House of Idyll by Delilah S. Dawson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars**
After Angelina, a struggling singer/songwriter, loses her job she’s unsure how or what to do next. Then she gets the offer of a lifetime to join an experimental luxury compound run by the most famous band in the world, Black Idyll.
Now you or I may read this and be like, wait, she’s gonna join a cult? I mean, my brain goes there immediately when I hear words like ‘experimental’ and ‘compound’ put together.
Angelina jumps on it though, without really knowing anything about what she’s getting herself into. She moves to the compound, where she has all of her needs provided for her: food, lodging, clothing and she has nothing but time to work on her music.
Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
I finished this at the end of April, and I put off writing a review because I had mixed feelings. Initially, I had rounded up to 4-stars, but as I try to write this review, I realize I don’t remember much about the story.
It was just sort of okay for me. It was quite predictable and though somewhat fun in the moment, it certainly didn’t do anything groundbreaking, or obviously memorable.
I did still enjoy it. I know I may sound a little salty right now, but for the brief period of time I was reading it, it’s a shortie, I was relatively invested. Nevertheless, I think a 3.5-star is a proper rating based on my experience.
I love stories featuring music, or musicians, so that element was a definite plus for me. The atmosphere, as far as the compound went, was also well-imagined and I appreciate how far Dawson took it to the dark side.
Additionally, I liked how it wrapped-up. I felt like it was as satisfying an ending as you could get with this particular set-up. Overall, I would say this was compelling enough in the moment, but didn’t leave a lasting impression.
I would recommend it for Readers who enjoy stories featuring rock bands, cult stories, or fever dream type elements. Of course, I would also recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed Dawson’s work in the past.
Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is actually the first I’ve read from Dawson, but I’m looking forward to more!