This book is an incredible, creepy-cool story! Two women living 200 years apart experience evil in the Bainbridge ancestral home. In the 1860's, Elsie comes to the house. She is a widow. Her husband recently died, and she feels lost. In the 1660's, Anne Bainbridge lives in the house. Her daughter Hetta is unable to speak and Anne feels incredibly guilty for using her herbal knowledge to bring about the girl's birth. She firmly believes her actions caused the girl to be born with a malformed tongue. Both women come under the spell of the Silent Companions.....wooden effigies painted like people. At first they seem beautiful, more lifelike than mere paintings....but then, they move. The horror of what lurks in the Bainbridge home is truly chilling.

What an awesomely dark Victorian horror novel! The suspense and horror build steadily until the very end. Descriptions of the Silent Companions are detailed and unnerving. Just the idea of fumbling around in an attic by candlelight with those things in the house.....supremely scary! The ending smacked me right in the face....I didn't see it coming. Twisted, demented, and frightening. The intro to the book tells readers not to read this story at night....I should have listened. There were a couple times it really creeped me out. I loved it!

This book would make an awesome horror movie!

I definitely recommend this book to any reader who likes gothic horror, ghost stories or darkly creepy tales.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Penguin Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I had my eye on this book when it was released in the UK and I was eager to read it once it was published in the US. I am absolutely in love with the UK cover….the US cover not so much but the UK one is totally eye catching and screams READ ME.

When it came across my desk for review I was totally on board, especially since I was kind of on a ghost story kick. A Victorian ghost story….count me 100% in.

When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband’s awkward cousin for company.

Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure—a silent companion—that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of the estate are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition—that is, until she notices the figure’s eyes following her.

A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, The Silent Companions is a tale that creeps its way through the consciousness in ways you least expect—much like the companions themselves (summary from Goodreads).

This book was absolutely thrilling to read. There were so many things that I just loved about this book. It had atmosphere in spades. It was so creepy and kept me up more nights than I care to admit. I loved every second of this book. The first couple of chapters were a little blah but the suspense that was being hinted at keep me reading and once Elsie arrived at the house, I was completely hooked and needed to keep reading.

While this might be considered a horror story by some, I would firmly put it in the paranormal category and not horror. This was scary and creepy to be sure but not so much that it was off putting to read. Or overly graphic. It reminded me of a modern gothic novel set in the Victorian age. It was so wonderful and hit so many high notes for me. It was a deeply unsettling book that was so well done that I have bumped it up as a new favorite to recommend to people.

Well written, rich in atmosphere, and the story is just down right creepy! I loved it! Her ability to write a story about a woman so broken and unsure of her own sanity was mesmerizing and I just couldn’t get enough. Pick up this book now, you’re welcome! This would be the perfect Halloween read.

The only thing that I didn’t love about this book again was the cover. The UK cover just had so much more visual interest for me and clearly conveyed that this book was more of a supernatural book. The US cover was just forgettable and didn’t really give me anything about what the book itself was about. In fact I probably would have passed on reviewing this one had I not already known that this was a book that I had my eye on.

Cover aside, this is an absolutely fantastic story! Do not miss this one! It’s got all kinds of thrills and chills guaranteed to keep the reader wondering and up at night!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Silent Companions Laura Purcell

Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Published March 6th 2018 by Penguin Books (first published October 5th 2017)
ASIN B071K4DV8F
Review copy provided by: Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 5 out of 5

Genre: Historical fiction, mystery, gothic fiction, supernatural, paranormal

Memorable lines/quotes: NA

In this atmospheric horror, Elsie has moved to her recently deceased husband's home in the countryside to grieve. When strange things start occurring, Elsie chalks them up to grief and fatigue, not realizing until far too late that there are more sinister and malevolent forces at play.
This book is scary. Like read with the lights on scary. Elsie's reactions are just the right mix of disbelief and "maybe that's possible", the whole book toes the lines of realism exactly right.

I'm not a big horror reader, but I do like historical fiction, so this seemed like a good fit for me, plus I was intrigued by the premise. I was very drawn into the story in the beginning. It had a fantastic dark, foreboding tone and the characters were just ever so slightly off, but in a good way. But then the 'silent companions' started moving and multiplying and everything felt really cheesy. The creepy feeling I got when I first started reading went away; rather, I was amused by how absurd everything got. I think Purcell missed her mark with the ending as well. I was half expecting (and hoping) for a huge bombshell that would make me rethink everything in the novel. But the final revelation was hardly shocking; in fact, it was downright predictable. So, in all, rather disappointing for me.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The editor’s note at the beginning of my e-ARC of The Silent Companions begins with a warning: don’t read this book at night. Well, I did, and lived to tell about it – although I found myself looking askance at the dolls on my dresser before scuttling under the covers and turning off the light.

After writing two excellent fictional accounts of the Georgian royals, Laura Purcell has gone full-blown gothic for her third novel, a spooky read set in an English village in Victorian times and the 17th century. Her heroine is Mrs. Elsie Bainbridge, whose terrible story unfolds as she, a mute and bereft woman charged with arson, pens the details for a doctor at the St. Joseph Hospital for the Insane. He doesn’t want to find her guilty and hopes she can save herself.

An atmosphere of dread is conjured up from her tale’s beginning as Elsie, a recent widow, travels by carriage to her late husband Rupert’s family home along with Rupert’s mousy cousin, Sarah. What greets them at the Jacobean manor called “The Bridge” is crumbling disrepair – and something more. The serving maids are untrained, the gardens unkempt, the rooms dusty, and she hears odd hissing sounds at night. The coffin with Rupert’s body awaits burial there, too, with small marks on his skin resembling splinters. Nobody in the nearby village of Fayford wants anything to do with the place, due to rumors of witchcraft and a centuries-old feud. It’s hardly the place for Elsie to raise the child she’s carrying.

Then, after picking the lock of the third-floor garret, she and Sarah discover the previous inhabitants’ dust-choked belongings, two volumes of a 17th-century diary, and a free-standing portrait of a girl, mounted on wood, who resembles both Elsie and Rupert. The presence of these figures, called “silent companions” and reportedly of Dutch origin, adds uniqueness to the classic gothic setting. (Between these figures and the elaborate dollhouse in Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist, the Netherlands is clearly the place to look for creative 17th-century artisanship.)

Equally gripping is the account of Anne Bainbridge starting in 1635, just prior to the Civil War years, as she and her husband prepare for a royal visit. A couple of intriguing details (why does one "companion" look like Elsie?) could have been clarified further, but the mystery about the house’s malevolent presence has a darkly satisfying explanation.

As the suspense heightens, and Elsie and her household find themselves in grave danger, the tone moves from subtly creepy to outright gory – a bit too gory for me in places – and yet more horrors lie in the all-too-real depictions of women’s powerlessness.

(From Reading the Past)

I don’t read much horror so I don’t have much to compare it to but the creep factor is high on this one! At the very beginning there an editor’s note saying not to read this at night and it’s not far off! While I could handle a dark sky this isn’t a book to read late at night by myself.

The writing style reminded me a little of Shirley Jackson. While it’s very clear that SOMETHING terrible has happened many of the early scenes seem fairly innocent but there is always something deeply unsettling lurking between the lines. I loved the super Gothic-y feel of this book from the asylum to the creepy dusty manor house to the not always thinly veiled hostility of everyone around Elsie.

I felt sorry for Elsie even though I could never be sure if I liked or trusted her. She seemed so alone with absolutely no support or respect that I couldn’t help but pity her. My only problem with this book is that while the atmosphere kicked in early it took awhile for the story to really get going. There were lots of little clues even from the beginning but not really enough for the plot to really gain traction for probably the first third of the book though I was definitely intrigued and unsettled.

The Silent Companions
By: Laura Purcell
Published By: Penguin Books
4.5/5

The Silent Companions is the creepy story of a woman, Elsie, who inherits her husband's estate after he dies. She finds herself in an eerie town that doesn't seem quite right. Not even the home she comes to live in is comforting with less than welcoming servants that want nothing to do with her. To make matters worse, she finds a wooden figure, a companion, in a locked room that looks a lot like herself. Are these wooden figures really "companions" or something worse?

I have to hand it to Purcell. There aren't too many books that properly freak me out and stick with me, but this is one of them. Who wouldn't be freaked out to find some creepy wooden figures in a room? It doesn't matter if they look friendly or not. I'm not going to be comfortable around that. Purcell knows just how much detail to use to make the reader uncomfortable without the story seeming fake. The reader slowly gets introduce to Elsie's background in a way that builds the story without throwing it in your face. Closer to the end of the story you wonder whether or not Elise is really the woman she says she is. Is she really insane? Are the companions really in her head?

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to horror lovers, historical fiction lovers and basically any reader at all. It is that good of a story. It doesn't just speak to one genre. I'd love to read more by this author for sure!

Oh my! I got this book looking for a horror/thriller and I got exactly what I was looking for. This book takes you into a hunted and cursed house. To be honest, this is a hard book to review cause there are so many points and I refuse to put spoilers into this review. Needless to say that there is murder, psychological issues, and theft. The characters are very well written and still leave you with the ability to use your imagination for their looks & how they move.

The backstory is quite interesting and to be honest, I think the author could actually make a series of books just on the lines in the backstory. She closed all the story lines very nicely yet left it open for more books if she chooses, which I hope she does.

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I wanted to read it. A Victorian ghost story, yes please! The plot unfolds slowly, but that only serves to build the tension. The characters do feel a little distant throughout, but for the most part, it was a solid mystery, which lived up to expectations.

Thank you to Penguin Random House #partner for the free book, in exchange of this honest review. All opinions are my own.

I give this book, 3 out of 5 stars.

I was not sure what to expect going in to this book, it sounded creepy. I mean the cover is plastered with creepy looking dolls, so I could only imagine what was on the inside. This was a very eerie read, I had some pretty weird dreams when I read this book before bedtime.

I did love the dual timeline of the 1600's and the 1800's, the writing was incredibly detailed, so it wasn't too hard to visualize the people, The Bridge, and the strange dolls. 

This is a relatively small book, but it's crammed full. There is a lot that occurs in this book, within the walls of The Bridge, and outside. I will admit, with the alternating time periods, and the alternating chapters it took me a few to catch on, and there are random flash backs in the middles of chapters, so my tip is, when you're reading this one, make sure you can devout a lot of attention to it. 

The only bad I can think of is that I could not really relate to the characters, they didn't really grab me. And I'm still not sure 100% what the dolls are. But a big plus is, I loved the last line of the book! I did I appreciate how it turned out, I do wonder if it was left open for a second book. 

All in all, this was a good read. Not terrible and not mind-blowing, but good, and I do think many readers will enjoy it.

I have been shying away from contemporary psychological thrillers these days, I find they lack the creepy, suspenseful, on the edge of your seat feel. And to be totally honest I had given up hope of obtaining an arc (of The Silent Companion) from netgalley when I requested back in the fall. When I did receive this last week I jumped right in blind, totally forgetting what this book was about but being familiar with the author I knew I was in good hands.

The Silent Companions is the type of eerie, suspenseful, spooky, mysterious book that I love, add the historical setting and I was glued to the pages. There are two time periods involved here, 1635 and 1865 that are connected by The Bridge, an estate that the locals stay away from because of its dark history.

Laura Purcell does a great job setting the mood for this story, with it's locked doors, strange noises and equally interesting characters (real and wooden) and of course an old diary. Because of the time periods involved the mystically elements fit right in, witch's were believed to exist and the way everything was presented felt authentic. Definitely shows the authors knowledge of the time period. While I didn't get that scared feeling I was totally captivated here, I had to keep reading to find out what was going on.

In 1865, Elsie Bainbridge, newly married, newly pregnant, and newly widowed, arrives at the family home of her late husband. Here she will wait out her pregnancy with only her late husband’s cousin, Sarah, and a bare handful of servants. This setting, far out in the country, is a new thing for her. She grew up in her father’s match factory in London, working there as soon as she was able as a child, and, following the deaths of her parents, bringing up her brother.

The Bridge, as it is called, is immense, and not in good repair. There are not enough servants to keep it up, and the villagers are afraid to work there. Soon enough, Elsie starts to see why. Mysterious noises fill the night. The nursery is clean and lovely one day, and dusty and filled with falling apart curtains and linens the next. But it’s not until a trip up into the attic (which is locked one minute and open the next) that things really get weird. Elsie and Sarah find two volumes of diaries from 1635, written by Anne Bainbridge, and centering around a visit by Charles I and his queen. These form a different narrative strand. They also find the silent companions- wooden cut outs that are painted very realistically as people. These were a real thing in the 1600s, although mainly in the Netherlands. People would put them in places in the house to startle people or just for décor. These particular companions, though, aren’t quite, stationary decorations. These move- but only when you’re not looking. Like Weeping Angels, you don’t blink if they are after you! For some reason, inanimate objects that pursue seem scarier to me than having a living person after you. And one looks surprisingly like Elsie- even though she’s not a Bainbridge by blood.

The third narrative strand is taking place in 1866; Else is in a mental hospital, in solitary, mute, and horribly burned. Her doctor gives her a pencil, and asks her to tell him what happened. Slowly she unveils the tale of the horror that she and the others went through. And it really is horror. One is never sure if it is supernatural (it certainly seems to be) or if someone is gaslighting Elsie- and if that is true, *who* is doing the gaslighting? It seems like everyone in the house is seeing and hearing the unexplained events. In the end, things still aren’t clear. Someone gains immensely from the situation, but is that person the perpetrator, or simply a very lucky by stander?

I downloaded this book and decided to take a quick look at it… I ended up sitting down and reading the whole thing over the day and evening. I could not wait to see what would happen next. I liked Elsie and found her a very intriguing character; although not so nice things about her turn up over the course of the book, she had reason for doing the bad things she did. Sarah surprised me. Elsie’s brother is an entitled twerp. I was sympathetic to Anne; she was the start of the terror but did it innocently. I was genuinely creeped out by this story, and it takes a lot to do that. I’m looking forward to more books by the author! Five stars.

I've always enjoyed a well-told ghost story. The problem is finding one that rivets my attention to the turning of each page. I'm happy to say that I found a Victorian ghost story that suits me right down to the ground: Laura Purcell's The Silent Companions.

I found the beginning of the book to be a bit slow moving until the locked room was opened and a diary was found and read. Then there were two timelines to follow, and I have to admit that I wish Anne Bainbridge's diary written in 1635 was a lot longer because that story fascinated me with its focus on a visit to The Bridge by King Charles I and his queen, Henrietta Maria.

The second timeline is Elsie's in 1865, and both give a marvelous sense of time and place. One of the things I really enjoyed was how my perceptions of each character changed as I read further and further into the story. Even Elsie's seldom-seen brother Jolyon (a medieval version of "Julian") isn't just a foil for showing readers women's place in society and business during the Victorian era.

I know that those two-hundred-year-old wooden figures are supposed to be the scariest things in The Silent Companions, but they aren't what creeped me out. No, that honor goes to Purcell's descriptions of the house, its gardens, and the village. The village was so mired in poverty, superstition, and hostility, the house and gardens with dirt, neglect, and resentment that the menace was palpable. As I read, I felt that eyes in the back of my head were not enough; no, I needed a team of Navy SEALs surrounding me at all times.

If you're in the mood for a good ghost story, I highly recommend The Silent Companions. I still shiver when I think of revisiting that ancient country house, The Bridge.

Wow. Just Wow.

This book opens with Elsie Bainbridge, who has been injured in a fire and has become mute after all the horrors she had endured. She is being questioned in her role in a series of deaths at her manor. There are two time lines, 1635 and 1865. You learn the history behind the companions and how they came to be in the earlier timeline. The first time you learn about the companions the hairs on the back of my neck were raised and I knew, there were something more to these ‘companions’. That’s where all the trouble starts.

As another reviewer stated, this was deliciously creepy. I stayed up late reading this because of how strange and horrifying things got for the residents in both timelines. Like I needed to know how everything was going to play out. Was Elsie crazy? Or were the housemaids playing the worst tricks on the new mistress? Like I had to know what was really happening. Any weird noise I heard while I was in bed, I was like, ‘is that a companion sneaking out of the attic?’.

I was coming up with theories until the last few sentences and BOOM! I didn’t see that coming at all. Do yourself a favor, go read this! Seriously.

I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The publisher's note at the beginning of my galley came with the warning that you should not read this book at night. After reading this only at night, I can safely say that this is totally accurate. This is one freaky ass book, folks. Think topiary trees in The Shining scary. You will never look at wooden figures the same way ever again.

The novel, like any good creepy one, starts out slowly. Seeing The Bridge through Elsie's eyes, as a stranger thrust into a new world and life, puts us directly in the story. Because we only know what we see through her, we must trust her feelings of disquiet and apprehension as her time at The Bridge lengthens. That her cousin-in-law mirrors her sense of unease serves to confirm her reliability as a narrator. This, in turn, legitimizes the unfolding horror. Then the really crazy shit happens.

Part of what makes The Silent Companions so intense is the fact that Ms. Purcell puts us directly back into the 1800s and shows us firsthand the limitations women faced in polite society. We only get glimpses of Elsie's childhood as the daughter of a match factory owner, but none of it is good in that she repeatedly mentions how she was protecting her brother from harsh realities. Later, as a young widow, she is not only forced into a life of solitude given the strict mourning rituals but she has to do so at her husband's family estate - a place her husband was making ready for her to visit but had deemed inhabitable in the meantime. Even though she used to be considered a partner in the family business alongside her brother, she foregoes that partnership upon her marriage. Now that she is a widow, her brother makes all the decisions on her behalf, even though it used to be she who took care of him as they were growing up together. Even the housekeeper is in charge of the servants, decides which ones to hire and fire, and overseas their work. Through Elsie, we understand the chafing confinement of severe mourning and realize that while having money may have kept Elsie off the streets, it also limited her abilities to think and act in ways that are unfathomable today. You will finish the novel with a better appreciation for every right and freedom women have fought to achieve to date because Elsie's life is stultifying in too many ways.

Added into the mix, we get the to see the story of Anne Bainbridge, a descendant of the Bainbridge family and the one who first found the wooden figures who feature so prominently in the story. Elsie and her cousin-in-law discover Anne's diaries in the locked attic alongside the first silent companion. Through the reading of the diary, we see her own experiences with these silent companions and learn a little more about this unusual family. This becomes of vital importance later on as we begin to understand where they obtained their disconcerting appearance.

All of this - Elsie's confinement, the strangeness of her new life, those damnable wooden figures - build slowly to create an intense story that makes you question your own sanity. Yet even though the novel starts out with Elsie in an insane asylum, we never question hers. We do not do so because of her cousin-in-law's own reaction to the figures and her corroboration of everything Elsie witnesses. We also do not do so because we know Anne's story. Because we do not question her sanity, we must then face what Elsie tells us about the silent companions and everything that happens in The Bridge upon her husband's death, and what happens is not for the faint of heart.

Ms. Purcell, in establishing the creep factor, excels at the long build and the drawing out of the tension. From that first unknown but sinister hiss to the last horror-filled moment, she keeps your adrenaline pumping at higher than normal volumes. She capitalizes on the written word equivalent of the jump scare to keep you awake and set your pulse to rapidly beating. Yet, she also knows when to back off to allow you a chance to catch your breath, all the while lulling you into a false sense of security before she applies the pressure yet again. It is a masterful balance act that keeps your interest without losing the effectiveness of the low but steady stream of adrenaline running through your veins.

The Silent Companions is a true Victorian Gothic novel in that one derives pleasure from the feeling of horror while reading it. That feeling of adrenaline humming through your body is addicting, which is why horror novels are so popular. It also has elements of Edgar Allen Poe's works with the scenes in the insane asylum. The fact that it takes time for you to get into the story is also reminiscent of Victorian-era novels, where authors believed in the slow burn rather than today's emphasis on immediate action. For those who can appreciate such things, The Silent Companions is quite the treat. Just don't read it at night. By yourself. In the dark.

Full review to come. LOVED this book! Deliciously creepy!

"You could not explain fear; you could only feel it, roaring through the silence and striking your heart still."

Fans of Gothic, atmospheric Victorian books should look no further - The Silent Companions should be right up your alley! This is Gothic done right! Have you ever read a book where the Author is going for Gothic and just fails to hit the mark? The Author not only hits the mark -she nails it. The crumbling estate is creepy and dreary. The countryside is dripping with atmosphere and dread. The villagers are hostile and refuse to help anyone at the country estate known as the Bridge. This story creeps along as does the feelings of dread and apprehension in this book. This story does jump around a little bit from the present day, to the past, to the not so distant past but it is never confusing. During the book, the reader sees the main character of Elise in a psychiatric hospital being evaluated by a psychiatrist. There has been a fire and Elise is believed to have started it and she is considered to be responsible for deaths which occurred before and during the fire. The reader also gets a glimpse into the year 1635, when a family lives at the country estate. The reader learns what occurred during the time and finally we see Elise moving into the estate and her time spent living in the home.

When Elise marries Rupert Bainbridge, she knows her factory days are behind her. She is going to live a life of wealth and privilege. But he dies unexpectedly a few weeks into their marriage. She travels to the Bridge, her husband's crumbling estate to carry out her pregnancy and is met with servants who are less than happy to work with/for her, her husband's lonely cousin, Sarah, a cat, and strange hissing sounds coming from the Garrett.

Elise decides to explore in hopes of figuring out what is causing the sounds coming from the Garrett. She invites Sarah to come investigate with her. I found it odd that Sarah had never really explored the home before as she was living there before Elise arrived, Sarah was apprehensive but decided to join Elise in this adventure and soon the women were in the Garrett where they found two silent companions and a diary. One of the silent companions had a striking resemblance to Elise. *Silent companions, also known as dummy boards, are painted figures used to amuse and trick guests (I looked them up as I had never heard of them before).

"Did evil have wants and needs? Surely not, surely that would make it too human."

Soon, these silent companions were brought downstairs where they frightened the staff and appear to move and show up in various rooms. To make matters worse, the silent companions seem to multiply and more appear each day. Plus, several members of the household began to see strange things. Each person sees something different from others living in the home and everyone is upset by this except for the head House keeper, Mrs. Holt who has lived at the home for several years. She claims nothing bad has ever happened while she has been at the house. Sarah finds the diary of Anne Bainbridge, the inhabitants of the country estate over 200 years ago. This once prosperous and noble family fell to ruin in 1635, when the queen's horse was killed on their property and Anne herself was burned at the stake for being a witch.

"Did people know when they were going insane? she wondered. Did they feel the weave of their mind ripping apart?"

The house has some history and none of it has been good. Many have died at the estate and the locals believe the house is cursed and they are superstitious about the history surrounding a witch having lived at the home. The longer Elise stays at the home, the more she sees the silent companions and stranger things begin to happen at an alarming rate. Is she hallucinating? Is she insane as her brother believes? Are the ghosts of the past terrorizing the house? Is everything is as it seems?


This book was very good and quite enjoyable! I love books which are atmospheric and evoke feelings of dread and unease. This book, like the silent companions, will creep up on you and have you worrying about things that go bump in the night (or shall I say hiss?). Purcell builds the suspense as her story unfolds. I really enjoyed how all the story-lines/plot timelines came together and brought about the end of the book! Plus, the ending? Was anyone else scratching their head at the end, thinking "what just happened? “I have my theories and think I have it figured out but like that I was left with questions. I feel like I was in the same boat as Elise at the end. Wondering what the heck just happened!?!

Thank you to Penguin books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 spooky stars--I really liked the book. Warnings for incest and gore.

If you've never seen a silent companion (also called a dummy board), it's worth a google. Now imagine one of these flat wooden figures watching you... and even following you around the house.

Time to burn the house down, right?

That's exactly what the main character of this book is accused of doing in chapter one. This is a strange book. On the one hand, it's a gothic, complete with family secrets, a decaying mansion, and spooky happenings. But it's the bloodiest gothic I've ever read--it verges on horror. The body count is high, and the manner of death is gory. I love both these genres so I enjoyed this mixture. I also enjoyed the journal entries and historical-fiction elements of this book. It's dark, with a fabulous ending. Highly recommended for horror/gothic readers.

*An advanced reader ebook copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I'll admit upfront that when I began this book I didn't realize it was a horror book - on the lighter side of horror but it still spooked me! I must not have read the description closely enough and then shortly after reading, mysterious and creepy things begin to happen. Though I didn't fully grasp what genre this book fell into, initially, I was pleasantly surprised by it!

I am by no means a horror aficionado. I don't watch horror films and I've hardly read horror books, besides some classics. So can't give you a good comparison of the writing or plot to other modern horror writers. That being said I loved this book! I thought it had a wonderful atmospheric quality as any Gothic horror should. I found the main character, Elsie, initially unlikable but as you learn more about her and you see her mentally unraveling she becomes a sympathetic character. Moreover, the Purcell left me questioning whether Elsie is a reliable narrator or not. I was hooked throughout the book and read this over the course of a few days.

A note on the Penguin Books listing, the Penguin website has the book list as "Historical Fiction" and "Historical Romance" - don't let that fool you! This book does not feature any romance other than the allusion to Elsie's short lived marriage. Also, the supernatural part of the story adds shifts it away from just your average Historical Fiction book.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a Victorian era ghost story to give you a few chills and keep you hooked.