Luzia is a scullery maid for an average, not particularly wealthy couple. She can also do magic. She keeps this to herself apart f4.5 ⭐️
I loved this!
Luzia is a scullery maid for an average, not particularly wealthy couple. She can also do magic. She keeps this to herself apart from the odd fix, such as when the bread is burnt or a glass is smashed.
When her mistress learns of her powers, she quickly tries to make money from her. It is only when she gets the attention of Antonio Perez that she realises the danger she could be in.
With the inquisition killing anyone who could be deemed a witch or a heretic, Luxia must prove her magic is god given and she is pure. This isn’t helped by the feelings she develops for Antonio’s slave.
I loved the romance which is odd for me. I loved the magic and the historical background. It was a wonderful world to get lost in. ...more
I absolutely adored The Ten Thousand Doors of January, but sadly this one didn’t hit the same way for me.
I like the premise, 3 sisters reunited afterI absolutely adored The Ten Thousand Doors of January, but sadly this one didn’t hit the same way for me.
I like the premise, 3 sisters reunited after 7 years all with secrets and hidden resentments. They form a group of women to fight for rights and also for witching.
Mainly I found it too long, I frequently lost interest, I felt things weren’t moving swiftly enough to keep my interest.
I pushed through but ultimately it just didn’t grab me enough. ...more
I liked the premise, and I enjoy a dark fair tale. But this was a bit over sexualised and even too grim for me at times.
Marlinchen and her sisters arI liked the premise, and I enjoy a dark fair tale. But this was a bit over sexualised and even too grim for me at times.
Marlinchen and her sisters are witches, they live under the harsh thumb and rules of their father, the only remaining wizard.
They sneak out at night to the ballet where Marlinchen becomes infatuated with the lead dancer. Meanwhile stories abound of a creature who is killing people and removing their organs.
The relationship between Marlinchen and Sevas seemed forced to me. It was particularly primal and we don’t get to see them actually grow fond or get to know each other. It just suddenly happens.
Also (view spoiler)[ finding her sister fornicating with the monster in their garden seemed a bit much. Are they really that desperate? (hide spoiler)] I feel like this was added purely for shock value.
The writing was descriptive, but ultimately not enough for me. ...more
Roma and Juliette believed they destroyed the monster, but did they really? Meanwhile both have betrayeReally enjoyed this conclusion to the duology.
Roma and Juliette believed they destroyed the monster, but did they really? Meanwhile both have betrayed the other and are not sure if they can ever repair what was lost.
Loved the storyline and all the different characters including Katherine and Rosalyn. Loads of bloodshed and drama, I was fully invested.
Also a satisfying ending (view spoiler)[ Roma and Juliette both sacrifice themselves to destroy the monsters. I liked that, I did wonder if they would both die or if the ending would change. (hide spoiler)]
I’m looking forward to picking up Foul Lady Fortune which has Rosalind in. ...more
“Somewhere between an asylum and a prison, the Salpetriere took in those that Paris did not know how to cope with: invalids and women.”
Thoroughly en “Somewhere between an asylum and a prison, the Salpetriere took in those that Paris did not know how to cope with: invalids and women.”
Thoroughly enjoyed this short novel that covers some big topics about mental health and asylums in history.
Eugenie has been signed over to the institution by her family after telling her grandmother she can see and communicate with spirits. Meanwhile Genevieve’s job is her whole life, since her sister died she never lets herself feel anything. Particularly not for her patients. She has cut herself off, and is a great fan of Doctor Charat’s new theories and experiments.
But when the two women meet, they both change one another. Eugenie is desperate to find people who will accept her and her abilities. Genevieve is starting to wonder if the Doctor everyone has idolised is actually as great as everyone thinks.
The actual ball is only a very small portion of this story, so bear that in mind if you were expecting differently.
But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend.
“The Salpetriere is a dumping ground for women who disturb the peace. A prison for women guilty of possessing an opinion.”
************************ Library copy available for pick up
I’ve been waiting for this one ages! So exciting ...more
A Study in Black and White by Bridget Collins - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A creepy story about a man who rents a large old house. A chessI’ll review each story as I go:
A Study in Black and White by Bridget Collins - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A creepy story about a man who rents a large old house. A chess set inside seems to move by itself, and he feels like there is something or someone watching him. Full of foreboding, this story covered a lot in a short space of time.
Thwaite’s Tenant by Imogen Hermes Gowar - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved this one! Wasn’t sure about the main character to begin with but she found her strength. Lucinda and her son Stanley move into the old Thwaite house, fleeing her abusive husband. The Thwaite house has its own history. Emily Thwaite apparently fled her own husband, and the house is haunted by him. But maybe Emily hasn’t left either. Another spooky one with a great story.
The Eel Singers by Natasha Pulley - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thaniel, Mori and Six decide to take a trip away from London. Mori is clairvoyant, and he only knows of one place where his mind is quieted. Once they arrive though, Thaniel feels an awful sense of foreboding. The locals seem creepy, always staring and singing or humming this strange song. Again, a lot packed into a short story and I enjoyed how it panned out and how it ended.
Lily Wilt by Jess Kidd - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one was just weird. A photographer called Pemble is asked to photograph a dead girl by her family to preserve her beauty. He becomes obsessed with this ethereal and almost supernatural beauty. He starts to see her ghost in his own home, she asks him to bring her back to life by any means necessary. We don’t really know how, only that he manages it but she isn’t quite the way he pictured her. (view spoiler)[ so he gives her back and she is buried, but he hands himself into the police as having stolen the body in the first place and having killed his landlady for finding out, so is hanged?! (hide spoiler)] I guess they weren’t all going to be my cup of tea ...more
Mixed reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed this magical, wintry tale.
I’m not overly familiar with the original story of the Nutcracker so I was able to Mixed reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed this magical, wintry tale.
I’m not overly familiar with the original story of the Nutcracker so I was able to take everything in my stride.
Marietta is from a noble family, but she dreams of being a ballerina. Her father has told her this years Christmas performance will be her last. She receives advances from a mysterious neighbour who has just arrived in the town.
When she rejects his advances she flees and finds herself transported to another world. This world is run by a tyrant king who seeks only his own pleasures and cares nothing for his people.
He quickly spots Marietta and forces her to dance for him every night. She must find a way to escape and return home.
A quick and easy read, the descriptions were wonderful and I enjoyed all the different characters. A nice Christmassy story.
**************************** So the question is. Do I read a Christmas book in June? Or do I send it back to the library and reorder nearer Christmas?...more
“He will feel this too, and worse...Let him come back so that I can se his eyes as the light drains from them. Let him come back and die at the hands “He will feel this too, and worse...Let him come back so that I can se his eyes as the light drains from them. Let him come back and die at the hands of his bitterest enemy. Let him come back so that I can watch him suffer. And let me make it slow.”
3.5 ⭐️
Ok, so if you know the Trojan War, there isn’t a great deal of new material here. And having recently read A Thousand Ships and The Women of Troy, maybe it was just too much similar. Don’t get me wrong I adore Greek mythology. My degree was in classical civilisations - so it meant this was a straight forward read, I knew who everyone was and what was going to happen.
I think I preferred Ariadne by Jennifer Saint as I was less familiar with that story. Also I found Elektra infuriating. Her constant obsession with her dad Agamemnon was just hard for me to grasp.
I am fully team Clytemnestra and so I found Elektra’s whining about her mother quite tiresome.
But my absolute fave had a POV. Cassandra is my favourite character from Greek myth so I loved reading her view.
An interesting idea, and a real page turner. A good debut but I was ultimately left feeling a bit disappointed.
“It takes a good deal of magic to graAn interesting idea, and a real page turner. A good debut but I was ultimately left feeling a bit disappointed.
“It takes a good deal of magic to grant a wish, and magic has its price. All things do.”
Without realising it. This book had a lot of similarities to The Corset, which I read recently and really enjoyed. I feel this may have coloured my reading experience because I was expecting something different.
Eleanor (Ella) has been working as a maid in the house of her legal guardian. She was adopted as a child by the late Mrs Pembrokeshire but after her death Mr Pembrokeshire believed she should earn her keep.
Struggling to adapt, constantly under the watchful eye of the house keeper or the leering gaze of Mr Pembrokeshire, Ella long for escape. She frequently goes into the library at night to escape.
When one night a strange woman emerges from one of the books offering Ella 7 wishes in exchange for her soul. Ella soon accepts, but she doesn’t realise how much these wishes truly cost her.
Like I said, a great concept. I liked seeing Ella fight with her conscience over whether to make another wish or not.
My main gripe was the ending. (view spoiler)[ we are left wondering did Ella actually commit these crimes herself or was it actually magic? What is the point in this magical being anyway? It was never really cleared up. And Ella still ends up punished in the end. (hide spoiler)]
A good debut, I would still read more by this author.
**************************
Hi my name is Charlotte and I am a retelling addict....more
Nellie has grown up an outsider, covered in birth marks people often view her with disdain and ridicule. When she is so “All of history is fiction.”
Nellie has grown up an outsider, covered in birth marks people often view her with disdain and ridicule. When she is sold by her own father into Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders, she thinks her life is over. However, she grows to love performing and forming a kinship with the other acts as a family. She even finds love with the lumbering and shy Toby.
But Jasper is greedy and ambitious, and when Nellie becomes more popular than Jasper himself, he gets nasty. Meanwhile we also have flashbacks from Jasper and his brother Toby’s time during the war and a secret they have carried with them.
I loved all the different characters, the flaws, light and dark - this was an immersive novel that kept me gripped. It is a testament to what it means to be human and how we are all more than just the sum of our parts. ...more
My last two Laura Purcell’s haven’t reached the 5 star level of The Silent Companions, but this one comes really close!
Agnes iOoh this was a good one!
My last two Laura Purcell’s haven’t reached the 5 star level of The Silent Companions, but this one comes really close!
Agnes is struggling to keep her silhouette business afloat as photography gains popularity. She is looking after her nephew and ageing mother while still grieving the loss of her sister.
When her customers start being killed, Agnes begins to wonder if she is being targeted, and if so by whom.
This book toes the line so well between reality and fiction, we are never entirely sure what is real.
When Agnes reaches out to a child spirit medium she discovers more about herself and about the deaths than she bargained for.
A whirlwind that I couldn’t stop reading, lots of secrets uncovered and a solid twist at the end. Laura Purcell is back with a bang! ...more
I didn’t love this one as her previous two books. Neither have come close to The Silent Companions - I loved that one.
Hester Why has changed her nameI didn’t love this one as her previous two books. Neither have come close to The Silent Companions - I loved that one.
Hester Why has changed her name and moved to Cornwall to look after the ailing Ms Pinecroft. Ms Pinecroft barely speaks or moves, spending her days in a freezing cold room filled with china.
Separately we have chapters from when Ms Pinecroft was younger, when she first moved there with her father to set up an area for those suffering with tuberculosis. But there is something going on around the beach. The men are in delirium and it can’t just be the illness.
For me, these kind of stories often fall flat when not enough information is given. (view spoiler)[ the fairies are referred to but never entirely explained. It is unclear what they want or how they act. Then the behaviours of Creeda to protect them from these creatures border on the abusive. It is hard to tell what is mad ramblings and what was actual supernatural activity. (hide spoiler)]
I will still read Laura Purcell because I do love her writing. ...more
“I swear to you…they’ll suffer for what they’ve done. All that you’ve endured will look like nothing - nothing! After I’m through with them.”
I loved “I swear to you…they’ll suffer for what they’ve done. All that you’ve endured will look like nothing - nothing! After I’m through with them.”
I loved The Silent Companions, and was interested in trying something else by Laura Purcell. The vibe is different in this one bit I still found it gripping and enjoyable.
Ruth is a prisoner, accused of committing murder, but did she actually do it? The stories she tells are pretty far fetched, are they sure she isn’t just mad?
Meanwhile, wealthy aristocratic Dorothea has an interest in female prisoners. She also studies the human skull, if size and shape could have an impact on a person’s person ability and deeds. She gets Ruth to open up to her on a visit, about her life and the things that have happened.
Ruth’s story takes you on a journey from her dark and traumatic childhood, into a life of servitude under an unforgiving mistress.
Definitely very hard to stomach at times, but it just serves to show how much a person can go through and suffer until they finally crack.
I liked the blurred line between mental instability and the supernatural. Did Ruth cause these deaths through her supernatural power? Or is she just blaming herself due to her own overwhelming guilt?
A fascinating read. I will be reading more by Laura Purcell.
********************
Spooky season is on the way and I loved The Silent Companions last year. Can’t wait to read more by Laura Purcell ...more
In London, she had learnt to scoff at her fear as nonsense, but now she was back she could feel it, creeping, slithering. Something dark and insidiou In London, she had learnt to scoff at her fear as nonsense, but now she was back she could feel it, creeping, slithering. Something dark and insidious.”
Holy shit!!
What an outstanding Halloween read! This book was the definition of creepy.
Elsie is pregnant, newly widowed and about to move into her husband’s family home The Bridge. It is full of rumours and the local villagers are terrified of the house. Elsie thinks it’s all ridiculous. It’s just an old house. Together with her husbands cousin Sarah she begins working on getting the house clean and prepared for the baby’s arrival. When they come across these wooden figures referred to as companions, Elsie finds them intriguing and decides to bring them out.
Separately we have a timeline from after this era, when Elsie is in a psychiatric hospital and unable to speak. Her doctor tries to get her to tell the story of what happened.
Finally we have an even older timeline in the 1600’s from Anne Bainbridge. Elsie’s husbands ancestor.
All these different elements combine to make an eerie story where everything creeps along, I thought it might have been too slow but honestly it was perfect to build up this feeling of dread.
If you like creepy gothic fiction then this is for you. It combines horror with mental instability. The supernatural with the evil of humanity. I loved it and will be reading everything Laura Purcell writes....more
Mouse is born into the circus life. Though her parents have little time for her she is adopted by Serendipity Wilson, who teaches her the art o3.5 ⭐️
Mouse is born into the circus life. Though her parents have little time for her she is adopted by Serendipity Wilson, who teaches her the art of tightrope walking.
Told through a series of stories and journal entries, we flick between the protagonists childhood and her present life in New York. We witness her struggles and those of the people around her.
As debut’s go, it was pretty solid. The characters felt real, there were those i loved and those I really couldn’t get behind - like Mouse’s mother. (view spoiler)[ even after we are given her backstory I still couldn’t stomach her treatment of Mouse. There’s apathy and then there is her behaviour, which was straight up abuse. (hide spoiler)]
Overall a good enough tale and I’d like to try more works by this author. ...more
In a speculative world not too dissimilar from our own, is a boarding school for boys who study the grand jeu a game that enco4.5 ⭐️
What a whirlwind!
In a speculative world not too dissimilar from our own, is a boarding school for boys who study the grand jeu a game that encompasses maths, music, philosophy and religion. Leo is an ex student of Montverre, who then went into politics. After a difference of opinion with the prime minister, he is sent back to Montverre as a guest.
The country ruled only by a governing body known as The Party have become more and more controlling. They persecute Christian’s, women, disabled people and numerous other groups in a similar vein to the nazis.
Leo meets the current Magister Ludi. The first ever woman to be given the position. But Leo can’t help feeling something drawing him to her.
Meanwhile we get flashback chapters to Leo’s time as a student, spent mainly with his rival/best friend Carfax.
There are also chapters from a POV known only as The Rat - but these serve a high relevance and are worth paying attention to.
Considering this is speculative fiction rather than a thriller (for example) I flew through these pages! I couldn’t stop reading, the writing is beautiful, I was entranced with every POV. The only reason it didn’t get 5 was because Leo is a misogynistic prick a lot of the time.
But I loved the twist, I loved the unraveling of everything, bit by bit and ultimately loved this story ...more
“The things that crawled from the lake were sinew and rotting flesh. They were silent, with hollow eyes and bodies that caved in. They were called bo “The things that crawled from the lake were sinew and rotting flesh. They were silent, with hollow eyes and bodies that caved in. They were called bone houses.”
4 ⭐️
Ryn lives with her brother and sister after the death of their mother and disappearance of their father. She saw her first Bone House coming out of the forest when she was just a child. She frequently spends time in the woods, often protecting the village from the undead, using her axe.
When a new boy arrives in the village with a mysterious past, Ryn finds a way to make some money for her family. In the hopes that they can finally pay off her Uncle’s debts.
Ellis has never known his true family, but what he and Ryn uncover as they search for a way to break the curse that is causing the dead to rise is more than either of them could have imagined.
An imaginative, fairytale world with a bit of creep factor thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the journey with this story and the reveals that came out of it. ...more
“I cannot fathom it…You destroy me and then you kiss me. You give me reason to hate you and then you give me reason to love you. Is this a lie or4 ⭐️
“I cannot fathom it…You destroy me and then you kiss me. You give me reason to hate you and then you give me reason to love you. Is this a lie or the truth? Is this a ploy or your heart reaching for me?“
I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this as I don’t do romance. This is because this book is so much more than just a Romeo and Juliet retelling. It has monsters, politics, gang violence as well as relationships from familial to platonic and romantic.
The Scarlets and The White Flowers have a long running blood feud. But when a mysterious disease begins killing people with no kind of explanation. Roma and Juliet must work together to find a cause.
But their feelings for each other are very confused. I really enjoyed the back and forth, the difficultly they each had in splitting their loyalties.
Also a solid ending so I desperately need book 2!
*************************** Ok, I caved. This book has now been ordered ...more
“It is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing to be forgotten.”
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! Adeline LaRue makes a deal “It is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing to be forgotten.”
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! Adeline LaRue makes a deal with the darkness in order to escape an arranged marriage. But she doesn’t get what she thinks.
She is cursed to be forgotten. She can meet people, but if they turn away from her for more than 5 minutes they immediately forget ever meeting her.
She struggles through for hundreds of years from the small French village she grew up in, all the way to New York City. Making do with what she can.
Then one day she meets Henry Strauss. And he remembers her.
I thought it would be too romancy for me but I was swept away in this tale. There isn’t a huge amount of plot, it isn’t the most exciting or gripping, but the writing is beautiful. It tells of the difficulty in being human, what defines a human and how far we will go in order to get what we want most.
4 stars ⭐️
*****************
I ordered this book from the library but it hadn’t arrived in my reservations yet.
I checked the system which said it was currently on the shelf in the library.
So when I went to collect my current reservations I asked if they could get it off the shelf for me.
Unfortunately they couldn’t find it. Someone must have mishelved it and it could be anywhere in the library.
Disheartened I left with my other reads only to get a phone call from the librarian to say they’ve found it!
I won’t be able to get to the library until next week but I’m excited to know this one will be waiting for me!...more
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