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Book Releases June

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is now June and I am going to share with you some of the book releases this month. As always, this list will not be an extensive one, it will be just a few of the books that I know are coming out this month. Also, I will give the release dates but they will be the UK release dates.

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden – 2nd June

With her country’s future and her own life at stake, an orphaned duchess must journey into a world of myth and there discover a power that may be her salvation—or her demise—in this enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight Trilogy and The Warm Hands of Ghosts.

Anne of Brittany was a child when her realm was invaded, her home besieged, and her royal father driven to his death.

Now her treasury is empty, her land occupied by her enemies, and she is ordered, under threat of renewed war, to become queen of her conquerors and marry the King of France.

This marriage means her country’s annexation. But Anne promised her father that Brittany would never be conquered.

Defiantly, she betroths herself in secret to France’s greatest enemy. But in a world where courts may spy on each other by magic, there is only one way to solemnize this illicit union.

Anne takes her court deep into a legendary forest, where the court diviners’ skill cannot reach. The world thinks they are only a hunting party, coursing after unicorns. But that is a lie, a trick, a feint. No one in living memory has seen a unicorn. All Anne wants is this secret wedding, which is her only hope of salvation.

But when against all hope a unicorn appears and a stranger out of legend stumbles from the trees and falls at her feet, Anne is plunged into a world of enchantment where a doomed sovereign might find the power to change her own and her country’s destiny—or be lost in the shadows forever.

This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint – 4th June

The epic, captivating tale of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who must reconcile her mind and heart when she is drawn against all odds to Ares, the god of war, from the internationally bestselling author of Ariadne and Hera.

From the moment Aphrodite emerges fully formed from the sea, she is devastatingly beautiful and imbued with ancient power. Driven by passion yet strategic in how she moves through the halls of Olympus and the earthly realm alike, the free-willed goddess wields unparalleled influence over every living being.

When fate brings her face to face with Ares, she bristles at this surly, hot-tempered warrior who’s seemingly her disliked by everyone and devoted to stirring up conflict. Yet these gods are no more immune to the dizzying highs and lows of love and loss than anyone else, and soon, they are irresistibly drawn to one another.

As their love affair spans mortal lifetimes, Aphrodite begins to question the gods’ games and her role in them. But there’s only so much room for fire and passion in Zeus’s kingdom. Before long, she must test her devotion to her own divine purpose—and to a love that can only lead to ruin.

Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver – 9th June

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver comes the second book in the devilishly steamy Seasons of Carnage trilogy where dark romantic comedy meets thrilling suspense—and where love is ripe for ruin.

It’s time to reap what you sow.

Cape Carnage is blooming with secrets, and they’re ready to harvest. But every time Nolan Rhodes digs one up, another grows in its place. Harper isn’t who he thought she was. Arthur might be more sinister than he first thought. And Sheriff Yates? The man is everywhere he turns. When true crime fanatics descend on the town looking for answers about the death of their leader, Nolan finds himself at the center of a search and rescue operation for missing people he knows are already dead. Cape Carnage teeters on the brink of chaos. And the harder Nolan tries to keep it together, the closer Harper comes to unraveling.

Harper Starling has risked everything to bury her trauma in Cape Carnage. But now that Nolan has unearthed her past, her whole life seems ready to break apart. And who can she trust? The enigmatic man she’s falling in love with? He came to kill her. The serial killer mentor she’s vowed to protect? He’s become an unpredictable menace. The woman in the mirror? She might be the most dangerous of all.

Loyalties are tested. Bonds are bent to a breaking point. And love? That might be the deadliest trap of all.

Harvest Season is a dark romance with mature themes. Please check content warnings at the beginning of the book.

Tropesick by Lauren Okie – 18th June

In this lush, slow-burning romance, two childhood neighbors, connected by a shared tragedy, unexpectedly reunite to ghostwrite a love story for a reclusive author. Spending the summer at her secluded Hamptons estate, they soon discover that dozens of classic romance tropes, including the ones they’re crafting on page, are mysteriously playing out in real life.

Katie Caruso is a completely normal twenty-five-year-old girl. At least, for the past eight years, she’s tried to be. She likes glitter and sequins and flirting with cute boys at New York City bars. She’s also a ghostwriter for Meredith Bradford, the bestselling romance novelist of all time. But then Tyler McNally walks back into Katie’s life, and that bedazzled facade crumbles at her platform-sneakered feet.

Katie and Tyler haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the overdose death of Katie’s older brother, a standout MLB pitching prospect. Tyler was her brother’s best friend, and Katie—naturally—was the girl next door. But now, Tyler is a sleeve-tattooed, Ivy League-educated aspiring literary fiction novelist, nine years sober . . . and Katie’s writing partner for the summer.

As genre conventions require, Katie and Tyler soon find themselves removed from Manhattan and instead writing their love story in “forced proximity” at Meredith’s isolated Southampton home. As the summer unfolds, the tropes Katie and Tyler have written into their novel begin to play out in their own lives. Call it destiny, fate, or magic It’s clear their love story is unfinished. This time, though, they’ll fight for their happy ending.

The Defence by Rob Rinder – 18th June

At MP-turned-wellness-guru Adrian Wells’s glitzy launch event for a bath salt that promises to reverse ageing, someone is about to turn up the heat. . .

As Adrian lowers himself into the architectural copper tub to showcase his miracle product in front of countless influencers, it soon becomes clear that something is amiss.

The bath salt has been poisoned. And now Adrian is dead. His long-suffering assistant Jules is the prime suspect.

Barrister Adam Green is tasked with Jules’s defence, and he quickly realises that there were many more people with a score to settle against Adrian.

Can Adam win the day, or is he in too deep?

The Raven at the Ash Door by K A Linde – 18th June

Can love survive an unbreakable curse?

Kierse McKenna’s magic is bound to a man she hates―one who has spent lifetimes fighting the man she loves.

To end this binding, Graves―her winter god, her monster―will stop at nothing. He discovers that the only hope of freeing Kierse is to locate a stone relic of legend, rumored to lift any curse.

The only problem? The stone has been missing for a century.

And the Oak King is on their trail.

Now Kierse is trapped at the heart of a centuries-long battle while the rest of the world comes unraveled. The Fae Killer is hunting. The peace with monsters is fracturing. And as the very rules of their myth start to shift, escaping the Oak King’s hold may demand more than stolen artifacts and clever heists.

For Kierse and Graves, it may mean risking the only thing they have left to lose.

Monthly TBRs

June TBR!

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well today. It is now June, which means it is time to talk about what I will be reading this month. I have noticed this year that I have been reading mainly mystery books and not much fantasy so I tried to make my TBR for this month a bit more fantasy heavy.

What are you planning on reading in June?

Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

Murder at the Palace by N R Daws

The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

Monthly Wrap Ups

May Wrap Up!

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a wonderful day. It is time to go over what I managed yo read in May.

May was definitely a busy month, I’ve had some health things going on and also I was finishing up my PhD thesis – which I have now sent in, so I should officially have my Doctorate very soon. Fingers crossed. In between all of this, I was enjoying my reading for this month. So far this year I have had amazing luck, most of the books I have got to I have loved or at least liked, there have been some disappointments and a few DNF’s but overall my reading is going well. I have noticed that although fantasy is my favourite genre, out of the nearly 60 books I have read so far this year, less then 10 have been fantasy. Which is a surprise.

How was your reading in May? Did you find any new favourite books?

First I will mention the books from my May TBR:

  • A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith – I did read this and I enjoyed it. This is the second book in the Gabriel Ward series, following Lawyer Gabriel Ward as he ends up tasked to solve different mysteries. Gabriel as a character is very endearing to follow. I am excited to continue this series when book three comes out.
  • It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh – I did read this. I was recommended it while I was in a bookshop browsing and I thought the premise sounded interesting, but this was actually my least favourite read this month. As the book goes on it becomes heavily political and I did not enjoy that.
  • Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price – I did read this. I am glad to finally have read the last book in the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series. In my opinion this was my least favourite of the trilogy but I still thought it was a nice read.
  • Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn-Fisher – I did read this. I bought this on a bit of a whim, I loved the cover and when I read the premise I was intrigued by the idea of a tea leaf reader. I will be sharing a full review of this later in the month but I loved this book.
  • The Corpse Played Dead by Georgina Clarke – I am currently reading this and I plan on finishing it today so this one also counts. This is the second book in the Death and the Harlot series.
  • The Beast of Littleton Woods by T E Kinsey – I did read this and that brings me up to date with the Lady Hardcastle series until the next one comes out.
  • Traitors Blade by Sebastien de Castell – I did read this also. I had been putting off starting this series because I loved his other books and I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy this one as much but I loved the travelling/adventuring style of this novel.

So, from my TBR I read all the books I had and outside my TBR I also read three nonfiction books (a surprise for me as I don’t read much nonfiction): The Waiting Game, The Five by Hallie Rubenhold and Life Inside by Linda Calvey. I also read: An Archive of Romance by Ava Reid, and The Ending Writes Itself. This means I read 12 books this month. My favourite was Tea and Alchemy and my least favourite was It’s Not What You Think.

Have you read any of these books, what did you think of them?

Book Reviews

Book Review: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. Today I am bringing you my review for Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands, the second in the Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies series by Heather Fawcett.

Blurb:

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby.

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers.

She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.

My Review:

When I read the first book in this series, I remember thinking it was pretty good, I enjoyed it and I wanted to continue the series, but I didn’t absolutely love it. This second book, I loved. We got a new adventure with Emily and Wendell and their growing relationship is definitely one of my favourite parts of this series. We got to see more of them being vulnerable in this book than we did in the first novel and I really enjoyed getting to see that, in book one Emily especially was very emotionally distant as a character and it was nice to see her soften slightly.
You also get two new, I’d say background characters, but they aren’t really background as they are a huge part of the plot. I liked both of the new characters, they were very complex and helped to drive points of the plot in interesting ways. Overall, I really loved this book and I consider it a new favourite. I am looking forward to getting to the final book in this series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C L Miller

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day. Today I am sharing my review for the Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C L Miller.

If you have read this book, let me know what you thought of it!

Blurb:

In this irresistible and thrilling debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her back in the dangerous world of tracking stolen artifacts.

What antique would you kill for?

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

My review:

This was an interesting book, it combined a lot of the traditional mystery elements that I and many other readers, enjoy, but took them in a new direction that I sort of liked. I liked this book enough to continue the series, my issue with it is that a month after reading it while writing this, I can’t remember much about it.
I had a real dislike while reading this book, of Aunt Carole. Anytime Freya had a problem or a boundary Carole treated it as insignificant and that gave me a bit of an ick to her character. I am hoping, with the way this book wrapped up, that she will be better in the rest of the series.
I enjoyed the mystery plot of this book, which I think is why I want to continue the series, this part was well developed and had a few unpredictable twists that I liked. One thing I did not like was that Freya constantly is described as being known for antiques and knowledgeable in that area but the proof of this is not consistent throughout the book, there are moments where the details are vague or brushed over so that they aren’t explained the way a character like that would. It’s just a small, but noticeable, problem.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Book Reviews

Book Review: Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf

Happy Monday Bookish people! I hope you are all well today.

Today I am bringing you my review of a recently published novel, Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf. I am not sure what genre this can fit into, I found it in the general fiction section but it has mystery elements, fantasy-ish elements. It’s a combination of genres.

Let me know your thoughts if you have read this book!

Blurb/Synopsis:

Within the walls of Winterbourne dwells a secret room, with an unspeakable collection of books.

Librarian Anne Adams has found the perfect a job cataloguing the library of Winterbourne, an architectural masterpiece on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland. Surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape, the library is magnificent, with priceless first editions, a librarian’s dream.

However, Anne’s early weeks in her new job are beset by obstacles – no internet, a house plunged into darkness every night and unexplained mysteries on the island. After weeks of isolation, upon meeting the mysterious owner Lucien Broussard, Anne is puzzled. Eloquent and well-travelled, his reclusive nature seems uncharacteristic. But after finding a cryptic clue within the pages of a book, Anne discovers that Broussard’s collection includes everything from the mundane to the books no one should ever open . . .

Get swept up in Elisabeth Wolf’s chilling and unpredictable mystery.

My review:

I was very excited to start this book because it had all the elements I enjoy. A grand house setting, a librarian protagonist to root for and a dark mystery that had a slightly gothic feeling to it. Honestly though, I am still confused about how I feel about this book. It started off well, you begin with a bit of background into Annie and what happened to her to send her to a job at Winterbourne and as a reader you do start to feel for her, you want her to take the job, to get away from everything in her personal life. You think Winterbourne will be her easy, fresh start. Then all these suspicious things start happening and you have to piece the mystery together. I think the blurb is a little misleading in how it describes this story, I can’t say why because it would be a big spoiler but I felt misled by it. The blurb also has the main plot twist written in it so it fell a bit flat when it was finally revealed, and it was revealed much too late in the book also. overall, it is a book that I am glad that I read and I did like, I think? But, I don’t think it is a book I would read again.

Rating: 3 out of 5.
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May Book Releases

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all well today. I am going to be sharing with you just a few of the books being released in May. Just a few things to say to start: first, the dates I give are the UK release dates that I can find and I do not show a full list of releases, I only share a few of the ones that I have heard a lot about or that I know about because I am interested in buying them.

Bloodbound by Ellis Hunter – 7th May

You duel or you die.

Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions, and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.

Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra’s capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.

As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.

Our Lady of Blades by Sebastien de Castell – 14th May

Blood Week may have been banned in Rijou, but the streets still run red – and now murder is being sanctioned by the courts. Only a reckless fool would believe they can beat the system. But then, the Greatcoats have always been more than a little reckless . . .

Rijou’s notorious Court of Blades is as corrupt as it is cutthroat, destroying lives with impunity. Now the city’s all-powerful Ascendant Houses have started buying and selling verdicts to enslave and even execute those who oppose them.

Into this depraved world of licensed death comes a mysterious duellist who dares to foil the intrigues of the city’s elite. They call her Lady Consequence, but years ago she had a different name, until her family was slaughtered and she was consigned to the hellish prison known as the House of Tears.

Lady Consequence means to rescue her idealistic younger brother, restore their House and wreak vengeance upon those who betrayed them. But a far more dangerous game is unfolding in the shadows, one which threatens the freedom of the entire nation.

The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A Parker – 19th May

“Moonbeam. A moonfall is coming.”

Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor—a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the world will face its most devastating moonfall yet, forcing her to pick a

Chase death.

Or life.

Desperate to save his kingdom from ruin, Kaan’s crown has never felt so heavy. His many larks to scattered friends and family remain unanswered, and time is running out.

As allies merge and enemies surge with bloodlusting agendas of their own, secrets brew hot enough to burn, but none so mighty as the truth nesting within the icy depths of Raeve’s long forgotten past.

Something … Other.

Something with the knowledge to change it all.

A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon – 21st May

Ever since she was a child, Salomé has been plagued by visions of spirits and dangerous powers she can’t control. After watching her foster mother burn as a witch, she and her beloved sister Rochelle are raised together in a convent, a grim and dreary existence. Until one day, Rochelle vanishes.

Determined to find a way to save her, Salomé runs: first to a brothel, and then, after a terrible accident, away from the village and into the woods. Deep amongst the trees of the wild Black Forest, she comes face-to-face with Lord Death.

Rather than taking her life, he brings her to his home at the heart of the woods, a strange manor full of locked rooms and mysterious corridors, crumbling one moment, magnificent the next. He promises to make her his apprentice and teach her how to harness her mind and magic. His words are as seductive as his presence—but should one trust Death?

A swirling mirage of dark fairy tale, gothic romance, and historical fantasy, A Dark and Wild Wood is a novel best devoured all at once. But proceed with caution, as everything is not what it seems…

Murder on the Rocks by T E Kinsey – 26th May

February 1913. Lady Hardcastle and her diminutive but mettlesome lady’s maid, Flo, have been invited by their friend JB McIntyre to spend the weekend at his recently renovated Tudor fort on a remote island off the Devonshire coast. But the holiday quickly turns sinister when first a number of valuable jewels go missing—and then a fellow guest is murdered with a most unusual weapon.

Asked by JB to investigate, the stakes are raised for the sleuthing duo when a violent storm traps the group on the island and cuts them off from help. Is the murderer in their midst? With everyone claiming to have an alibi—but each also having a skeleton in their closet—can Lady Hardcastle and Flo unravel this complex web of secrets and deception before the killer strikes again?

Monthly TBRs

May TBR!

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. It is May and that means it is time to talk about what books I hope to read this month.

What books are you all thinking of reading in May?

MAY TBR:

A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith

The Beast of Littleton Woods by T E Kinsey

Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell

Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price

It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh

The Corpse Played Dead by Georgina Clarke

Monthly Wrap Ups

April Wrap Up!

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. It is the first of May and that means it is time to share my wrap up for April.

How was your reading in the month of April? I personally read way more than I thought I would, I managed a reread while on a trip away and I found some new series to continue and some new favourite books.

I will start with the books that were on my April TBR:

  • Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf – I did read this. It was not at all what I thought it was going to be, I will be sharing my full review for this book on the 11th May
  • Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett – I did read this. This is absolutely one of my new favourite books and I will be sharing my full review on the 18th May
  • Pages and Co 6: The Last Bookwanderer by Anna James – the final book in the Pages and Co series, I did read this and I finally finished this series. For me, each book in this series got better. I enjoyed the first three books but I loved the final three books.
  • Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T A Willberg – I did start reading this book but I DNF’d it around 100 pages. It started going in a really strange direction that took it away from what the synopsis had described and that put me off the book completely.
  • The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C L Miller – I did read this and I will be sharing my review on the 15th May
  • The Key in the Lock – I did start reading this but unfortunately this was another DNF. I did not get along well with this story, the pacing, the writing and the story itself being a little boring were things that made it not very enjoyable.
  • Rotten to the Core by T E Kinsey – I did read this and I love the Lady Hardcastle series.
  • Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry – I did not read this. This is the fourth book in the series and there were some things that happened in the third book that I didn’t like so much, especially with the way the synopsis suggested they play out in this book so I am putting it off for a little bit longer.
  • Blackthorn – I did not read this. I still want to but I haven’t been seeing the best things from others who are reading it. If you have read it and loved it then let me know!

From my TBR I managed to read: 7 books which is great on its own but I also managed to read books that were not in my TBR: The Carnival Murders by Irina Shapiro, A Fire at the Exhibition and An Assassination on the Agenda by T E Kinsey, The Enchanted Wood and the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and I reread Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Mnaicalco. This means I managed to read 13 books in April.

Book Reviews

Book Review: A Grave Inheritance by Felicity Epps

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you my book review for the book A Grave Inheritance by Felicity Epps. Have any of you read this book? If you have, let me know what you thought of it.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A Waterstones YA Book of the Month! Perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Laura Wood.

Mysterious deaths in the family. A young woman left to inherit a fortune. Was it ghostly intervention… or murder? The Society of Free Spirits invites you to investigate, in this YA crime series with a supernatural twist.

After her father and older sister both die suddenly, Dolores is left with the family’s inheritance, and a large house she’s sure is haunted. Teaming up with her occult-obsessed neighbour, Ada, and the mysterious spiritual medium, Violet, the three girls plan to dispel the bad spirits from Dolores’ home.

But when Dolores uncovers a clue that suggests her sister Edith’s death wasn’t due to natural causes, what starts as an investigation into ghostly apparitions develops into the unravelling of something far more sinister. . .

Ghosts. Murder. The patriarchy. One should never underestimate what a trio of free-spirited young women can handle.

My Review: 4.5 stars

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Now, this book. This book was brilliant. It is listed as YA, which I guess fits with the age of the characters within the book – the main group of girls anyway – but it does not feel like YA. The writing is mature and gripping.
I was hooked as soon as I saw the description for this book, murder, possible ghosts, seances. Yes, that is just the type of thing I like. I have developed a great love for books that have a gothic tone to them and this book provides that from the very first line.
In this book you follow Delilah. As a main character she is interesting. At the beginning, as in the first few chapters, you wonder why she is the focus of the novel as she seems to be struggling and it is hard to see how she gets herself into a position to lead the story, but that was the great thing about this book. As a reader we get to watch as Dolores takes back her life and the strength she musters. You also get to see her developing relationships outside her natural set up – a little bit of a found family element which I loved.
This was my favourite book that I read in March and I would honestly recommend it to everyone.