Book Review: A Madness Unmade

Title: A Madness Unmade (The Deathly Inheritance Duology Book 1)
Author: E.K. Larsen-Burnett
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Book Length: 271 Pages
Format Read: ePub
Year Published: March 3, 2025

Date Started: January 22, 2025
Date finished: January 29, 2025

This story is about Laurel Persephone Rumbroom, an 18-year-old who suddenly becomes orphaned when her father mysteriously dies. She grew up in a place called the Underhallow, where she lives among ghosts. When she learns that the death of her father was not accidental, she makes it her priority to find who murdered him.

I found this story spot-on with the gothic mystery sub-genre. The writing pulls you right into the mood: a dark, dusty, and dreary world. The moths are what really make the story. There’s a lot of mystery and secrets within this world. Laurel is an innocent young lady who seems to have been protected by her father so much so that, upon his death, she becomes clueless as to who she is and what she needs to do. Mysterious things are given to her as clues to find her father. She’s wise enough to follow the clues to get the answers, making mistakes as a young adult would.

This was an enjoyable story. I did find there were quite a lot of non-essential filler within the earlier parts of the story, which dragged the story a bit. However, when the story picked up about halfway through, I was quite intrigued and couldn’t put the book down.

Who should read this book: If you’re looking for a true gothic young adult story, this is it.