[ARC Review] Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Seamlessly weaving two timelines (that of 1902 and of modern 20--) together, author Emily M. Danforth takes her readers on a journey of young love and dark curses that pulls you in further the farther you read. Brookhants School has been cursed: by death, hallucinations, lost love, and now filming issues. Readers move from the tragic history of Brookhants founding and the love shared between Libbie Brookhants and Alexandra Trills, to the modern social media frenzy of the Brookhants movie, its haunted film set, and the weird things our three modern heroines - Harper, Audrey, and Merritt - keep experiencing while on set.
Danforth created a great story in Plain Bad Heroines. The chapters flow between the tragic past and the uncertain present, and details from both timelines clarify and answer the questions from the other. The writing was easy to get lost in, and there were so many little details that the reader could easily glance over but added so much more to the story if caught. The plot was obviously meticulously planned out, and Plain Bad Heroines will surely reveal more upon a second or third reading. The world building was exceptional, and the details were phenomenal in both the 1900s and 2000s. The characters all came off the page, each with distinct personalities and their own follies which only contributed to the plot. Each player had their own purpose in the game, and they all played their parts so well. While lesbian romance was at the center of both timelines, Danforth did a fabulous job at contrasting how such a relationship would be handled in 1902 versus how it could play out now. Overall, this was such a great read; it pulls you in with its mystery and intrigue and keeps you hanging on until the last chapter.
A huge thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of Plain Bad Heroines.
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