Grimdark

Grimdark weaves three timelines spanning 800 years but begins in the modern age as a gothic tale with a Canadian woman, Cló, and her husband Jude traveling to England upon the death of his father to settle affairs on his childhood home, a creepy crumbling estate manor.  Jude has only memories of trauma at the hands of his two older sisters, who still live in the manor, but Cló can’t help but be excited, curious, and ready to explore.

Soon, Cló‘s dreams and memories begin overlapping with the perspectives we read from the other timelines, and I couldn’t read fast enough to see how they and the people around her are connected.

Grimdark has themes of witchcraft, including real historical characters such as the Witchfinder Matthew Hopkins and King John (or, as the song from Disney’s Robin Hood always reminds us, “John the Worst”), pirates, and legends of lost treasure but with real emotional depth such as the impact that multiple failed attempts to carry a child to term have on  Cló and Jude’s relationship.

At times, following the threads of multiple storylines and many characters was a little complex, but it led to a pretty thrilling climax, so it’s worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.