TL;DR: This was my first book by T. Kingfisher and it won’t be my last. It was definitely creepy and gothic and I didn’t read this in bed in the dark hours, but I don’t regret picking it up and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! The Seventh Bride wasn’t the most fast-paced YA gothic fantasy thriller combo but it fit the foreboding creepiness of the story perfectly. I loved Rhea, her strength and the friendships that form throughout this story. While I wished that the ending hadn’t been as rushed, this was a fun yet creepy and cosy story that even a scared like me can read!

Rhea was such a great main character who was so easy to root for and I loved the bond that she formed with the hedgehog and Crevan’s other wives, especially Maria! She’s clearly terrified and that doesn’t change all that much throughout the story but she faces every obstacle and task with such determination and strength, that it’s not hard to admire her. I was hooked from the moment we were introduced to Rhea and her situation, and I needed to know what was going to happen as she faced all the ghastly things and as Crevan set one horrifying task after another for her to complete, all with the looming threat of marriage to him in the event she fails. Needless to say, that was more than enough motivation for her to fight her way to success! 😂 Also, the hedgehog was the cutest sidekick ever and I loved how Kingfisher gave it such a wonderful personality, even without giving it a voice—it was definitely my second favourite character and I think I could read a book about all the adventures Rhea and the hedgehog get up to, lol. I can already see it would be so entertaining!

That said, while I was invested in seeing Rhea and the wives overcome Crevan’s devilry, I do think that the payoff felt a little rushed and I would’ve liked to know a bit more about certain elements of the story that came into play. Ultimately, it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story all that much and it was still a very satisfying ending overall.

I listened to this on audiobook and I thought that the voice actor did a great job bringing Rhea’s character to life. Her voice acting perfectly captured the fearful wonder and fortitude of a young woman who found herself in the most ridiculous and terrifying of situations. I think she also brought across the surprising humour in Kingfisher’s writing very well through the changing tones of her voice, and it brought a wonderful sense of levity to the darkness of the story. I wasn’t a huge fan of the accents that she did for each character, particularly Crevan’s, but I did appreciate how she voiced Maria and made her character come to life. Overall, if you’re not too picky with your narrators, I would recommend giving this audiobook a try.

Have you read The Seventh Bride or is it on your TBR?

• Follow me on Goodreads!
• Follow me on Bluesky
• Follow me on Instagram!
• Follow me on Twitter!