The Italian had the typical Gothic horror feel so there wasn't anything disappointing in that regard however I did wish I had a better sense of where things were heading as the plot progressed. It went on quite a bit longer than I felt it should've but at least it mostly kept me entertained.

I found myself wondering why the story went the way it did because on so many occasions it didn't feel quite unified (especially when Vincentio was being tried). It was interesting to follow Ellena yet I didn't quite see the point of it until her parentage came into play (although the struggle of their love because of her perceived low-birth felt pointless at the end) and by then it felt too late despite how relevant it was. I think I would have enjoyed the story more were the viewpoints not so separate but I understand why they were like that - I just wish it didn't stay so long with one person.

I'm glad for yet another good example of Gothic horror but I don't think I'd read this again - it's not completely out of the question but it wasn't as strong an example because of the weird journeys the plot went on. At least it wasn't a tragic end but it felt like too long a read and the POVs were too broken up for me to find it an enjoyable read outside of research.