A gothic, spine-chilling murder mystery with a paranormal twist. This is a prequel/spin off to Twelve Bones, but you don’t need to have read the other books to enjoy this one.

Violet is a witch who dies during a fire and is brought back to life, only to find she can see ghosts. She sees the ghost of her friend, and crush, Edie who did die in the fire. As Violet investigates the circumstances surrounding the fire and who murdered Edie, she uncovers secrets that are going to shake the foundations of everything she knew, because Violet reads bones, and the bones are telling her someone close to her is behind Edie’s murder.

This is a sweet sapphic romance with a heart-wrenching ending and a need to know. It’s about friendships, family and betrayal, and it’s about learning to believe in yourself. It was fun and fast-paced and if you love Rosie Talbot’s other books, you will definitely love this. But be warned, it does end on a cliffhanger of sorts. The main storyline is tied up, but there are other things you will be desperate to know.

Starting my autumn/spooky season early and this gave all the eerie, witchy vibes.

Based off of York's known history of Witches, we follow Viola and her coven through the streets of ghouls and witches as Viola tries to figure out who tried to kill her and her friends in a fire, along with one of them who died and is now a ghost.

Great characters, fun plot, a lot of spooky moments and creepy ghosts. The sapphic romance was so sweet and also so emotional given the circumstances, and the ending hurt... Need to know what happens next!

I've visited York several times at Christmas and seen lines for the ghost and witch tours, so having real visuals in my mind of those cobbled streets and fascinating buildings brought this even more to life. Great book for any witch lovers and historical lovers.