Manor-house drama, spooky butlers, family tragedy, and small-town gossip form the backdrop of The Bloodstained Key, a YA retelling of the Bluebeard legends featuring Lady Marianna, the latest young lady to have unfortunately caught the eye of the mysterious Lord Bludington. The straightforward narrative sets a brisk pace, laying out Marianna's increasingly tragic circumstances - fiance lost at sea, brothers off to war, financial ruin knocking on the door. I wish more attention was given to creating an atmosphere and sense of place, and I found it hard to connect with Marianna as more than a character on a page. However, the story is clear and clean, and could be a good starting place for younger readers to experience the genre of gothic YA fantasy.

What an amazing captivating book, actually got a couple of my friends to read it also ( )

Bloodstained Key was my first Bluebeard retelling, and as I was familiar with the original, I was constantly trying to guess where the twists would come. I spun myself into all kinds of possible storylines. I found this was pretty parallel to the original, set in a gothic fantasy period, but I liked the ending better. This is a slow burn story and at times it felt like the story was dragging with very little action; however, if you pause and observe the moment you are reading, you will realize that the "dragging plot" is really the build up of anticipation, eeriness, and tension until it culminates into the "scary part."

Marianna, the FMC/narrator, is aggravating at certain points in the beginning. I found myself yelling at my screen repeatedly for her selfishness and pride. Would I marry the creepy older man with blue hair and a blue beard? No, absolutely not, but I'd at least give it a little more thought if my decision impacted my family as it did here. Lord Bludington appears sweet, caring and doting to the reader, but then he transforms into this frightening and calculating monster in Marianna's eyes. No one else sees this version, but her. She was isolated in a vast and ominous mansion, reading gothic stories in her spare time, and exploring the dark hallways at night. Shadows played tricks on her eyes, combined with her fear of Bludington and being spied on by Dunston, the ghostly butler. Adding fuel to the fire, Marianna started suffering from nightmares, as the previous wives did.

I frequently questioned the narrator's reliability, her sense of reality and sanity, despite being familiar with the original tale. I felt like I was going equally crazy alongside Marianna as she tried to get a grip on her emotions and reality, but instead dragged me into her world of nightmares and fright. Are some of the staff trying to protect her? Are they feigning ignorance to Bludington's evil? Is Betsy a plant by Bludington to use reverse psychology on Marianna with the door? Is Marianna even alive or is she already dead and this is her disassociated narration of the events leading up to her death?

Her descriptions of Bludington's smirks and the nefarious painting creeped me the heck out. Again, Bludington seems so normal and generous in the eyes of others. It isn't until Marianna starts to learn some of the rumors and hears of whispers that you begin to believe that maybe she is sane. The author does a phenomenal job at painting the perfect dark and disturbing picture; you can visualize everything. At one point, Marianna mentioned her heart was pounding and her hands were clammy, and I realized so were mine as I was reading. I was fully immersed in the scene, peeking around the dark corners for shadows that didn't belong. I even noted, "DON'T DO THIS!" as she creeped down a narrow hidden hallway with only a small candle.

It isn't until about 60% into the book when things start escalating. Bludington finally gives Marianna the test by delivering her a set of keys to every room, including the forbidden room. Like Pandora and the box, Marianna must satiate her curiosity, which will cause her the knowledge of her imminent demise. I'd like to say I wouldn't have gone into the room either, but curiosity is a fickle thing. The painting gave Dorian Gray-like vibes and I had all kinds of questions that unfortunately went unanswered by the end.

"Why would you put your life at risk for something as silly as satisfying your curiosity?"

Where this book differs and what I enjoyed most was how Marianna responded to all of this. She was reminded of her mother and the old hag's words, and dug deep for her bravery and confidence. By the end of the book, I didn't hate Marianna as I did in the beginning. As this is the first book in an upcoming series, the author leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger, while setting us up for book #2, a Peter Pan retelling (my favorite kind!).

Overall, a thrilling recommended read and I look forward to hopefully getting some answers to my burning questions in the next installment.

I had the opportunity to receive a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review. ( )

I received this book as part of the library thing early reviewer program. I had not read a retelling of the bluebeard folklore previously and was excited to give this a go. An interesting take and an easy read. I found the characters to read more on the young YA spectrum and would have liked a little more development of the dialogue and back stories. Otherwise a fun quick enjoyable story perfect for fans of regency era gothic YA fantasy retellings.

If you enjoy regency-era romances with a bit of intrigue and tension, that are inspired by fairytales, you’re going to enjoy this. I remember reading the tale of Bluebeard when I was younger, and while it’s not one you typically think of when you think “fairy tale retelling”, Rau did an amazing job of giving it a new, unique twist. I was immediately immersed in the story, with the descriptions being so vivid, and the characters being so real. Also, I loved Marianna, but my heart absolutely broke for her, having lost her beloved at sea, and her father being so ill. While I could understand her complicated feelings, and admired her determination to set aside her fears and desire for happiness to do what she had to in order to help her family. I won’t give any spoilers, but the story moves along at a good pace, and there’s just enough twists and surprises that you can never be totally sure you know what’s going to happen next! ( )