The day Anne Tinning turns seventeen, birds fall from the sky. But that's hardly the most upsetting news. She's being dismissed from the home she's served at since she was a child, and shipped off to become the newly hired parlor maid for a place she's never heard of. And when she sees the run-down, isolated house, she instantly knows why:
There's something wrong with Rosewood Manor.
Staffed with only three other servants, all gripped by icy silence and inexplicable bruises, and inhabited by a young master who is as cold as the place itself, the house is shrouded in neglect and thick with fear. Her questions are met with hushed whispers, and she soon finds herself alone in the empty halls, left to tidy and clean rooms no one visits.
As the feeling of being watched grows, she begins to realize there is something else in the house with them--some creature that stalks the frozen halls and claws at her door. A creature that seems intent on harming her.
When a fire leaves Anne trapped in the manor with its Master, she finally demands to know why. But as she forces the truth about what haunts the grounds from Lord Grey, she learns secrets she isn't prepared for. The creature is very real, and she's the only one who can help him stop it.
Now, Anne must either risk her life for the young man she's grown to admire, or abandon her post while she still can.
Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
I have seen this book being described as Beauty and the Beast meets Jane Eyre and I can totally see why. It definitely has that victorian gothic, horror, haunted house with a huge secret feel we get while experiencing these stories.
I think the strongest point of this book was the writing, without a doubt. It was so intricate and beautiful and completely set the tone of the book, as Valentina Cano was able to convey that dark, eerie feel through her writing. It actually gave me chills at some points and I would read toilet paper instructions if it were written by this woman. Seriously.On the other side, though, the story itself left a lot to be desired. Don't get me wrong, the plot was so intriguing and I was on the edge of my seat, biting my nails the whole time I was reading. The atmosphere was all there, that instensity, the oppressing feeling of the cold and the ghosts that haunted Rosewood Manor and its Master. But I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I could have if it had been executed differently.
Fist of all, I felt the events could have been developed a bit more. I felt like the story just dragged a little for the fist half or so and then everything was happening, like the climax happened there and then it died down from there. It was intense, I'll give it that, but I wish there had been more story and that everything wasn't so thrown at the reader and the main character, Anne, all at once. There were points where I had to force myself to continue, even though I was enjoying it. There was just so much to process I needed to take breaks. It took me a really long time to read this 200-page book because of that.
My second point is that I wasn't a huge fan of the romance aspect. I knew it was coming, but I always find it hard to appreciate when it's so predictable and fast. I just didn't find it was very believable, but, on second thought, that was probably just me. I honestly trust that there are readers who love cringe worthy romances and I think this would be perfect for them. Like I said, it just wasn't for me.
The characters were another of the strong points of this book, in my opinion. They were really well developed and I loved the backstory we got throughout the story. I mainly loved the fact that Lord Grey was so flawed, like he wasn't supposed to be perfect and swoon worthy. He was thin and kind of a twit, but he was also kind, deep down, and cared about his staff, especially Anne. The only problem I had with this aspect was the fact that I couldn't feel a connection with any of them. I didn't particularly relate to them and I actually felt really detached.After all that, I must admit that this was still a really enjoyable read and I wholeheartedly believe this author has a lot of potential and could create a classic tale one day.
