A beautifully written and incredibly accomplished debut novel! I love the way this writer conjures atmosphere, leading the reader slowly into this web of darkness, secrets and revenge. A gorgeous slice of gothic literature, at times the villain’s cruelty had me speed-reading, but other times I slowed right down, lingering over the lovely phrasing and eeriness of the prose. That said, I hurried towards the end, desperate to know which of these characters would be the one to enact their long-overdue revenge. I found the ending very satisfying - balancing that line between historical realism and modern sensibility. I salute this author and look forward to her next book.

I was genuinely suprised by how much I love this book!
I know going into it that I would like it but after reading the first chapter I was hooked and couldn't put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This book had me gripped from the first chapter and did not seem to lose momentum at all throughout. If you love tragedy and drama, this is a perfect book for you.

It’s a fairly easy read (although there is a lot of heavy and violent content) and I felt that it was paced really well to really hold the interest. The tension was built really well and I loved the use of flashbacks to keep this going. I can’t say that the ending was entirely satisfying but it did feel entirely appropriate and probably the most realistic outcome.

The characters were well written and I felt very deeply for them, even at times when I maybe didn’t agree with their actions. I always understood and sympathised with them and I to me that’s a sign of great writing. The plot was super interesting and not something I can say I’ve read before, which is always nice. I spent the entire time wondering what was coming next and never able to guess what was going to happen. Overall, a great story.