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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
I can always depend on Hester Fox for giving all the perfect Gothic vibes. I loved the Widow of Pale Harbor and I jumped for joy when I received The Orphan of Cemetery Hill. So thank you, Hester Fox, NetGalley, and Harlequin Publishing for the opportunity to read this book! The book takes place in Boston in the year 1844. Tabby and her sister Alice are orphans and they are fleeing their dangerous Aunt and Uncle and get separated. Tabby finds herself hiding in the cemetery and soon gets adopted the cemetery caretaker, Eli. Eli does not know that she possesses a gift. She can speak to the dead. Her path soon crosses with Caleb Bishop. His father’s body is taken by grave robbers. They soon get dragged into danger revolving around the “Resurrection Men.” She must use her gift and risk getting caught, even though that is something she has been keeping secret all her life.
This book is EVERYTHING I want during this time of year. If you are looking for something that has all the spooky, gothic goodness…this is it! Hester Fox has become one of my instant buy authors! Her plots are unique and intriguing. I always find it difficult to put down her books. I finished this book in two days. (And that is on top of work on monitoring virtual learning!) Tabby is a wonderful main character and has the best development! She lives her life run by fear of being used or tortured. It takes a great deal of courage and love to overcome that fear and use that gift to help those around you, even those who are already dead.
I loved the “Resurrection Men” plot. It gives a bit of history of grave robbing and the determination to study the human body. But it also gave me a lot of Frankenstein vibes. There are also mentions of women’s suffrage and ending slavery. One of the most haunting moments is one of the characters saying that there are dark times coming to the United States, referring to the Civil War. It gave me the chills. Everything just flowed together so perfectly.
I am telling you, this is the perfect book to read this Fall. The book publishes September 15th and you will not want to miss out! This book gets 5 out of 5 stars! —Also check out that gorgeous cover!
This book is EVERYTHING I want during this time of year. If you are looking for something that has all the spooky, gothic goodness…this is it! Hester Fox has become one of my instant buy authors! Her plots are unique and intriguing. I always find it difficult to put down her books. I finished this book in two days. (And that is on top of work on monitoring virtual learning!) Tabby is a wonderful main character and has the best development! She lives her life run by fear of being used or tortured. It takes a great deal of courage and love to overcome that fear and use that gift to help those around you, even those who are already dead.
I loved the “Resurrection Men” plot. It gives a bit of history of grave robbing and the determination to study the human body. But it also gave me a lot of Frankenstein vibes. There are also mentions of women’s suffrage and ending slavery. One of the most haunting moments is one of the characters saying that there are dark times coming to the United States, referring to the Civil War. It gave me the chills. Everything just flowed together so perfectly.
I am telling you, this is the perfect book to read this Fall. The book publishes September 15th and you will not want to miss out! This book gets 5 out of 5 stars! —Also check out that gorgeous cover!
Honestly, the history and setting were good enough to make this 3.5, but the insta romance and slightly cardboard cutout type characters ruined it for me. RTC
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was okay. At times it was fast paced, and a page turner. Other times it was slow and the writing didn’t feel that encapsulating. The start is a bit slow, and some middle parts drag, however over all I felt the story was unique, the characters likeable and the atmosphere beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Minor: War
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Summary - Tabby Cooke can communicate with the dead. But, after escaping her aunt who wanted nothing more than to exploit Tabby gift for money, she closely guards her ability. Not even sharing it with her adoptive father, Eli, or her closest friends. But, when grave robbers start stealing the bodies of the recently deceased from the cemetery Tabby and Eli watch over, Tabby unintentionally becomes involved with a plan worse than she ever imagined.
Thoughts - From the reviews, I honestly expected...more? The front cover of the book quoted Nicola Cornick stating the book was 'steeped in Gothic eerie Ness, it's spine tingling and very atmospheric.' The main plot of the book was easy to map out from the very beginning, and the final twist was lackluster.
I also felt like the romance between Tabby and Caleb was so boring, and unrealistic. They meet once as children, have a couple of conversations as adults, and that's it? They spend a majority of the book separated, and even when they are together, to me they felt flat and lacked chemistry.
I did finish the book and gave it a three star rating, but really I found myself reading it just so I could shelve it, not because it was so good that I couldn't put it down.
Thoughts - From the reviews, I honestly expected...more? The front cover of the book quoted Nicola Cornick stating the book was 'steeped in Gothic eerie Ness, it's spine tingling and very atmospheric.' The main plot of the book was easy to map out from the very beginning, and the final twist was lackluster.
I also felt like the romance between Tabby and Caleb was so boring, and unrealistic. They meet once as children, have a couple of conversations as adults, and that's it? They spend a majority of the book separated, and even when they are together, to me they felt flat and lacked chemistry.
I did finish the book and gave it a three star rating, but really I found myself reading it just so I could shelve it, not because it was so good that I couldn't put it down.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have loved Hester Fox's writing voice since she released The Witch of Willow Hall. This book did not disappoint me. I loved the Boston atmosphere and the atmospheric vibes. If you like gothic novels definitely give her a try.
Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
3.5ish stars, rounded up. This atmospheric historical fiction was a great book to read during a gloomy patch of days here, and wove a story about grave robbing and reanimation and mediums that was pretty intriguing. It was the kind of story that reads very visually- many moments played out in my mind very specifically thanks to the author's descriptions. It has a touch of romance in it, but not much, and it's a great new book by an author that's becoming auto-read for me.
3.5ish stars, rounded up. This atmospheric historical fiction was a great book to read during a gloomy patch of days here, and wove a story about grave robbing and reanimation and mediums that was pretty intriguing. It was the kind of story that reads very visually- many moments played out in my mind very specifically thanks to the author's descriptions. It has a touch of romance in it, but not much, and it's a great new book by an author that's becoming auto-read for me.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No