I read about a third of this book before DNF-ing it. Though Gothic novels are the most likely to become my very favorite reads, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall was, overall, thoroughly “meh.” I have three reasons behind my opinion of a book that claims to belong to my favorite genre. 

1. The pace is unbelievably slow. I’m sure the author was trying to create an unsettling atmosphere during that time, but personally, I didn’t feel that creepy-crawly feeling that I adore in Gothic fiction. For so little happening both plot- and character-wise, failing to establish the ideal atmosphere for a Gothic novel further bored and annoyed me.

2. The side characters are entirely forgettable. The other servants, especially, I couldn’t keep straight, not only from day to day, but also from chapter to chapter. I don’t even remember how many female servants there were (excluding the narrator, naturally). Was it three? Was it four? Also, what were their positions and rankings in the house staff hierarchy? I couldn’t tell you no matter how long I sit and try to remember. That’s how forgettable they were. These characters were less like well-rounded, if limited due to the first-person POV, characters than convenient plot devices. Of course side characters can and often do fulfill roles that move the plot forward, but if that’s the only reason they appear on the page, they’re completely flat.

3. The narrator is insufferable. She’s not only annoying, she’s inconsistent in her behavior and her thoughts in a way very few actual people are. As I only managed to muddle through the first third of the book, this wasn’t a sign of growth.
What I disliked most about the narrator was her repeated assertion that she’d done something wrong in regards to her husband. Every time she stated this, she did so without expanding on it or providing further explanation.
The only exception to this pattern came from the letter her late husband’s sister sent her, which contained her sister-in-law’s words and not her own. Given the choice, the narrator would’ve taken her time divulging even the crumbs of information her husband’s sister did via post.
The lack of any further reveal into the narrator’s “dark past” effectively desensitized me to the overall concept. Eventually, all I could think when I read essentially the same statement every other chapter (if not more frequently) was, “Okay, we get it. She might have a darkish past. I KNOW that. I can’t NOT know that, as I read it every seven pages or so. So either give me more information about why this possible dark past matters or just shut. up.”