Praiseworthy Pages

Reader Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars)

If you grew up loving The Addams Family, then We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the book for you: murder and mystery through the eyes of an eighteen-year-old orphan whose maturity stunted after the death of every member of her family save her older sister and crippled uncle. The startling oppositions between change and stasis, reliability and unreliability, and fantasies and reality make this story a fascinating exploration of human stereotypes. It took a while for me to start appreciating this story, but when I finished it, I immediately went online to find a copy to purchase for myself. 

Language: 10/10 (Never swears once).
Sex: 10/10 (No sexual content).
Violence and gore: 10/10 (While murder is referred to frequently, no actual violence or gore is included in the narrative).

Plot: 7/10 (A mystery that has you second-guessing yourself every step of the way. It’s not a book I would normally pick up for myself, but I’m definitely glad I read it.)
Characters: 8/10 (Mary Katherine is a captivating character, especially as a narrator. While a couple of the characters included in the story were pretty one-dimensional, their one-dimensional nature served a specific purpose. It was extremely well done.)
Writing Style: 8/10 (Jackson clearly has a flair for the unnerving. The more I inspect the text itself, the more I love it.)

Genre: New adult literature, adult literature, gothic fiction, realistic fiction
Potential Triggers: Homicidal ideation, house fire, etc.
Is this book part of a series? No.
While the content is appropriate for someone age 15+, a reader probably wouldn’t appreciate it until 18+.