I adore Melissa Marr and I'm also a fan of the classic tale of Bluebeard so this story was right up my alley. It adhered to the basic storyline of the old fairytale but was dark and edgy. There was both emotional and sexual abuse in this story. Though the main character, Verena, had some strong feminist qualities she also seemed naive in many ways to me. But that's how fairytales go. The ending was actually a surprise and more of a lighter note than I expected. 
 I really enjoyed this book. I listened to it on audiobook and the narrator made it a great experience. She added a more fantastical dreamlike quality to the story. She also really brought Verena's character to life. Her voice fit the tone of the book perfectly. 
 I was gifted a copy of this audiobook by the author/narrator/publisher. This is an unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.