I was super excited when I was offered a copy of Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber. Not only have I been wanting to read her work, but I am always looking for good gothic, vampire, latine fiction so to have all of that in one seemed like a great package deal. And it was, for the most part!
Despite being a gothic story, the pacing is incredibly quick. We move from scene to scene, plot to plot, in a whirlwind. Which is fitting considering this is how main character Estela experiences the world around her. After a freak and tragic accident that leaves her orphaned and internationally famous for being the sole survivor, she struggles to find her place and her reason for being. Cue one mysterious aunt from a foreign country to enter the picture and offer salvation. Things just keep happening without giving Estela, or the reader, a chance to breathe. I would’ve loved a slower pace, to settle into the beautiful gothic environment Garber created. Because it is beautiful, but we hardly see it. We have this ancient, creepy castle but it gets glossed over fairly quickly. There’s a hungry garden and we never get the chance to spend time with it.
The rush to reach the end is one of the biggest drawbacks I had. Though, perhaps it was for the best because I worry if this went on for longer, the plot might have been shakier than it already was. This was my second drawback. The first half of the novel, we have a creepy castle, a mysterious and possibly sinister aunt, and a handsome but murderous vampire, all wanting something from Estela, who only wants to recover or die. That would’ve been enough for me plot-wise. I would’ve loved to see Estela come into her own, grow into her legacy. Instead, halfway through we get thrown so much information and a completely parallel story that just bogged everything down. It stopped being Estela’s story and became someone else’s tale.
Despite the plot and pacing issues, I really did enjoy the characters! Estela was so interesting. Not only was she trying to heal from the trauma of her parents’ death and her survivor’s guilt, but also the trauma of never being able to lay down roots, make friends, and then guilt of planning to do just that and leave her parents after turning 18. Due to the aforementioned issues, we only get glimpses of that but it was enough for my heart to break for her. Then we have Felipe! I know, you’re probably wondering who the heck is Felipe? The synopsis blurb says Sebastián. WELL! Sebastián is interesting, but I don’t think we learn enough about him for me to really care that much about him. Plus, some spoilers from the second half really have me on the fence. But Felipe, a local boy that Estela befriends as she learns Spanish, gosh I really felt so bad for him. He grew up hearing so much about Estela’s family and of their legacy and history, of his family’s ties to theirs. There was a brightness that was just as deep as the darkness he held, which felt very on theme with the book itself.
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber is a really quick young adult gothic romance that is enjoyable for anyone that isn’t interested in looking deeper. There are some really great characters, the romance is light and enjoyable (very surface level and fade to black sex scenes). If you’re a reader that goes for complex characters, you’ll like this! If you’re a reader that wants intense worldbuilding and a mystery you can sink your teeth into, maybe borrow this from the library. And if you saw gothic horror and wanted to give this a try, maybe don’t unless you are very young and new to both genres.
