Review Detail

Haunting dark Gothic fantasy filled with ghosts, secrets, and Gods. This novel takes place twelve years after HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS. Seventeen-year-old Verity longs to leave Highmoor, the haunted manor where many of her family had died. Then she gets a commission to paint the portrait of Alexander Laurent. She leaves over the objections of her older sister Camille only to find that no matter where she goes, secrets follow.

Beautifully written, this is the younger sister Verity's story. Even though it's twelve years in the future, there are mentions of what happened to her sisters, father, and stepmother in Highmoor. Verity has her own secret, one she fears if anyone besides her sister finds out about will land her in a madhouse. The paranormal aspect of her 'curse' is one that she can't tell if a ghost is a real person or not.

I loved the lush descriptions of the estate Chauntilalie and the flora the Duke experiments with. Not all is pretty though. Secrets cloud the truth behind what really goes on behind locked doors. Add to that Verity not knowing if the people she encounters on the estate are in fact real or ghosts. When Verity can't sleep, she travels through the darkened corridors of the estate only to encounter the Duke and his so-called remedies. Behind each door are creepy mysteries. Some more chilling than the next.

I found myself totally captivated by this Gothic tale. The descriptions, characters, and pacing kept me hooked. There were wicked twists and turns and the final reveal took me off guard.

Atmospheric Gothic thriller with a dream-like appeal is a satisfying conclusion to the first book.