I’m in the mood for something atmospheric yet suspenseful but don’t want a book that’s going to leave me staring at a wall in distress for an hour after reading it. Preferably a stand-alone!
On the off-chance that you haven’t been recommended them already- The Night Circus or The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. Both standalone, both highly atmospheric.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
And highly highly recommend Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. It’s a multiple perspective fantasy loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin. Trigger warning for antisemitism (in the plot, not the book itself).
You said Gothic and atmospheric so they all have a bit of darkness to them, but these are not super violent or distressing. Piranesi has the most ambivalent ending if that’s a concern.
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On the off-chance that you haven’t been recommended them already- The Night Circus or The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. Both standalone, both highly atmospheric.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
And highly highly recommend Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. It’s a multiple perspective fantasy loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin. Trigger warning for antisemitism (in the plot, not the book itself).
You said Gothic and atmospheric so they all have a bit of darkness to them, but these are not super violent or distressing. Piranesi has the most ambivalent ending if that’s a concern.