In 19th century Great Britain folklore was popular especially with the working class. Everyone would gather together to listen and swap stories. Each part of the country had variant stories and the task of collecting such stories were down to a small select few called folklorist.
Audrey Hart grew up listening to these stories. Unhappy with her life in London, she jumped at the chance to go to the Isle of Skye and help collect the traditional stories. As Audrey starts to collect the stories, she hears about the missing girls and when one turns up dead, she wants to find out whether it is the faerie folk or a resident of the Isle.
Lately I have read quite a few historical fiction, one thing they all had in common was the thriller element and this one was no different. However the addition of the folklore made the story more fascinating. Audrey was not your typical woman of that time, single, headstrong and ambitious. Travelling by herself to the Isle of Skye was brave.
Reading this story you can see that it was well researched not just the historical element but the folklore as well. The descriptive style of the author’s writers made the scenes come alive and it felt that you were there watching the mist roll in, whilst the mystery unfolded. The story never seemed to slow down as there was always something going on, whether it was Audrey walking around the countryside collecting stories, or her trying to fight for the girls. Whilst I had an inkling of the culprit, the reasoning surprised me. Whether you are a lover of historical fiction or are fascinated with folklore you will be in for a magical read.

I am all too aware of how powerful a location or setting in a book can be which is partly why I chose to read this. I frequently visit both the Inner (Skye) and Outer (Harris & Lewis) Hebrides and love the sparseness of the landscape, the people, and the beautiful beaches that could easily pass as those from an exotic tropical island. I was drawn to this not just because I know the Island extremely well but also due to the fact that I knew that some of the descriptions of the area should be magical and wanted Mazzola to transport me back there. I was lured in by the promise of stories namely myths and legends of which I am a huge fan. Put those together and you have a near perfect book for me. And I haven't even mentioned the murder mystery aspect of it yet!

It's 1857 and Audrey Hart has travelled to the Isle of Skye to collect the folktales of the crofting community. Not long after arriving from London she discovers the body of a young girl that has been washed up on the beach and the crofters then inform her that the girl had not been the first to go missing. They believed that the "Sluaigh" had taken them but Audrey struggles to go along with that and decides to investigate for herself. Who could be responsible for such dastardly crimes on the tiny island? Could there be any link to what happened to Audrey's mother many years before?

It is evident from "The Story Keeper" that folklore can both unite and divide. When Audrey first arrives on Skye the crofters and the wider community were wary of her fuelled by the fear and paranoia that the stories created in them. However, once they begin to trust and open up to her things go from strength-to-strength. This is a meticulously researched tale that certainly comes across as authentic and magestic. Mazzola's prose is magnificent and brings the scenery to life. I loved that there were many layers to this novel and it could be said to have the characteristics of a few different genres. The characterisation was excellent, I especially appreciated the strong female lead in Audrey. She is an independent woman who has no qualms about moving from her "hometown" of London to the Western Isles, something I can't imagine a lot of women doing in the 19th century.

All in all, this was as amazing as I thought it would be and, as I predicted, the scenic descriptions were my favourite part. I know that the next time I am over there for a holiday I will be asking about the folklore of the island and will also be on the lookout for a book where all of the different tales are compiled. I could've done with Audrey's collection to mull over! I have no hesitation in recommending this beautiful book to everyone but I can imagine it particularly appealing to those who like historical fiction, folklore, myths and legends, and a mystery with a strong sense of time and place.

Many thanks to Headline/Tinder Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The story keeper by Anna mazzola
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. There were some characters I didn't like.
Audrey Hart is on the Isle of Skye to collect the word-of-mouth folk tales of the people and communities around her..
Why did Isbell die?
Why won't miss Buchanan leave her home?
Dr Mcgivray Alec. Who is it? Making girls disappeare?
Why do some speak in gaelic?
I really hated Samuel after the threatening letter he wrote Audrey.
Why were they setting Mairi up as a theif?
Will constable Norris find out the truth?
Her father Dr Edwin Hart wants Audrey to come home.
I didn't see that coming. I had someone in my mind who was making girls disappear. 5*.

The year is 1857 and a shy girl Audrey travels from her home in London to the Isle of Skye to work for the aged Miss Buchanan, a folklorist who is trying to capture the traditional tales before they disappear from the fabric of life.

The journey needless to say is arduous and we soon learn that Audrey is as much running away from something as she is running towards a new opportunity. On the boat over to the island she meets another young girl who is ill unnerving Audrey further still.

This is a beautifully written story but despite that the subject matter was not as appealing to me as the author’s previous book The Unseeing which I adored. I struggle with books featuring the supernatural and this book has confirmed that the stories passed from person to person in the oral form, however interesting simply lose their power because I couldn’t quite transport myself to a time and place where the superstitions they generated were seriously believed.

Once she was in her place of work, both physically and ordered about by those who she had to live and work for, Audrey got caught up in the local stories, when they were revealed to her. Storytelling being stamped out by the clergy who thought it interfered with their fire and brimstone sermons. And then a girl is killed and a strange spirit is blamed for her death. Audrey is understandably spooked the girl having washed up on the beach under her window.

In a separate strand of the story we find out that Audrey knows her mother spent time on the island as a young woman, it was from her that Audrey learned to speak Gallic and to love the folktales, although I’m not sure who would think it necessary to tell the brutal stories to innocent ears, these were different times! But Audrey’s mother died on one of the Scottish Isles and her father has refused to discuss the details with her.
In short we have superstitions, folklore and secrets and it seems as though everyone is determined to hide things from Audrey; the crofters don’t trust her with their stories, the woman who employed her and her nephew are oblique in their dealings with her and her father point-blank shuts her out of his life. With so few people talking the book frustrated me in the lack of forward movement which I’m afraid to say contributed to the disconnect I felt between the mysteries on the pages.

The author’s beautiful way with words came to the fore when describing the islands and recounting the history of the clearances of the crofters. These elements provided me with a deeper understanding of the life the men and women who lived on the Isles at this time lived. It was a poor life, the harshness heaped onto the challenges of the weather and the poverty by heartless landowners. The clergy and the gentry seeming to join forces to decimate a way of life that had been followed for years. We often forget that we can go back far further than recent history to find examples of careless disregard for other’s way of life.

I’d like to thank the publisher Headline for allowing me to read a copy of The Story Keeper ahead of publication on Thursday 26 July 2018.

What a fabulous book! This is a great eerie mystery set on the Isle of Skye in 1857, an island idevastated at that time by the Highland Clearances. It’s a world full of superstition and fairy stories. Audrey Hart jumps at the chance to travel to Skye, the place where she used to holiday with her mother, when she is invited there to collect folk tales. However, it’s not long before a body of a young girl is found washed up on the beach and then Audrey discovers that another girl went missing a short while previously. She starts to wonder if these occurrences could be linked to her mother’s death.

This is a beautifully written, imaginative and atmospheric story with an overtone of menace throughout. The crofters’ fascinating folk tales just add so much to the feeling of doom and uneasiness. I can quite understand how they would think that the tales would make sense of a world which must have appeared so bleak sometimes. The descriptions of Skye are so very vivid and dramatic, such a fantastic, moody setting! Plenty of twists and turns in this intriguing and well paced mystery, too, with a cast of complex and interesting characters.

The Story Keeper is very much a page turner. I couldn’t put it down. I loved it! Can you tell? 😁

Historical fiction with a hint of Gothic thriller and a touch of the paranormal, this book seemed right up my alley, and I was not disappointed. Set on the Isle of Skye, The Story Keeper is about a young woman, Audrey, who flees her overbearing father and heads north , where she finds work as an assistant to a folklorist. Drawn to the island , not just because of the job, but because it is the site of her mother's mysterious death when she was a young child, she seeks to continue her mother's work of collecting the local tales of fairies and wee folk, which have been passed on by word of mouth for generations but are now in danger of dying out, threatened by the decline in Gaelic and mass emigration, as well as disapproval from the church. Audrey soon finds out that the stories are not the only things vanishing, young women have been disappearing , and her tragic discovery of a body on the shore suggests that something more sinister than emigration may be to blame.
A clever blend of genres, with a powerful and compelling heroine in Audrey and a real sense of authenticity helped along by the smattering of Gaelic used throughout the book , this was a really enjoyable read . The author does a great job of creating tension throughout the book with the pacing, but also, and most effectively by highlighting the sense of loneliness and isolation Audrey feels, not just because of being on a remote island, but also because of her lack of acceptance from the local crofters. I also really liked the fable like fairy tale woven throughout the narrative, it added a nice extra dimension to the book . The book is set in 1857 , at the peak of the Victorian era, and the attitudes to, and roles of women at that time are compassionately and compellingly dealt with in the book, something that I really appreciated.
I read and reviewed and ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are entirely my own,

I loved The Story Keeper as much as I loved Anna Mazzola's first book, The Unseeing. The Story Keeper is beautifully written weaving a mystery around Scottish folklore on the Isle of Skye in 1857.

When Audrey Hart runs away from her London home she wants to find out the truth about her mother's death when Audrey was a small child and they lived on Skye. Now she accepts a job working for a folklorist but when a young girl's body is washed ashore and other girls go missing Audrey suspects foul play is being covered up under the guise of the Slaugh spiriting the girls away. The islanders superstition holds back both Audrey's work in writing down the stories that have been passed down the generations as well as discovering who is behind the mystery of the disappearing girls.

Anna Mazzola takes the reader into the landscape so well while her main character is a strong willed young woman we want to see succeed in her endeavour of justice for the girls as well as learning what happened to her mother.

The Story Keeper will certainly be one of my books of the year. I highly recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review the book.

Inspired by The West Ham Vanishings, a true event that took place in Victorian England, The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola is a wonderfully atmospheric novel that combines superstition and folklore with a nicely crafted mystery.

Set in 1857, Londoner Audrey Hart accepts a job collecting stories for folklorist Miss Buchanan on the Scottish island of Skye. While there, Audrey discovers the body of a young girl washed ashore and later learns she isn't the first to have gone missing. Locals believe the girls were victims of Sluagh but Audrey isn't convinced, believing something more sinister - at the hands of a human - to be taking place. But who could be responsible? And could there be a link between what's happening in the present and the death of her own mother several years prior?

Initally the crofters are reluctant to talk, fearing that if they share their stories with Audrey, the fae will punish them. These aren't the magical beings of the fairy-tales that we know and love today; they're the creatures of nightmares that lurk in shadows and with superstition rife, the islanders blame every single odd or inexplicable event on the fae. With gentle probing and careful handling, though, Audrey slowly gains their trust and in doing so begins to slot pieces of the jigsaw together.

While folklore can fuel fear, paranoia and mistrust, it can also aid bonding and add to a sense of community, and both are apparent in Mazzola's meticulously researched novel. The author's beautiful prose and atmospheric writing is immensely enjoyable; her descriptions of the scenery help set the mood for the novel and the character development is second to none. Audrey is strong-willed, yet kind and compassionate, defying convention in attempting to forge a career for herself outside the expectations for a woman of her standing in society. Supporting characters, such as those of Mairi and Miss Buchanan are also well-rounded and have authentic voices given the period the novel's set in.

The Story Keeper's the first novel I've read by Anna Mazzola but it definitely won't be the last.

Note: Many thanks to the author, Headline and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

The Story Keeper is a story about folk lore tales of old and the keepers and collectors of these stories. Audrey is a young woman who leaves London and her controlling father in 1857 to travel to an island off the coast of Scotland to take up a position in the Buchanan household to assist Lady Buchanan, the elderly sister of the current Lord Buchanan, in recording the stories of lore from the residing villagers before they are lost forever. The disappearance of two young girls on the island causes the villagers to believe the "Sluaigh" have taken them. Audrey is not convinced.

This is a good book, although I did find it slow moving. The descriptions of the environment were very good and I got a good sense of the unforgiving nature of the landscape and inclement weather of the island. I liked Audrey's character and thought her an independent, fearless young woman who knows her own mind. The whole story came together well in the end and wasn't at all what I was expecting. All in all, a good read.

Audrey arrives on Skye in 1857 to help an elderly lady collect the local folk stories. This is a harsh & cruel environment. The recent clearances are fresh in people's minds whilst they seek to scrabble a pitiful survival on barren land. The local folk tales are harsh with fairies of the more traditional malicious sort rather than the storybook fairies they have become today. A girl goes missing, another is found drowned. Is this the work of the fairies or a more solid perpetrator?

I found this book rather dull. That is until the ending which was interesting and inventive. Audrey Hart is a very irritating character. She says and does things at the drop of a hat and I often thought she caused more problems than she solved! She has little character and is quite poor with people - both the locals and the wealthier in whose home she lives. She does have some fire in her belly but she is very ineffectual at using it.

I struggled with some continuity issues in this book. The biggest issue was how the distances on the island changed from one day to the next. A village which was several hours walk away becomes more accessible and people can be there and back to in a morning. The nearest village is 3 miles walk away yet at times the impression is given that it could be popped to like a corner shop and at others it takes a long walk. A diary which was taken to the library is mentioned in the next paragraph as being in an upstairs desk. A lost ring reappears on a finger with no explanation. These may be little things but they did irritate me throughout the book and shows signs that this was not as well proof read or edited as it could have been.

The ending of the book was good and it did tie up the major loose ends. It is unfortunate that the author didn't weave more clues as to the ending throughout the book as this would have made it more interesting to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Thanks Headline and netgalley for this ARC.

Anna Mazzola gives us a true gothic thriller with The Story Keeper. I felt the creepy crawlies up my arms and down my spine a few times while reading this novel. Loved learning about the folk tales tradition also.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I absolutely loved this book and is not anything like the normal books I read. It had everything in it.

This book is set in wonderful magical Skye. Audrey Hart replies to an advertisement looking for someone to gather stories on Skye. At first people are reluctant to tell her anything saying that the fairies will punish them. As Audrey is talking to people she discovers that young girls have been going missing. Audrey thinks they have been abducted and is determined to find out what has happened to them. This is a brilliant book. It is historical fiction which turns from story collecting and the Islanders beliefs to murder and abduction. It is really well put together and a fascinating read. Skye is the perfect setting. It has amazing scenery and would have been very remote in 1857 which adds to the atmosphere of the book.

Plunged into a journey across the dark emerald waters between Kyleakin and Skye of 1857 to the manor of Lanerly, the reader is transported to a Romantic Scotland, to Audrey's rogue adventure to be a folklorist's assistant, and to the unravelling of Audrey's own mystery about her mother.
After a less than warm welcome from Miss Buchanan the folklorist, Audrey is keen to prove herself worthy of the task ahead. With no warm family home to return to in London she is motivated by not only her mother's stories but by her fragile situation.
However, the local crofters are not keen to give up their stories to an outsider and the church is preaching for them to give up their tales of kelpies, sluagh and faeries or be damned. So how is Audrey going to complete her task?
Anna has brought an eclectic mix of characters to life, breathing prejudice and perniciousness into their damp and weary bones. The suspecting and quizzical crofters have lost their land and are on the verge of losing their homes, and our author brings this sense of caution to the otherworldly existence on the remote Isle of Skye. Audrey seems solid where Isbeil seems esoteric, Charlotte Buchanan pale where Alec is illuminated with rich colour. There are secrets of course. Why has Audrey risked everything to become a folklorist? Why is Alec holding on to his home instead of following his dream wholeheartedly? Why has Murdo claimed to not have any children? Why are the girls disappearing?
This story is more than compelling. I was loathe to devour it in one sitting - but it was hard not to, so wrapped up in Audrey, Mairi, Isbeil and the ethereal Charlotte Buchanan it was easy to be.
I am highly recommending this book - Anna has given us a second novel even more pleasing than her first which sits proudly on my bookshelf, as will this. Available to pre-order at Amazon.

History, Mystery and Folklore. An incredible combination, and a winning one for Anna Mazzola.
A woman who dares to be different, despite her upbringing, and the ideals of society give a strong, likeable, feminist character. Audrey Hart, who travels to take on a job gathering folk tales from a community who are unwilling or unable to share them for fear of retribution form the Fae or the church. Amid all this is more mystery and missing girls.
A layered story with multiple themes/genres that doesn't get confused or heavy, but draws you in wanting to know more. Each of the themes; historical, folklore, mystery, feminism, are so entwined as one story and so well fleshed that The Story Keeper is a dark, beautiful, and intriguing read.

Folklore is a way of passing on the stories of a people and their culture. It is also a way of passing on mythology and fairy-tales to the next generations. Folklore fuels fear, paranoia and mistrust, but it can also be conducive to bonding, feeling safe and a sense of community, especially on an isolated island.

Audrey has taken a job on the remote island of Skye in order to connect with her past and escape from the present. She has been employed to collect the stories of the islanders, the tales of the fae folk. The stories that can compel people to set fire to young girls or bury babies alive, in order to keep the fae happy.

They aren’t the cute tiny magical beings of fairy tales changed to be more kid friendly, they are the creatures of nightmares and shadows of daymares. This is what the islanders believe, and also the reason every single possible crime and odd event is automatically blamed on the fae.

When young girls start going missing and one of them turns up dead the rumours are clear, the fae have reason to be displeased and are taking the girls. Audrey thinks there is a more human element to the situation, but is distracted and blocked at every turn of her attempt to gain clarity. It isn’t long before the fae start to show her the error of her ways.

I really enjoyed the way the author hid a crime story in the middle of this tale of folklore, magic and paranoia. Mazzola hits the nail on the head when it comes to the seclusion of the population and the almost hermit-like behaviour of the majority of the population. She doesn’t neglect the reasons for the hunger, despair and cruelty, which drives many of them into an early grave or on to supposedly greener pastures.

Mazzola gives the reader a combination of an old school classic vibe with a contemporary feel to it. A sort of Jane Eyre meets Christie, and a wee gothic atmosphere mixed in to boot.

I've been a fan of Anna Mazzola's since I read and reviewed The Unseeing, so I was desperate to get my hands on her second novel. The Story Keeper is just as riveting, just as deep and dark and thrilling, as her debut.

The Story Keeper is not just a historical fiction, set in the 1800s on the Isle of Skye, but it is also a book with timeless themes weaved within it. Strong feminist themes, such as the idea that women who are different are also dangerous, witches even, or that men in positions of power can (and do) get away with abuse. How sad that this is still true today.

Audrey is an excellently crafted character. She is bold, not only to leave her home and travel alone to Scotland for work, but also for attempting to do the right thing by reporting the man back in London who was taking advantage of the young girls at the orphanage. She is brave for believing them, and for trying. Audrey defies convention by attempting to carve out a career for herself, one she enjoys, and one that is outside of the expectations for a woman of her standing. Audrey is living for herself, and attempting to make her own way.

Miss Buchanan is also a strong character. She, too, defied convention by locking herself away, at first in shame after an accident left her in constant pain and having to use a stick to walk, and then later, when she shut her ears to the rumours about her, and continued to live her life as best she could.

The twist is a good one, and one I wasn't expecting until just before the moment was upon me. I loved reading about the fairy tales and folklore, and the customs of the local people.

The Story Keeper is an absolute cracker. Mazzola has done it again.

When I started this book I was wondering was it all a bit airy fairy but half way through I was gripped, it turned out to be a murder mystery, unlike anything I've read before and I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend

Sluagh, boobrie, Cailleach, selkies, sprites, brownies, fairies, each-uisge, changeling - whether or not you are familiar with these terms, The Story Keeper is a must read historical fiction for any folklore enthusiast who are interested in Scottish Highlands myths, legends and folklore. Set in 1857, Audrey Hart, a Londoner, accepted a job offer to collect folklore stories for Miss Buchanan, a lady folklorist, at the Isle of Skye. During her stay there, Audrey found a body of young girl washed ashore, and later discovered that there were other girls who went missing without a trace. The local believes that they were victims of Sluagh but Audrey thinks otherwise. Could there be something else more sinister going on?

The premise of the story is intriguing as it was inspired by a true historical event, The West Ham Vanishings in the 1880s. But the author brought us into her part of the world, giving us the version of her story which I find is truly creative and engaging. Compared to her debut novel, The Unseeing, the story this time is somewhat of a slow burn, gradually becoming more interesting as layers of mysteries are unfold. Yes, The Story Keeper is multilayered mystery novel and that makes it much more interesting.

Mazzola's storytelling talent is exhibited through the beautiful prose and her atmospheric writing which I enjoyed immensely. Her descriptions of the places and scenery were incredible and set the right mood and background for this story. The flow of the story is smooth rendering it such a delightful read. She is one talented writer!

Characters are quite well developed and were carefully delineated throughout the story. I appreciate this as it builds a deeper connection with the characters. It leaves you wanting to know more about them as they grow on you. I personally find Audrey's character is endearing. She is a strong-willed woman yet kind and compassionate too. I also enjoyed other supporting characters, especially Mairi. She is likeable and naive!

In a nutshell, The Story Keeper is a beautifully written and a well-researched book that will leave you wanting more. A haunting read that will lingers in your mind and makes you wonder of how sometimes our lives choices are shaped by our beliefs even if they do not make sense to the rest of the world.

My favourite quote:- "Every group of people have their own stories that they create to make sense of their world. Therefore, in folk stories, in fairy tales, we see the reflection of humankind: its strength, flaws, hopes, fears. They tell us what it takes to survive."

***Sincere gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author or any third party.***