This book had a terrible start and I thought I was never going to get through it. Even though it did take me longer than usual to plow through, it did prove to be a sensational read and I enjoyed myself thoroughly with the overdramatic narration.

I often got confused with who was who so that made it difficult to keep track of which guy or girl was being talked about, save for Ambrosio and Mathilda/Rosario (whose story was the first thing to hook me in), and some parts of the story felt unnecessary (like the count who went on an adventure and had that scary thing happen to him) except for really small links (like the boy that accompanied the count and eventually learned about the sister's fate). It still made for a good story at least, but it didn't feel very unified.

I thought the story was going to take a different turn somewhere in the middle, and that certain characters were going to meet with certain ends, but at least it kept me interested when the sister wasn't going to be used as the monk's lover during her disappearance/death or during Antonia's rape and death.

Again, it was a very sensational read, though. So much drama! The monk's decay, Mathilda's loyalty (which was nicely done without jealousy), and the ghosts, curses, haunting, etc. was laughable but also so intriguing. I was really amused reading this and I'm glad it proved to be a fun read. Sticking around past the slow and boring beginning was definitely worth it because this is definitely a classic that is worth keeping on the shelf even just for entertainment's sake.