Summer escapism at its best
This is an engrossing story of a young girl, Mabel, who longs to belong to a world she believes is a better one. She wants to fit into this world and become a part of a privileged family but of course all is not as it seems. Cracks in the “perfect” family begin to show as Mabel searches for their dark hidden secrets.
That description may seem to fit hundreds of other books written over the years. However, I think this book goes a little above the standard family secrets gothic tale. It’s very well written and really pulled me into the story. The chapters are fairly short with a lot of cliff hangers that will keep you turning those pages. There’s a slow buildup of suspense that leads to an interesting ending. I’ve seen quite a bit of criticism in other reviews about a hasty ending but I didn’t feel that way at all and felt the author pulled it all together quite well. While there’s a very intriguing mystery at the heart of the book, it’s also a careful character study of class distinctions, ambition, desire and life choices.
I’m glad I had a chance to read this book and found it to be an enjoyable one.
I was given this book by Blogging for Books in return for an honest review.
2
