolved at the end but overall it didn't defer me from this likable read.

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