I have to say I prefer "Silent Companions" to "Bone China".
The author did a fantastic job describing the gothic atmosphere like in all of her other books, but I personally also need to feel attached to the characters and this is where the book isn't entirely for me. I felt mostly detached from Hester and the others.

I love atmospheric or chilling tales and Bone China fits that description to a T. Laura Purcell uses a dual narrative, set 40 years apart – the former focusing on Hester Why a maid who is in disgrace and running from her difficult past and the latter on Louise Pinecroft, the daughter of a doctor who is trying to cure the disease of consumption. The setting is the harsh and unforgiving Morvoren house, perched on top of a cliff, where there is talk of malevolent fairies and other supernatural folk who wish humans harm. Throughout the course of the story, readers are taken on a tumultuous journey of wondering whether the strange events are human or something all together more sinister…

The gothic setting and writing is definitely the strongest element in this novel and it works wonderfully to create a truly atmospheric tale. Purcell writes two very different but equally intriguing leading ladies, Hester and Louise respectively. Hester is a complicated character, on the one hand you want to root for her and see her change her life around but on the other hand she has a disturbing and obsessive side to her personality which is her undoing. Louise is more of a conventionally likeable character, in her youth she was strong willed and determined, but due to a traumatic event she changes drastically in her old age and becomes superstitious and fearful. I enjoyed that we got to read each of their stories and really understand what makes them tick.

As well as having interesting main characters, the novel also works as an exploration of superstition and fear in the 18th Century. While it seems bizarre from a modern perspective, folk tales and the like were how people understood the world in a period of drastic change and upheaval, a metaphor for the problems of the time perhaps. The staff in the household of Morvoren all subscribe to the practices ranging from salt on the threshold of the doors, to carrying pages of the bible with them at all times to protect them from the faeries.

Despite these elements which I liked, there were some issues I had with the pacing at certain points of the novel as well as the ending which I felt was slightly disappointing. We spent all this time with these characters and the build up of tension and suspense and I didn’t feel like the payoff was all that satisfying. Not that an ending has to be satisfying to be good but I just wished there was something more there.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Bone China and it had really promising elements such as interesting characters and the gothic setting which I always enjoy. However there was just something which felt slightly disjointed to me regarding the pacing and ending and how it all plays out which stopped me from enjoying it fully. I would still recommend this for fans of gothic thrillers and atmospheric stories.

Review will be posted on my blog - 16/09/2019

This is a well-written book, and the ideas in it are interesting, but I never felt involved in this book, nor its characters. The author seemed to be trying to hard to create a "gothic" atmosphere, at the expense of creating characters the reader would really care about.

I hadn’t heard of the author, Laura Purcell before reading Bone China but I’d only read a few pages and I was already absorbed. I really liked her writing style; she captured me immediately and I wanted to know more about the woman on the mail coach, what she was doing and where she was going.

I particularly enjoyed the part where she was Ester Stevens, maid to Lady Rose in London and was sorry that this was only a short part of the book. I wanted more of this!

When Ester Stevens, now Miss Hester Why moves to Morvoren House in Cornwall, she is employed as a nurse and lady’s maid to Miss Pinecroft, an invalid who has palsy and who ‘appears far older than her sixty years’.

But the house just doesn’t feel right to Miss Why. Creeda, one of the maids, has a strong belief in faerie folk and many of the household believe in her tales. Whilst Miss Why does not believe, she cannot deny some of the strange occurrences.

Morvoren House was home to Dr Pinecroft, Miss Pinecroft‘s father. He moved there from Bristol with his daughter following the death of the rest of their family from consumption and arranged for a group of male prisoners from Bodmin Gaol to be transported to the caves beneath the house. There he would carry out experiments to try to find a cure for consumption.

I really enjoyed this book and particularly enjoyed Laura Purcell’s style of writing.

I rate this book 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks
With many thanks to the author Laura Purcell, NetGalley, publishers Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an independent review

Laura Purcell is a master of the brooding historical chiller- a mastery that only increases. With ‘Bone China,’ she tells a dual story. We have Hester Why, a disgraced ladies’ maid frightened by her own shadow and in the grip of an addiction to gin and laudanum, and Louise Pinecroft, doctor’s daughter, whose arrival at Morvoren House sees her grieving the loss of almost her entire family. Both women are proficient in putting forward an outward stoicism that belies their internal struggles, making them all the more susceptible to the supernatural elements that surround them.

In common with Michelle Paver’s ‘Wakenhyrst,’ also published this year, ‘Bone China’ is a multi-dimensional examination of superstition, loss and the disturbed mind. Hester rails against the notions that the household so vehemently believes in- that the house and the landscape are permeated by otherworldly brings capable of inhabiting the body and taking over the mind.

There are shocks- not least with the novel’s conclusion, which left me stunned- though they aren’t quite as breathtaking as with ‘The Silent Companions.’ If Purcell can combine ratcheting up the scares with her ability to immerse readers in a genuinely chilling landscape, she will join the success enjoyed by the Susan Hills of the ghostly world in no time.

I have enjoyed the authors previous books and was thrilled to get a ARC of ‘Bone China.’ Was I disappointed? Well that a tricky question there are definitely some parts of it that I enjoyed very much, getting sucked into a world of gothic wonder. However for me I found the story itself disjointed and a little lacking. I felt the book wasn’t a well thought out and plausible story, rather a series of ideas that the author attempted to mesh together using a ‘gothic’ formula. I never really cared about the characters and whilst the folklore context was interesting there was never enough to get me properly invested in the story.
I wouldn’t fail to recommend it as the book is undeniably well written, but the story itself just wasn’t for me I’m afraid.

Once again Laura Purcell has delivered an excellent read in Bone China. I love the way she entwines historical fiction with the supernatural. Fabulous characters, if a bit weird I absolutely loved this book.

This book felt a little disjointed to me. The three separate threads of the plot never really came together in a way that felt satisfying, and it didn't bring anything new or interesting to a largely overdone gothic formula. The historical context and folklore were well written and interesting, but that alone wasn't good enough to carry this novel for me. It just felt like there was something missing, and as such, it was a book that I just got through, rather than enjoyed. With so many similar books on the market, Bone China didn't do enough to set itself apart from the crowd. When it comes to recommending, there are other books with a similar premise and feel that have already done it better.

Laura Purcell is fast becoming one of my favourite authors as her books contain so many characters and themes that appeal to me. This book centres around the two main characters of Hester and Louise (Miss Pinecroft) and as well as following what happens when their paths cross when Hester takes up employment at Louise's house, we are also told their individual stories which led up to that moment in extended flashbacks. I really enjoyed this structure and found each thread of the narrative to be equally enjoyable. Laura Purcell is superb at creating dark, gothic and atmospheric settings which have an element of possible supernatural things going on. Her attention to historical detail is fantastic too and enabled me to feel fully immersed in the story. I also like the focus on strong, interesting, educated and well-developed female characters in Laura Purcell's books. They break the stereotype of nineteeth-century women by being imperfect, flawed, questioning and ambitious while still aware of the limitations their position in society imposes. My only critisicms of this book are, firstly, that it deals with so many big themes e.g. medical research, mental health and superstition, that it did not feel any of them really had enough time dedicated to them. Secondly, I was not a fan of the ending as it did not strike me as likely and felt contrived, however this did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hester Why has gained employment at Morvoren House in Cornwall. She is to be a ladies maid to Miss Pinecroft. Amongst the household is Creeda another employee, who tells stories and believes in the small people, fairies. Forty years earlier Miss Pinecroft assists her father in a cure for comsumption after losing family members to the disease.

I have loved both The Silent Companions and The Corset so couldn't wait to read Bone China. Like both prevoius books this offering is a gothic, supernatural, brooding tale.

Set in Cornwall the story has a Daphne du Maurier feel to it. The wild landscape and the sea are beautifully described giving a real sense of place.

The story follows Hester as she arrives at Morvoren and has flashbacks to how she has ended up there. This I enjoyed very much. I also loved the folklore and superstitions about the fairies which gave the story a sinister feel. The story also goes back to when Miss Pinecroft is assisting her father, so there is a lot going on in this book.

I didn't quite enjoy this book as much as the prevoius two, although it is very worthy of my four star rating. I just didn't seem to be as engossed in this story as much as the other two books and did find this one a little predictable. This won't deter me from future works by this author.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

Set in an isolated, clifftop house in Cornwall, Laura Purcell continues her run of eerie Victorian gothic.

Hester and Louise are both troubled women haunted by their pasts. When Hester is employed at Morvoran House she hopes to escape and start a new life caring for the paralysed and aging Louise. The story of their pasts emerges through different timelines and slowly reveals tragedy, loss, magic and superstitions.

The reader is left with so many questions at this end of this book. It's creepy, disturbing and filled with atmospheric detail and folklore. Perfect reading under a blanket on a cold night.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review

I loved Silent Companions and I think it was a refreshing, breathtaking book in horror fiction, which was atmospheric and amazing.
I wasn't too keen on The Corset, although the idea was excellent, I disliked the plot, and the ending.
Bone China, on the other hand, sits between these two books for me. Laura Purcell is definitely a great story teller. Her descriptions are amazing, taking you right in the middle of the historical era she writes in and you can see she has an immense imagination. What I didn't like in Bone China was the start- it took so long to open the story up and get warmed to the characters, but once I know where I was and who I was with, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend. I think I kind of made peace that Purcell likes to leave open endings, and I really adore that she creates this strong female heroine, giving the gothic horror a new refreshing face. We'd all had enough of Victorian Gentlemens in the end :)
I am looking to read from her again, she seems to be aiming a novel every year, but I also wonder how long it took to write Silent companions- which was the best gothic fiction ever!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an E-ARC copy of Bone China in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book. It started off really promising. The scene and atmosphere was set really well. It began with Hester Why on her journey and arrival at her new job at Morvoren House. It then took us back to her previous job and the reason why she left. Another part of the story then took us back 40 years or so to tell the story of the life of her new mistress. This was all very exciting and I enjoyed each section and couldn't wait to discover where this would all lead. Then it all kind of fell apart for me. I felt there was such a good build up but the ending felt unfinished with a lot of unanswered questions. This could have been so good, but in the end it was just very disappointing.

A gothic novel based in Cornwall about two women Louise and Hester.
This story is told in two timelines 40 years apart.
I found the story creepy and strange.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A really unusual book despite it’s very traditional start. Firstly I confess that I had no idea that bone china was made with actual bone. I now feel that I should have known this, as it is absolutely obvious. Not sure my morning cuppa will ever be the same.
The novel is set in Cornwall over two time frames, forty years apart. The link between the period and is well done. Both main characters Hester and Louise are feisty and strong women for their time and I was keen to know what happened to make their stories merge. I liked them both very much.
The star of the show is probably the big isolated house set on a cliff in Cornwall. It provides the perfect setting for the story that builds and ends in a very good reveal.
I recommend this if you like gothic historic novels and are open minded to fairies and folklore. I would certainly recommend it.

A richly gothic narrative drives the plot of this creepy mystery novel by Laura Purcell, author of 'The Silent Companions' and 'The Corset'.
The book's narrative is split into two distinct time frames which centre around Morvoren House - an isolated and exposed property set close to the sea. Initially, the story begins with the plight of a woman, Miss Hester Why, who is hastily fleeing on a coach to Cornwall; the weather is extreme and the travel riddle with anxiety and discomfort. She's instantly an intriguing character who has hidden secrets and who soon finds herself in another environment where all is not at ease; the wildness of the elements is a constant eerie threat and backdrop.
I love Purcell's writing style and the language is rich, emotive and sensory. It's also soon evident that Morvorven House is not the safe place she needs. There's a group of contrasting characters from the kind to the bizarre. I love the underlying threat of insecurity and menace that quickly builds. I also loved how Hester was clearly a flawed character and enjoyed the slow reveal of her past and how she became the troubled young woman we meet.
The other main narrative comes from the past and it's the story of a grieving medical doctor and his daughter, Louise Pinecroft. This was such a sorrowful story and I really enjoyed making connections to Hester's situation in Morvoren House and the historical detail of the revolutionary medical trials with prisoners in the bleak Cornish caves.
With themes of alcoholism, isolation, the fairy-world, drug dependency and grief driving the storytelling, this is a rich and sensory historical read with its roots in sorrow, angst and torment. Just my cup of tea!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury/Raven Books for the review copy.

When Hester Why takes up the position of nurse to wealthy Mrs Pinecroft, she believes she might actually have escaped the clutches of her recent past. A wretched mistake, a slip of the hand that could see her captured and cruelly punished. She has only just started running but if ever she stops hiding, her fate will be sealed. No amount of guilt or penitence can claim back her freedom or pay for what she has done.




Balanced on a rugged cliffside, sits Morvoren House, weather beaten and hammered into a grim shape by the cruel Cornish wind. Its inhabitants are welcoming enough, honest Cornish folk who toil away, content with their lot but they seem alien and strange to Hester after the etiquette and glamour of London society. In the beginning that is all that stands out about them. Over time, she notices more. They are superstitious, weary, governed by far-fetched beliefs and notions about changelings and the supernatural. They line salt in doorways and clutch bible-balls like talismans to ward off evil, rituals to deter anything from taking someone they love and leaving someone else in their place. And the lady of the house, is even worse.



Unhindered by their fears and woes, Hester goes about her work, caring for Mrs Pinecroft, an elderly woman who refuses to move, to speak, to sleep, constantly watching the china room for something Hester cannot see. Morvoren House is rotten, choked with secrets and superstition and a threat that Hester has not yet become aware of.





Divided into sections, Bone China alternates between past and present, unsettling the reader as tension builds for Hester and allowing a glimpse of how the house and its occupants came to be how they are, so broken and ravaged by memory and fear. I enjoyed both sections equally and thought they melded together beautifully, without jolting the reader and disrupting the flow. Tension and emotion are present from the very first page, picking up pace and growing as the story unravels. The way the author harnesses that unsettling, eerie intensity and creates that creeping apprehension is utterly remarkable.



As I'm from the county, I couldn't help but enjoy the fantastic depiction of old Kernow, some scenes redolent of another one of my favourite author's work, Daphne Du Maurier! Laura Purcell has created another corker, one that draws you in so completely it's impossible to escape. I absolutely love her books - can't get enough of them.

An historical thriller set in Cornwall. This is the first book by Laura Purcell that I have read. The story starts off slowly, gradually building up the tension and becoming more chilling. The more I read of it, the more I enjoyed it.
I liked the characters and, despite what other reviewers have said, I didn't find the narrative shifts a problem. The themes of secrets and obsessions were cleverly worked, and the ending was totally unexpected.

Set in Cornwall, this cleverly uses local stories about fairies to great effect. Hester Why, a servant with a severe alcohol problem and a mysterious past arrives at her new place of employment. She is to be responsible for taking care of Miss Pinecroft, who is partially paralyzed, partially mute and obsessed with her china collection. Hester is bewildered and concerned by the weird way the household runs, with the other servants trying to ‘protect’ the inhabitants from fairies with scattering salt, making weird potions and scrunching up pages of the Bible.

The story moves back to forty years before when Miss Pinecroft is young and her father is trying to cure consumption in a group of convicts by housing them in caves and treating them there. Miss Pinecroft has a new servant who has an obsession with fairies and pixies which she doesn’t understand.

I thought that Hester Why was a really well written character in the way she battles with her past, and I particularly liked the way she was described as feeling when she was previously employed. Miss Pinecroft is also interesting. I loved the layers of mystery created around the characters and the atmosphere of the book.I thought that the use of fairies as a threat was one that I haven’t seen in many books. I really enjoyed this and finished it quickly.

Bone China is a story that unfolds through three period narrations. The first: Hester Why arrives at her new charge's home, Morvoren House. The place is eerie and the people within are rife with strangeness, silence and supertition. Is everything as it seems?
The second: In London, Ester Stevens was a new lady’s maid to Lady Rose, which was going well, until Ester had to run away because of something terrible.
The third: Louise Pinecroft and her father arrive at their new residence, where they plan to conduct experiments on a group of convicts to try and find a cure for the unforgiving consumption.

I was really looking forward to this. I asked for an e-ARC off the back of reading Purcell's The Silent Companions, because I loved the gothic-horror atmosphere of it. I can't help but feel this book didn't live up to my expectations.

I do think Purcell is an excellent storyteller. Her style of writing invites readers to put up their feet, feel cosy and enjoy a story. It has an old air about it that sets the tone well.
I loved the setting of the Cornish coast;.the descriptions were brilliant - the waves, the wind, the gulls, the cold, the grey skies... they all worked so well, to create an unforgettable place I could see so vividly.

My favourite aspect of this was its characters. Without a doubt, Purcell manages to create complex characters that demand to be appreciated, regardless of their likability. Bone China is no exception, as the characters sent my brain wild with theories and my emotional compass in every direction. They provoke feelings of venom, suspicion, shock, sympathy and much more. All of the characters contributed to further illustrating the intrinsic and gothic atmosphere.

In saying that, there were issues with the book. I felt the timelines weren’t successfully intertwined to thread everything together to make sense. The timeline that detailed Miss Pinecroft as a young woman, was given far too much attention. I didn't enjoy these chapters, I'd go so far to say it felt like page-buffering and ultimately unnecessary. It was ineffectual in comparison to Miss Stevens' past timeline and the timeline when Miss Why arrived at Morvoren house.

As well, I wish this had been creepier. It feels untruthful to say that, because the exploration of the potential length superstition and emotion can take people, is in itself unnerving. But... it doesn't change that this wasn't the creepy I was after, especially having read The Silent Companions - which obviously isn't Bone China's fault. However, I also couldn't help but compare it to another novel I read earlier in 2019, that I felt pulled off the "is it eerie folklore or is it not?" mystery more exceptionally. This, of course, is a personal opinion.

I'd recommend Bone China to readers who love gothic atmospheres, complicated characters and the old tone of Purcell's writing style. If you're looking for a creepy and thrilling mystery, or expecting this to recapture the thrill and horror of Purcell's previous stuff, then this is probably going to disappoint you. If you want a creepy mystery/thriller based on ensnaring folklore, pick up Little Darlings by Melanie Golding.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-copy of this, in exchange for this honest review.