Adeline
3.75 stars Historical paranormal mystery following Sarah a young and lonely city girl who finds work with Alistair, a veteran from WW1, interested by ghosts, meeting his assistant the mysterious and unsettling Matthew; the three investigate the strange haunting of a recently deceased maid in the English countryside.
My third book by Simone St James. Overall this felt like reading The Book of Cold Cases, I was a bit underwhelmed compared to Silence for the Dead, though this was apparently the author’s first novel. The haunting parts were well done and I loved how the apparitions of the ghosts were described, how it affected each character differently. The atmosphere was creepy during those moments, I loved the use of birds too. The mystery itself was good but there wasn’t anything surprising to it, I clocked the villains quite rapidly so I did wish for more suspense and twists, more subtle hints throughout the novel. I liked Sarah as the main character, her strength,and resilience; but her point of view felt at times a bit too much telling rather than showing. The romantic subplot between Sarah and Matthew was a bit less underwhelming like her previous books. I did like the angsty, lust filled moments but it felt a bit too rushed and superficial, I wanted more scenes of them together just talking and developing their relationship more. I feel this story could have been told in various points of view, like Matthew’s and Alistair’s which would have add something more profound, especially their past experiences during the war. Pacing wise, I feel it lagged a bit during the middle part, so the final confrontation felt a bit rushed, but overall the story moved at a good pace. Overall a good novel but with some underwhelming elements especially the plot.
3.75 stars Historical paranormal mystery following Sarah a young and lonely city girl who finds work with Alistair, a veteran from WW1, interested by ghosts, meeting his assistant the mysterious and unsettling Matthew; the three investigate the strange haunting of a recently deceased maid in the English countryside.
My third book by Simone St James. Overall this felt like reading The Book of Cold Cases, I was a bit underwhelmed compared to Silence for the Dead, though this was apparently the author’s first novel. The haunting parts were well done and I loved how the apparitions of the ghosts were described, how it affected each character differently. The atmosphere was creepy during those moments, I loved the use of birds too. The mystery itself was good but there wasn’t anything surprising to it, I clocked the villains quite rapidly so I did wish for more suspense and twists, more subtle hints throughout the novel. I liked Sarah as the main character, her strength,and resilience; but her point of view felt at times a bit too much telling rather than showing. The romantic subplot between Sarah and Matthew was a bit less underwhelming like her previous books. I did like the angsty, lust filled moments but it felt a bit too rushed and superficial, I wanted more scenes of them together just talking and developing their relationship more. I feel this story could have been told in various points of view, like Matthew’s and Alistair’s which would have add something more profound, especially their past experiences during the war. Pacing wise, I feel it lagged a bit during the middle part, so the final confrontation felt a bit rushed, but overall the story moved at a good pace. Overall a good novel but with some underwhelming elements especially the plot.