You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A proper good romp of mysterious gothic historical fiction. Loved it all the way to the twisty end!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a book after my own heart: it's set in 18th century England, focuses on fortune-telling and is a family saga. It was such a rollercoaster and a page-turner, I read the last 200 pages in one day, which hadn't happened in such a long time. I adored this book so much and I'm already looking forward to rereading it so I can pick up more clues next time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault
Disappointing.
Made me wonder if there is a general rule about how many characters an author can introduce effectively. Because there should be, and whatever it is, Shepherd-Robinson exceeded that number by about page 75. I had to dog ear the page with the De Lacy family tree because I kept having to turn back to it (why wasn't it in the front of the book???). My apologies to the Albuquerque Public Library.
And of course it isn't just the number of characters, it is that they are insufficiently memorable. Which is linked to the fact that the plot is overly complicated (and I love a complicated plot!). But, come on, one codicil is enough complication for an 18th century estate plan.
In the end I just forced myself to finish because I wanted a resolution to the initial mystery -- the story of Red's parents. I love a plucky heroine, a beneficent guardian, a historical setting, and some cartomancy thrown in -- so there were things I enjoyed.
Note to the editors at Atria Books -- editing can really improve your end product!
Made me wonder if there is a general rule about how many characters an author can introduce effectively. Because there should be, and whatever it is, Shepherd-Robinson exceeded that number by about page 75. I had to dog ear the page with the De Lacy family tree because I kept having to turn back to it (why wasn't it in the front of the book???). My apologies to the Albuquerque Public Library.
And of course it isn't just the number of characters, it is that they are insufficiently memorable. Which is linked to the fact that the plot is overly complicated (and I love a complicated plot!). But, come on, one codicil is enough complication for an 18th century estate plan.
In the end I just forced myself to finish because I wanted a resolution to the initial mystery -- the story of Red's parents. I love a plucky heroine, a beneficent guardian, a historical setting, and some cartomancy thrown in -- so there were things I enjoyed.
Note to the editors at Atria Books -- editing can really improve your end product!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hoax within a hoax, carefully crafted plot twists, tied up with plenty of fortune telling foreshadowing. i only guessed one major plot twist out of all of them, which i really enjoyed. this book was not predictable at all. a good mix of fantasy, mystery, “historical” fiction all in one. i’ll be thinking of this one for a long time!
2 hrs in and it’s not holding my attention, time to move on
slow-paced
This booooook!!! uuuughhhh I loved it so much I wish i could give it a billion stars. I didn't want it to end. It was so charming and enchanting, i just wanted to sink into 1700 london and never leave. I was entertained and shocked till the very end. For sure one of my favorite books read. ❤️
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes