Book Review: A Dress to Kill For by Tessa Hastjarjanto

How much are you willing to sacrifice to gain everything you ever wanted?

Lady Claire Rosewood lives on the fringes of society, pitied by the people she used to call her friends, and her husband is no longer the suave businessman he once was. Frustrated with both her status and her marriage, she longs for more.

When an opportunity presents itself that allows her not only to be part of higher society, but to mingle with the elite, she needs to make a choice. Every rise to the top comes at a cost, but is she ready to pay with blood?

Content warnings: Occultism/demons, murder, physical violence (stabbing), ableism, physical permanent injury, chronic pain

GENRE: Historical Supernatural Horror Short Story

PURCHASE LINK: Universal Book Link

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tessa Hastjarjanto is a Dutch/Indonesian writer from the Netherlands. She writes speculative fiction, and blogs at narratess.com about books, fountain pens, and writing.

From a young age, she imitated popular stories and games in creating her own worlds. This love eventually led to a master’s degree in media and game studies at the University of Utrecht. However a mundane desk job was enough to inspire her to follow her creative passion. The first fanfics were written in lunch breaks and soon original fiction followed.

With the support of her husband, she now focuses on her writing career while battling chronic pain. Swiss white shepherd, Shiro, acts as a therapy dog to keep her healthy and reduce stress through extensive cuddle sessions. www.tessahastjarjanto.com

Review

Tessa is not a new to me author so I was ready to be surprised going into this. She has a knack for sprinkling in surprises and twists to "simple" plots.

This is a short read that packs a punch. I expected a pretty straightforward storyline — and it is, all things considered — but what I did not expect was how the supernatural/occult element played out. I really liked it! I don't want to give it away though so I won't say anything more, only that I do hope we'll get a sequel at some point. More dresses. More "court intrigue" and societal drama.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

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All things end, and all must die.

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