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thebooktrail
, June 26, 2016
(view all comments by thebooktrail)
I love sweeping sagas and especially ones set in old castles. This is the first in a trilogy so don’t go into it expecting there to be lots of loose ends tied up, as they’re not. But this is drama that weaves and moves slowly as it draws you into the magic of a gothic castle with more cracks and tensions that you would care to shake a drawbridge at.
The story of the castle, its curse...yes a curse, and its ghosts with their hidden secrets is wonderfully atmospheric. It’s told by three different women - two from the upper classes, the Deverill’s themselves and one, a maid at the castle.
There’s so much to this novel. The rich detail and sumptuous setting catch your eye on every page, but it’s the way that the story of Ireland, its history, its people and its political divides as well as class divides are woven together that really captured my attention.
I’m now calling Santa the Rumpelstiltskin of the literature world for her weaving abilities. At the end you do indeed have a historical tale which shines.
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