I appreciate the Gothic element of slow pacing, was enthused by it initially, but the story definitely draws itself out the further you go. The past setting is stronger than the present (at least initially, it loses oomf as you go along). What it lacks in diversity it makes up for with…uh…yellow jackets? All in all pretty meh (though I loved the addition of illustrations).

**Edit**

Merritt sucks. There. I said it. I held out but every time I come back to this review, I think “Woo boy did Merritt suck”.