I’m a huge fan of Hester Fox. I love her writing–she has a beautiful way with words. And her stories usually evoke a macabre sense of realism while using fantasy plots. She’s fantastic!

So I was kind of surprised when this story failed to deliver for me. The premise sounded so promising! A clairvoyant young woman living in a cemetery, “fighting” off grave robbers? Yes. But… no.

I actually enjoyed the clairvoyant and grave robbing plot aspects. It was the romance that fell off the mark for me. And a book that’s part romance needs to have a decent romance.

Tabby was a fantastic heroine. It was Calen I couldn’t stand. Does he grow in the end as a person? Sure. But the story itself takes place over a year and it’s such a quick read that I felt like a lot of his “growth” was assumed or done off the page.

It helped to get some chapters more from his point of view, more or less. However, I feel like in the end, he just didn’t deserve Tabby at all.

All that said, Hester Fox is still a fabulous author. And everything else I’ve read of hers has been lovely. And I get that maybe she was going for an unconventional, less boring hero… However, it just didn’t pan out for me because there wasn’t enough time to make me feel like he earned his happy ending.

A spooky but heartwarming novel set in 1844 Boston. Tabby finds herself wrapped into an investigation thanks to her gift- but it's not as easy as it might appear. This is a good read.

Hauntingly gorgeous.

I’m convinced everything Hester Fox writes is perfection.

If you love moody vibes with a paranormal aspect, this is your book.

Everything she writes is so atmospheric and this one really hits the mark.

Set in the 1800's, the main is Tabby who has a gift. She can communicate with the recently deceased. She's an orphan who years ago, excaped her aunt Bellefonte with her sister Alice.

Now she and Alice are separated. And Tabby works with her adoptive father, Eli. When grave robberies begin Tabby is brought into the situation. Will her gift help? Or

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill is one of those ghost stories that is so atmospherical that it doesn’t even seem like you’re reading a ghost story. Hauntingly and beautifully written, Orphan of Cemetery Hill will take you back in time.

Another solid offering from Hester Fox. This story was fantastically eerie and depicted 1840s Boston in such a captivating way. Tabby is a fascinating character and her relationship with Eli was so heartwarming.

I have read one of Hester's books before and appreciate the setting of historical fiction + magic. I find it such an interesting construct.

Tabby, a young woman and orphan, has the ability to speak with spirits. While she knows some won't understand this ability, she uses it to help others around her and try to help the dead move on. Through her ability, she is caught up in the midst of grave robberies and murder that has happened in her town. She doesn't know how to pull herself out of it with getting hurt and others around her hurt as well. Luckily, a friend finds her sister Abby and works to try to solve the murder of a young fiancee and bring those dead to rest.

I had a lot of trouble with this one. I think the multiple perspectives definitely didn't help. I, at times, found that I really wished this book had stayed mainly from Tabby and one other persons's perspective to help center the story. I feel that adding in others made it hard to concentrate on the thread that the story was trying to take.

I did really find it fascinating how Tabby's gift manifested. It felt very right with how I've always read that it could manifest. I found it interesting that some ghosts seemed to have a stronger connection to the plane than others. It seemed like it wasn't so much based on Tabby's gift as the spirit's connection to this plane.

Overall, the little bit of romance in this book that happened didn't seem as believable as I've seen in works by Fox in the past. It just seemed like it was an extra component that muddled the story as a whole.

I do really Fox's writing style and the stories she tells. This one wasn't a favorite. Thank you for the ARC.

4.5 stars

I haven’t read Hester Fox’s The Witch Of Willow hall yet, but have had it on my tbr for the longest time. Will definitely be moving it up my reading list.

This had just the gothic, spooky vibes I needed. The setting was perfect and I couldn’t help but love tabby and her ability to see the dead. I really enjoyed this one, eventhough there were some slow parts.

I really wanted to like this book. I did like the characters but the story was just weak and not fun to read. It should have been a great book as it had a good premise but the chapters were super short and in my opinion fragmented the read. I just wasn’t enjoying it in spite of liking the characters. I made it halfway and put it in my donate box which is really rare for me. Disappointing and I can’t recommend it.

Boston 1844 Tabby has a special gift. To some it may be a curse. This hauntingly good gothic thriller will leave you eggs edge of your seat. I loved it and read it in a day. This filled me with goose bumps and loved the end. A must read for anyone who loves good mystery with a twist!

I was excited to get an advanced copy of this one since I’ve been on a big Gothic kick lately. I enjoyed Fox’s debut novel The Witch of Willow Hall. Her second novel, The Widow of Pale Harbor, had excellent atmosphere and an intriguing plot, but was a miss in terms of characters. I hoped that Fox’s latest book would swing things back in the other direction. Unfortunately, The Orphan of Cemetery Hill was also a flop for me.

Tabby’s character didn’t live up to my expectations. I wanted deeper character development and something more special done with her psychic powers. And I never liked Eli at all. I hate cheaters. And he was just too easy with a lie or a smile. So the romance part of the story was a total bust.

The setup of the plot started off promising. A medium and resurrection men sounded like a great base for a Gothic tale. But then there was an odd part where the story forked in two directions. Without going into spoilers, one storyline was put on hold for months just to allow the other storyline time to crawl along. It made absolutely no sense. And it also removed any sense of urgency from the story. I can’t get behind a sense of urgency when most of the characters sat at a stalemate for months just to allow for an unbelievable twist in the other storyline. It completely deflated my enjoyment of the end of the story.

On top of that, this one did not feel as atmospheric either. Maybe that was because all the little annoyances prevented me from becoming absorbed in the story.

Unfortunately, after two books in a row not fitting my tastes, it is time for Fox and I to part ways. I still think she has talent as a writer, but these books aren’t what I’m looking for.

Sadly I could not get into this book. I tried sever times but the way the theme was presented made it had to get into. I would not not object To trying the author again.

I enjoyed Hester Fox's first book The Witch of Willow Hall, more. The characters in this book were ok, but I didnt feel very invested in their story. I really enjoyed the concept, the spiritualism nods, the cemetery setting. The transitions felt a little jerky, I didnt think the story moved as smoothly as it could have. I enjoy Hester Fox's writing, and will read the next book she writes with excitement.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO THE ORPHAN OF CEMETERY HILL BY HESTER FOX?
Previously, I had listened to The Witch Of Willow Hall, Hester Fox’s debut and just fell for its spooky gothic vibes. The Orphan Of Cemetery Hill seemed to also promise vibes that would be spooky and gothic. I just knew I had to give this book a try – whether via audiobook or physical book.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
The Orphan Of Cemetery Hill is about Tabby. Tabby is a young woman who can speak to the recently deceased. The book takes place in 1844 Boston. Tabby has got quite the back story. You see, she was orphaned along with her sister Alice. They were placed into the care of their Aunt Bellafonte. Only, their aunt took advantage of Tabby’s gift, trying to profit by using it at seances. So, the girls run away. Tabby and Alice end up separated, with Tabby believing that Alice is dead. At this point, Tabby is now living with her adopted father Eli, a Black man who is caretaker of a Boston cemetery. Tabby assists him with caretaking for the cemetery.

Unfortunately, there has been an outbreak of grave robbing in Boston. Tabby ends up getting caught up by the people doing this — the Resurrection Men – who are absolutely dangerous. Meanwhile, she meets a young man whose father has just died and she’s able to deliver a message from his father – who is kind of a dick. As it turns out though, the young man already has a fiance. But then, the fiance dies. And he is caught up being charged with her murder. The plot is tangled, intricate web, and it even spans overseas to England.

WHAT DID I THINK OF THE ORPHAN OF CEMETERY HILL?
I was really caught up in the different machinations within The Orphan Of Cemetery Hill. Hester Fox writes another book that just appeals to my spooky side. I would say this is the perfect book to get some autumn vibes – even though this review is posting in February. Tabby and Alice are such compelling characters. I especially enjoyed seeing how Tabby pieced everything together eventually. Also, I appreciated how this book ended and wrapped up.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook is narrated by Lauren Ezzo and is 9 hours and 5 minutes. Honestly, Ezzo’s narration is take or leave for me. Some of her narrations I like and some I just do not gel with at all. Luckily, The Orphan Of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox is one that I absolutely did like. It helps that this book was able to be sped up a little without sounding weird.

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox is an intriguing mystery. I love the characters. Especially, Tabby and Caleb. Tabby is the type of protagonist that draws in readers, like myself. Her story is shrouded in mystery which bubbles over as dark things begin to happen. These events tied up nicely. They created a puzzle among another puzzle where answers may just be found. So many years in-between and I was curious as to what exactly happened all those years ago. The present dragged out the past. A past that has not yet been forgotten. The writing style was done well. I found myself thoroughly entertained from the beginning. Even with the beginning having started out a bit slower than I liked. Overall, this was a great paranormal/historical women's fiction read.

I loved this book! As someone who loved Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book, I was happy to find another story of a child living in a cemetery, despite how dark that may sound.

This was a delightfully gothic read that swept me away, much like her last novel, The Witch of Willow Hall. I love Boston and it was lovely to be able to escape into it for a while when reading this novel. As with The Witch, this novel has a bit of a ghostly vibe but it isn't too ghoulish for those that don't enjoy that sort of thing.

I do feel like the world could have been built up a bit more and the story more fleshed out. I'd have loved to read more about Tabby's time at the cemetery before we meet back up with her.

Overall it was a solid read and was hard to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I previously read The Witch of Willow Hall and found it to be pretty low stakes, mildly spooky with decent vibes. Unfortunately, The Orphan of Cemetery Hill missed the mark for me. The story follows Tabby, a young orphan who can speak with the dead, and a series of grave robbings and murders.

My issue with the story is not the plot (that was semi-interesting, if predictable), but the characters and the pacing. We know more about Tabby and her gift from the book description than is actually told on the page. There is very little background/world building here, and the reader is plopped directly into the story. The main "love interest" is quite unlikable, it made it hard to root for him, and seemed unlikely that Tabby would confide in such a person. I felt like he was supposed to be a cheeky type of guy, but he came off as spoiled, entitled, and his character arc wasn't believable. There is also a 6 month time jump at one point where we know very little about what happened to each character.

This was a quick and easy read with a simple mystery. I read this in a few hours, but it really lacked an immersive world with dynamic characters. 2.5/3 stars, because it was enjoyable, but not the best.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Give me a Hester Fox book anyday, I love the way she writes. Her work reminds me of Jane Austen for modern day. I love the depth she gives to each character and almost spooky aspect too. I will always recommend and read her work

I’ve read several books by this author and this one is my favorite so far, Great read! Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.