Strands of Bronze and Gold

Welcome to Wyndriven Abbey.  Mississippi, 1855.
Sophia Petheram has a wealthy godfather.  A godfather that has given her gifts of jewels, clothes, riding lessons, for her entire seventeen years.  And even though she has never met him, she is leaving her siblings in Boston to go live with him on his plantation in Mississippi.  Her mother died when she was an infant, and with the sudden death of her father, Sophie is going to live with M. de Cressac and his wife.  Only when Sophie gets there, she discovers his wife has been dead eighteen months.  It's too late for her to return to her family, she would be a burden to them, so she stays.  In the beginning, Sophia is charmed by M. de Cressac.  He has traveled all over the world, and gives her costumes and dresses to wear from different cultures.  He makes sure all of her needs are tended to.  Sophia even begins to fall in love with him, imagining what it would be life to be his wife.  Gradually his dark side begins to show.  He owns slaves, which Sophia is strictly against.  He has been married four times, but refuses to discuss his former wives.  He doesn't allow her to go into town, or attend church, and Sophia becomes very lonely.  She intends to leave at Christmas, when her family comes to visit, but de Cressac keeps his lock firmly on her.  As Sophia begins to discover the truth of Wyndriven Abbey, she realizes her godfather is much more dangerous than she thought possible.
This novel is a twist on the fairy tale of BlueBeard.  I had not read the story, and Googled it, so what happened in the novel wasn't a huge surprise.  There is a ghost element, so this would be a great book to give to students who like historical fiction and ghost stories.  I read this based off of a strong recommendation of a book club member, and when she discussed it at the meeting, many students were also interested in reading it.

Amber House

When Sarah's grandmother dies, she travels with her family from Seattle to Amber House, one of the largest private homes in Maryland.  Sarah has never been there before, her mother refused to visit, but she has heard stories from her grandmother who would come to her.  Amber House is huge, with two stories added on during the three centuries it has been in Sarah's family, a grand ballroom, 9 bedrooms, a conservatory filled with exotic plants and flowers, and even a large hedge maze on the grounds.  Sarah's mother wants to sell the property and leave as quickly as possible, but Sarah's 5 year old autistic brother convinces their mother to stay.  Sarah meets Jackson, the longtime maid's grandson and together they begin exploring the house for lost diamonds.  During these search Sarah begins to have visions of her ancestors when she picks up their old belongings.  At first, she likes the comforting scenes of her family's past, but as secrets betrayals, and even crimes play out in front of her, she begins to realize there is a lot about her family she doesn't understand.  The attention of one of Maryland's senators sons is also thrown in.  He his handsome, athletic, and seems to have sincere interest in Sarah.   This all culminates in a large sweet sixteen party Sarah's mother is throwing for her at the house, where the secrets only seem to deepen.

Another book from the Tayshas list, and this one was more  my speed.  I really enjoyed the supernatural aspects of the story.  The history of AmberHouse, though pretty brutal, was interesting and added a different aspect.  Sarah seems insecure. and that got a little old, she's constantly wondering why the senator's son is spending so much time with her, and trying to decide is she likes it, or not.  The ending went a little too far out there for me.  I know the book is supernatural, but it went so far extreme, I thought it was a little too much.  This is going to be a trilogy and the second book just came out, and I will read it to see how Sarah's story plays out.

Happy Halloween!

Here are some scary books to get you in the mood for trick or treating!

Not my favorite book, but I know I'm in the minority.  It starts off with a murder, and the little boy lives in the nearby graveyard with the ghosts.  The writing is extremely descriptive and usually a hit.






















This is a good one, the ghost of Jack the Ripper is killing again in London.  Plus, I really liked the main character.  She is from Louisana, attending boarding school in London.  I loved the setting and the history of the murders.

  

This is my favorite of the bunch.  I love Libba Bray!  Set in the 1920s with lots of creepy crawlies!  Highly recommended .

You can never go wrong with these!  Super scary!

Have a great Halloween!

Something Creepy for Halloween...

 

The Dark Between By Sonia Gensler

Book Synopsis: 

Kate is a schemer.

Asher is a skeptic.

Elsie is a dreamer...who can speak with the dead.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

Review:

I really, really loved this book, one of those I couldn't put down.  This is a time period I enjoy reading, and adding the supernatural aspect made it more interesting.  

Kate is a great protagonist, very outspoken and scrappy.  She is an orphan and has to make her own way through any type of scheme she can.  One of her close friends, and fellow schemer, has gone missing.  She is afraid he has gotten mixed up with something terrible, and needs Elsie to help her find him.

Elsie can communicate with the dead.  However, during this time it is seen as a mental illness and she has been sent to Summerfield to rest.  She is trying to learn to control her visions, and wants to be useful in Kate's search.

Asher has unrequited love for Elsie, so he accompanies the girls on their mission for the truth.

The ending is a cliffhanger, and I hope Sonia Gensler is planning on writing more about these characters.

I definitely recommend this book!

Watch the Book Trailer!