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Ravenloft #16
To Sleep with Evil: Ravenloft: The Covenant, Book 3
Desperate to escape the terrors of Ravenloft, Marguerite came to Lord Donskoy's castle full of hope for the future. Instead, she found herself betrothed to a mysterious purveyor of flesh whose secret past, like the dead, refused to stay buried. Now Donskoy's marriage has invoked a dark curse, and Marguarite into a web of fear and passion.
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First published September 3, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 12, 2012
Another I rate highly in the Ravenloft series. The "hint" of something evil to come without it being obvious throughout the entire story makes the downtime fun to go through. I felt that when everything hit the fan at the end that it went a bit too quickly and wasn't explained in enough detail, but the getting there was enjoyable enough for me to make it a good read.
July 24, 2013
In her gothic horror novel To Sleep with Evil, Cardarelle creates a chilling atmosphere and delightfully understated dark and gruesome details. She doesn't over-explain or info-dump her setting (a common failing in gaming tie-in novels), and leaves you guessing about whether characters are undead, cursed, or wholly inhuman for much of the novel.
However, Cardelle is so true to gothic horror tone that her heroine, Marguerite, is as bland as an ingenue can be, perpetually naive and limp. The curiosity that sends her sneaking out of her locked room doesn't feel all that belieavble, because she doesn't do anything with new knowledge when she discovers it. This feels like a plot device to get her to overhear and see the actions of others. Basically, she's a typical horror movie trapped helpless female, and the question is whether you enjoy shaking the book asking "why are you being so stupid??" or if that makes you hurl the book away. I'm more of a hurler myself, but hey, I don't like mainstream horror movies, either. If you do, you'll probably enjoy To Sleep with Evil.
However, Cardelle is so true to gothic horror tone that her heroine, Marguerite, is as bland as an ingenue can be, perpetually naive and limp. The curiosity that sends her sneaking out of her locked room doesn't feel all that belieavble, because she doesn't do anything with new knowledge when she discovers it. This feels like a plot device to get her to overhear and see the actions of others. Basically, she's a typical horror movie trapped helpless female, and the question is whether you enjoy shaking the book asking "why are you being so stupid??" or if that makes you hurl the book away. I'm more of a hurler myself, but hey, I don't like mainstream horror movies, either. If you do, you'll probably enjoy To Sleep with Evil.
June 5, 2010
This is one of those books I love to hate. Not in the genre I normally read so I found it strange to begin with but I liked it. It is one of those books I tell a friend to read so we can discuss it just to see if I am the only one who found it odd. So, read it!
February 23, 2010
This book was a 5 star up until the last 15 pages or so. I was WAY dissapointed to the point I screamed in frustration at the end.
February 1, 2024
Easily the dullest DnD novel so far. Every single time something comes even remotely close to happening, the story quickly nips it in the bud, and the result is you spend the entire book reading about this empty husk of a woman who spends her days wondering what's happening outside, but never actually bothering to check or do anything at all in her entire life. The only time something resembling story development happens is at the very end, and even that's dull and predictable
December 7, 2021
An ultimately disappointing work - there's a tremendous amount of build-up with some genuine mystery there - only to be squandered by a rushed conclusion and a myriad of plot threads that go unresolved. It doesn't help either that the protagonist is a fluttering hand-wringer in a novel that calls for a stronger lead.
June 16, 2017
An engaging, fast-paced gothic horror tale, with enough links to other elements of the Ravenloft setting to satisfy a fan, yet independent enough to stand alone as its own complete entity. Well worth a read.
February 23, 2025
Wasn't fond of the way it ended...
October 9, 2022
I got this book from a blind book sale so I didn't really have a choice on getting it and was just hoping I got something good. I saw the cover and the synopsis and thought maybe I got a good one and it's horror. I read the book and it's not really horror and more suspense in a horror setting.
The story is entertaining and interesting once it gets to the mystery parts of the story. The MC is likable enough that I actually rooted for her to escape to somewhere better. Sadly, this story ends a bit bittersweet and that is if you don't think too much on it cause once you think of what might there be after the end of the story (and they already hinted in the story itself it might not be good), then the story has a bad end.
Probably the thing I didn't like much about it is that the MC doesn't really have much of choice on what to do with her life, I guess? Everyone around her, even those who act nice to her, are only doing it cause they need her for something. As a result, once I realized it, the story just felt kind of sad. It gives a bit of hope near the end but dashes that too and it ends with the MC just getting nothing out of the whole ordeal.
When it came to all of the other characters, they're all a mystery. They don't have much of a backstory and are all just there for the MC's story. They make her miserable or are there to help her but nothing much else. I guess it's cause there are other books in this series and they may have all of the stuff about the other characters but for this book specifically there's not much. They tried to build up some antagonists but the ending was kind of simple (the twist surprised me though).
Overall it was an ok book. It got fun to read halfway through but knowing how the story goes and the ending, it doesn't make me want to reread it.
The story is entertaining and interesting once it gets to the mystery parts of the story. The MC is likable enough that I actually rooted for her to escape to somewhere better. Sadly, this story ends a bit bittersweet and that is if you don't think too much on it cause once you think of what might there be after the end of the story (and they already hinted in the story itself it might not be good), then the story has a bad end.
Probably the thing I didn't like much about it is that the MC doesn't really have much of choice on what to do with her life, I guess? Everyone around her, even those who act nice to her, are only doing it cause they need her for something. As a result, once I realized it, the story just felt kind of sad. It gives a bit of hope near the end but dashes that too and it ends with the MC just getting nothing out of the whole ordeal.
When it came to all of the other characters, they're all a mystery. They don't have much of a backstory and are all just there for the MC's story. They make her miserable or are there to help her but nothing much else. I guess it's cause there are other books in this series and they may have all of the stuff about the other characters but for this book specifically there's not much. They tried to build up some antagonists but the ending was kind of simple (the twist surprised me though).
Overall it was an ok book. It got fun to read halfway through but knowing how the story goes and the ending, it doesn't make me want to reread it.
August 7, 2025
Part of a series but can be read alone (although you will forgo a few details). Book sets the mood of eerie soundings, but only delivers a few times with that 'hair on the back of your neck' feeling. Characters are bland at times and the story's plot leaves something to be desired...not memorable. The cover is all it has going for it.
October 11, 2023
I think at some point down the line in writing the Ravenloft series they completely forgot that these are supposed to be Dungeons and Dragons tie-in books but that’s okay because this goes crazy for a hasbro property
November 30, 2020
3.5/5 stars.
Paperback edition.
Paperback edition.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews