Nilufer Ozmekik's Reviews > The Only One Left

I screamed aloud and threw tantrums when the publishing company rejected my ARC request as a devoted fan of the author!

The gothic vibes and the unsolved cold case surrounding a dangerous woman, who gives off scary vibes to kids singing a rhyme about her possible murders like she's Bloody Mary, were the most intriguing aspects that drew me blindly into this story.

Lenora Hope Hung, in her early seventies and bedridden after a recent stroke that took away her ability to function properly, types her mysterious story about the incidents that occurred 54 years ago, resulting in the deaths of her entire family: her parents were stabbed, and her sister was hanged.

Kit McDeere, a beggar with no other options and a caregiver with a tarnished reputation, is accused of manslaughter after her latest patient dies from a drug overdose due to her mistake. She becomes an outcast, humiliated by reporters who imply that she is the killer. When she is offered a job as the caretaker for Lenora Hope Hung, an urban legend and presumed killer in town, she sees it as an opportunity for work, money, and a chance to escape the house she shares with her father, who has been giving her the silent treatment since her mandatory job leave.

But as soon as she sets foot in the mansion perched on the edge of cliffs, she feels the darkness and an ominous sensation creeping around the rooms. The previous caregiver, Mary, vanished into thin air one night, offering no explanation and leaving her belongings behind.

The remaining staff in the house, including the maid and cook who were present during the timeline of the murders, not only give Kit the creeps but also the cracking voices that come from Lenora's bedroom at night and the objects that mysteriously change places, increasing her unease. Kit finds herself trapped in this place without any financial security, and the only form of communication she has with Lenora is through a typewriter, as she tries to uncover the truth about what happened on that tragic night.

I can honestly say that this book is my least favorite work by the author. It wasn't slow-paced, but the main mystery didn't capture my interest, and I couldn't connect with either Lenora or Kit, despite having a soft spot for outsiders who suffer from loneliness. I didn't care about how the story would evolve or what conclusions would be revealed in the end. The twists were still unpredictable, but I found them a bit far-fetched. The story didn't feel too realistic, and there were too many coincidences.

The only thing I loved was the plot idea and the gothic vibes the house provided as a memorable character in the story. However, I felt that Lenora's character could have been further developed and explored to add depth to the narrative.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the author's other novels, which led me to give it a solid three stars—it's not bad, but it didn't meet my expectations.

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