Title: The Glowing Hours
Author: Leila Siddiqui
Publication Date: February 3, 2026
Publisher: Soho Press
Format Read: Kindle e-ARC
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
A gothic step back in time to the summer that conceived Frankenstein, The Glowing Hours is eerie, immersive, and drenched in unsettling atmosphere.
Most avid readers know about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written in the 19th century. The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui caught my eye when I read the synopsis, spotted the name Mary Shelley, and learned that the story is narrated by her maid, Mehrunissa Begum, called Mehr. I thought, “Well, okkkkaaay. This could be interesting.”
Mehr’s mother recently passed away, and her last wish was for Mehr to hand deliver her letter of inheritance to her brother in England. When she arrives, her brother is nowhere to be found, and she realizes she won’t have money for her return trip. So she takes the only work she can as a maid to Mary and Percy Shelley. Although she’s ill-suited for housekeeping, Mary takes a liking to her, and Mehr goes along on their vacation to Lake Geneva to meet with Lord Byron. The summer spent at the villa he’s rented is unsettling, to say the least. Even the weather is eerie.
The story is narrated in the third person from Mehr’s perspective. I enjoyed her as a main character because she’s well-rounded. The rest of the cast also had distinct personalities, but I’d have liked to better understand them overall. However, I only got to know them through Mehr’s eyes and thoughts, so it’s reasonable that I didn’t. I genuinely liked how the author personified the weather. It truly was an ever-present character, especially when things took a dark turn.
The author writes with attention to sensory and bodily details, keeping them grounded in physical reality. The narration stays tight to Mehr’s internal experience. The prose reads smooth and modern, clean and straightforward. Overall, it’s immersive, tactile, and quietly character-driven, with a realism that makes the looming gothic unease hit harder. The story’s threads felt tangled to me as I neared the climax. There was a lot happening, and things could have been made clearer.
The Glowing Hours is an eerily gothic step back in time to the summer that conceived Frankenstein. Both titles deliver the same message — when humans chase power and knowledge without responsibility, they create suffering, only to worsen it by not taking accountability. Siddiqui’s writing reminds me of Isabel Cañas’s. Readers who enjoyed The Hacienda might appreciate this book. Those who like gothic horror will definitely have fun with this one.
Nerd Rating: 🤓🤓🤓— A dark, weather-soaked gothic tale with bite, even if the threads knot up at the end.
Let’s Discuss
Have you ever read a book where the weather felt like a character? If so, which one?
Find out more about this book here.
I read a digital copy made available by Soho Press through NetGalley, and this review reflects my honest opinion.
Great review!
Thank you!