A review by pennyjarbooks
The Nightingale's Castle by Sonia Velton

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was not what I expected.  It was a new take on the character Countess Elizabeth of Bathory, historically notorious for her horrible torture of young women in Hungary during the 17th century. The book really isn't about her at all.  Following the life of one young girl the novel explores one possible story among thousands of what may have really been true at the time. While The Nightingale's Castle is clearly historical fiction, it's truly told through a lens of feminism in it's best form.  The reader gets to experience a taste of womanhood in that time across many social classes, which I found to be really intriguing.  The author's reimagining of the events within the folklore is full of magic and drama, and yet it still feels very real, and entirely plausible.  It isn't a happy book by any means, but I did leave it with a sense of peace at the outcome and there is a small twist I won't spoil that was pretty sweet at the end.  I went into the novel not expecting to love it, and expecting something gruesome.  Instead it was colorful, interesting, without the gore I had expected and with characters I really cared about.  I am giving it 5 stars because it's so well written, has a great plot, the characters have real depth, and I just generally enjoyed it!