I really enjoyed The Curse of Penryth Hall! I read it this weekend when I was on a plane and once I started I could not stop! It was so engaging and I really enjoyed the premise. I loved the dynamic between Ruan and Ruby. I am also a huge fan of cats so Fiachna was a fun addition! I am not usually big on mysteries but I love a debut novel so I wanted to try it and I was not disappointed! It turns out this book was exactly what I needed to read. I am looking forward to book two!

Thanks to St. Martins Press, NetGalley, and Jess Armstrong for the chance to read this book. This mystery is quite enjoyable. Ruby Vaughn is an American who has made a life for herself in Exeter after the Great War working at a rare bookstore. Unfortunately she has to make a delivery to folk healer in the Cornish countryside and while there she decides to visit an old friend at Penryth Hall. She will regret that decision wholeheartedly. The next morning Penryth’s Bells ring for the first time in thirty years . Her friend Tamsyn’s husband Sir Edward Chenowyth has been found dead and his death brings rumors of a returned curse. This brings Ruan Kivell, the man that Ruby brought books to, forward to deal with the issue of a curse. He is a Pellar—a man that the people believe can break a curse.
I won’t say more because that would give away too many spoilers but this is very well done. The interaction between Ruan and Ruby makes the story very interesting and I really like them. I look forward to reading more about them in the future. Can’t wait for book two😊

I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!
I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!
I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!
I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortuatnely, I just couldn't get into it. Something about the world held me back.

I found this book to be really engaging and I loved the premise. I'm a sucker for mysteries so this story was right up my alley. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author.

In the shadowed corridors of literary mystique, a monster beckons, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the chilling embrace of the enigmatic tale that unfolds within the pages of ‘The Curse of Penryth Hall.’ The haunting narrative, the air itself seemed to carry echoes of forgotten whispers, weaving a tapestry of spectral intrigues.

The very essence of ‘The Curse of Penryth Hall‘ ‘ resonates with a spectral allure, promising a journey through time-honored curses and lingering phantoms. Prepare to be ensnared by the beguiling dance of shadows as we navigate the darkened corridors and unravel the secrets concealed within the heart of this captivating tale.

In a mesmerizing blend of atmospheric gothic mystery and the ancient charm of the Cornish countryside, Jess Armstrong unfurls the tale of heroine Ruby Vaughn in her award-winning debut, released by Minotaur Books. In ‘The Curse of Penryth Hall.‘ we navigate the post-Great War era, Ruby, an American heiress, discovers solace running a rare bookstore in Exeter alongside her octogenarian housemate. The past, once carefully tucked away, resurfaces as she embarks on a delivery mission to the heart of Cornwall. Fate, relentless as ever, leads her to the foreboding fortress of Penryth Hall, the residence of her once-dearest friend Tamsyn and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth.

As Ruby steps into this unsettling domain, an evening of discomfort unfolds, culminating in Edward’s gruesome demise in the orchard. The tolling of Penryth’s bells, silent for thirty years, heralds his death and whispers of a resurrected curse. In the wake of this ominous event emerges Ruan Kivell, the mysterious figure whose books brought Ruby to Cornwall. A Pellar, as the locals deem him, is believed to possess the power to break the curse. Though Ruby dismisses curses and Pellars as mere folklore. The villagers of Cornwall live in the shadows of belief, fearing the impending doom that might claim Tamsyn as its next victim.

To shield her friend, Ruby finds herself entangled in a reluctant alliance with the Pellar, delving into the mysteries of that fateful orchard night to uncover the truth that may unravel the sinister threads of the curse looming over Penryth Hall.

‘The Curse of Penryth Hall ‘ opens with our main character Ruby being given an assignment to deliver a box of books to one of the folk healers in Cornwall. It is a place of history for Ruby. A place that ultimately takes her right to the doorstep of her now estranged best friend Tamsyn. Tamsyn and Ruby once had a romantic past. Now Tamsyn is married to Sir Edward Chenowyth and has a child. It leaves Ruby to feel a little slighted by Tamsyn.

Penryth Hall feels dark and stifling. There isn’t much warmth flowing through the halls. Sitting down to dinner (a tense and uncomfortable one nonetheless), Ruby is unsure what to think. Tamsyn appears incredibly unhappy with Sir Edward and her overall life at Penryth. Plus, with not seeing Tamsyn since her wedding, old feelings are bubbling up. And Ruby can’t wait to leave the Hall as soon as possible.

“THE PAST WAS NO GOOD TO ANYONE, AND DIGGING ABOUT IN IT ONLY BROUGHT ABOUT UNPLEASANTNESS. IT WAS BEST TO LEAVE IT WHERE IT WAS. PAST.”
When Edward is brutally murdered that night, the villagers believe it is the return of an old curse placed on the Chenowyth line by a witch some time ago. The villagers are very superstitious. The Chenowyth line over time has seen some of the most horrifying murders. Now with Edward’s murder, everyone thinks that the curse is now coming for Tamsyn. Not to mention her son Jori.

There is only one person the townsfolk trusts to break this curse, the Pellar, Ruan Kivell. In folklore, the Pellar is a healer. One who can break spells among various other things. Ruan is a cherished and yet equally feared person for his abilities.

But the question is who killed Edward? And as the investigation gets underway who is attempting to kill Ruby in the process? There is no choice left but for Ruan and Ruby to work together to uncover if it is a curse. Or if it is just a person wanting to take them out.

“‘YOU WALK AROUND LOOKING AS IF SHE’S RIPPED OUT YOUR HEART AND IS CARRYING IT AROUND WITH HER IN HER POCKET, AND YOU CAN’T DECIDE WHETHER TO GO FETCH IT BACK OR LEAVE IT WHERE IT IS. ANYONE CAN SEE THAT.’”
MY THOUGHTS ON ‘THE CURSE OF PENRYTH HALL‘
I decided to listen to ‘ The Curse of Penryth Hall ‘ as an immersion read. Using both an audiobook provided by The Starless Bookstore and an ARC provided by Minotaur Books. Thank you to both! First and foremost I am a girl that loves atmosphere! And, immersing myself in the read this way was just perfection.

Emma Love as a narrator added some vibrancy while making it a subdued gothic adventure. Nailing the accents and making the story that much more fun to experience.

I loved Ruby as the main character. Not only Ruby but all the characters are interesting and well-developed. Ruby gives an I am not your average girl vibe and I loved it. She is strong-willed, and a bit impulsive. Yet, she is also loyal (to a fault), caring, and rational in thinking. Her “relationship” with Ruan was full of tension. It leaves you wanting them to end up together.

The prose adds to the gothic feeling of the tale. Allowing the setting and atmosphere to come alive. I am big on scenery, oftentimes having a hard time visualizing the surrounding area, more than the character’s description or actions taken. The visualization coming through on ‘The Curse of Penryth Hall ‘ is smooth and easy. A testament to how well the prose is written.

The book’s premise was wonderful, and adding the folklore made it all the more interesting. With that, at times the book felt out of place. Being cryptic and confusing. This could have been intentional for the mystery aspect of it. Allowing to keep you on your toes. Or and I think this is a little more the case, it was just due to the writing within ‘The Curse of Penryth Hall‘.

“I’D BEEN AROUND THE WORLD, TO WAR AND BACK, AND DONE THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE THE MOST WICKED OF MEN BLUSH.”
The second option is chosen because there are a lot of twists within ‘The Curse of Penryth Hall ‘ that are often clever, propelling the mystery. But in contrast, as Ruby is unveiling parts of the mystery, she tends to keep the cards she’s holding close. Even from the reader. Leaving that space where a clue should go.

Also, I wish that Ruby and Tamsyn’s story was a little more developed. After all of this time, and seeing Tamsyn get married why was Ruby still in love with Tamsyn? Had other things been leading up to this that allowed her to think that there was still a spark? We know that Ruby states she hasn’t spoken to Tamsyn, ignoring her letters. But this feels incomplete and glazed over.

“I’D EXPRESSLY VOWED TO NEVER SET FOOT IN THE GODFORSAKEN COUNTY EVER AGAIN.”
In addition to that incompleteness. Remember how it was mentioned that you would wish that Ruan and Ruby get together? That line also feels incomplete. There were feelings and words on the tip of both their tongues that were never expressed and also feels like they just dropped off into the abyss. Will there be a book 2? (After checking Goodreads there will be a book 2!) But now knowing that how will Ruan play into the next book? Is she just going to never see him again? So many questions.

Overall, ‘The Curse of Penryth Hall ‘ is a solid debut by Jess Armstrong. I definitely would recommend ‘ The Curse of Penryth Hall ‘. If you are a fan of A Botantist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari, A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales, or even Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie, you should check out The Curse of Penryth Hall.

I really enjoyed reading this book.
I read it over a few days, and couldn't wait till I got free time to read it more.

I really enjoyed reading Jess Armstrong’s debut novel. It was fast paced, the characters were well developed, and I was totally fooled by the outcome. I thought for sure I knew what was going to happen and she had me completely fooled! I love that! I am already looking forward to book 2 with great anticipation. Well done!

I really tried to get in to this book. I picked it up so many times to dive in however I had to DNF. I’m not sure if it was me or the writing style/cadence but my attention was just not there on the story or characters.

**3.5 stars**

This was an excellent debut. It has lots of things I love: Gothic mystery, folklore, a touch of the supernatural, strong female heroine, a cute cat, a country estate, fully fleshed characters and side characters, and an interesting setting. I googled pellar and Cornwall to get a better understanding of the location so I learned something too lol! I also googled what Fiachna means.

The only part I didn’t care for was the romantic relationship between Ruby and Tamsyn. It felt forced and fake, like it was just tossed in to add the cache of a lesbian storyline. It wasn’t needed in my opinion. I also wished how Ruby and Ruan are connected was explained more but I’m fairly sure that will be in the next book(s) in the series.

Goodreads has this listed as Ruby Vaughn #1 and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next book. Ruby can’t leave things so open ended with Ruan!! Plus it sounds like Mr. Owen has a new mystery cooking and I can’t wait to see what mischief they get into next.

Thanks to the author and Minotaur Books for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a good debut mystery novel, with an interesting plot.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

"The Curse of Penryrh Hall" was not what I expected... In a good way!! I thought it would be another typical cozy mystery, which would have been fine with me, but this was so much more. Armstrong does a great job of world building and character building, drawing the reader into the various personal journeys each are going through. I really enjoyed it, and the finale was a surprise!

Penryth Hall is set in Cornwall. . . .not a resistable setting in my world (fell in love with it during episodes of Doc Martin and Poldark). So when Ruby Vaughn (making her debut in this author's debut offering to readers) showed up, I accepted the call.

Ruby has resources, an elderly (but dear) partner, and a rare bookstore (lucky her). Times are tough, though, the conclusion of the Great War leaving societal debris in its wake. Short-staffed she has to deliver a special order herself, and finds the location is quite close to the home - a fancy one - of someone from her past. When she shows up on the doorstep, a reunion is had. Before long she realizes there's something off-putting. Within a page or so, murder has occurred, and she is stuck, and this reader was engaged.

Particularly enjoyable for me was the introduction of a new kind of person from the occult world affording me a dictionary moment: a pellar. I found this is a good witchy sort - a healer, a diviner and breaker of spells - including curses. As the title of this book gives out, a curse is involved in this tale and so Ruby has a basket full of challenges.

As this is a mystery with many parts and pieces to unwind, I will leave you here with my hearty recommendation to, if you are intrigued, read it! As for me, I look forward to book 2 of Ruby Vaughn's further adventures.

*A sincere thank you to Jess Armstrong, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* 52:52

Thank you so much for the eARC! I am struggling a bit with this one, as I don’t want to be harsh but I do need to be honest.

“That’s all memories are, fading fragments of what came to pass.”

Overall, I wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise is intriguing, the characters had potential, the tone was spooky yet had also had moments that made me laugh. I think it could’ve been great, but overall it just fell too flat.

Plot Thoughts: I like the idea of a gothic mystery, but overall the plot was both slow and confusing. I feel like not much happened until the halfway mark; although I understand the need to set the stage, I still couldn’t really visualize what was happening. It felt very modern, yet was set post-WWI. It seemed like it was supposed to be a “long journey” - yet she was home and back overnight. The curse was hardly a part of the story, as no one really seemed to believe in it anyway except for one or two people. I couldn’t visualize the town or the mansion or the cottage. I was not connected to the story or setting. Perhaps the intent was for it to be fluid and be applicable to any time/place, but it didn’t come across as such; it just came across as underdeveloped.

Character Thoughts: Similar to above, I did not really feel much connection to any of the characters. I do think they were fleshed out more than the setting, which I appreciated, however, it also seemed like they were extremely stereotypical. (Ex. I enjoyed Ruby’s antics and humor, but other than that, really all we know is she likes to drink and travel and flit around with no care in the world? We get a little backstory that leads us to understand a bit of why she is who she is, but it was extremely brief and didn’t pull at the sympathetic heartstrings like I think it was intended to.) Additionally, there were SO MANY characters to keep track of. Eventually they all blended together due to the sheer number of underdeveloped characters.

Unfortunately, in the end I had more questions than answers and was ready for it to be over long before it was. I didn’t care about anyone or anything in the slightest until 50%, finally felt the pace pick up a bit at 80%, but by then I was too long gone. I found myself skimming frequently, and struggling to keep going. If it wasn’t an ARC, I would have DNFd.

I will say, I didn’t see the twist coming with who the murderer was, and I liked that.

Would recommend hesitantly to someone who enjoys cozy mysteries, but doesn’t mind an overall underdeveloped story and characters.

I love the setting for this story: a manor house in the Cornish countryside. Also any book that involves other books and old people ....count me in! This book is a good one for fans of gothic mysteries too. Curses, mysterious deaths, folk healers, surprise guests, book deliveries, orchards, creepy properties, and more

The description of atmospheric Gothic mystery, and the beautiful cover caught my attention with this one. The Curse of Penryth Hall was not only beautiful on the outside, but just as beautiful on the inside.

Cornish Folklore
Mystery
Gothic atmosphere

I've tried a couple times and I can't get into this one. I was expecting more, and thank you for my copy.

I really enjoy historical gothic novels that do a great job at portraying the dark atmospheric nature of the time.
This book did just that.

The Curse of Penryth Hall was a very curious mystery story and one that had me constantly racking my brain.
I would say this book kind of boarders on the line of a cozy mystery if it weren't for some of the more darker scenes. It was fun to follow Ruby on her journey throughout this story.

I do wish that the storyline gave just a little bit more excitement sometimes but overall I think the book is a great pick for a casual reader who loves a good, creepy mansion with a touch of supernatural flare and budding romance.

A fun and exciting historical gosthic novel. I loved Jess' characterization of the cast, and their relationships with one another! The supernatural elements were a nice touch. I wish they spent more time on character development and it felt rushed at times, but I couldn't stop reading it!

I highly recommend this book. The moment I started reading it, I was interested in the story. I like the author's writing style and the way the story unfolded. Ruby Vaughn has spunk and a sense of humor. I thought for sure I knew who did it, but there was a twist in the story. I was surprised.

The ending indicates that there will be more Ruby Vaughn, and I look forward to reading the series.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for a chance to review this book.

Link to Amazon review: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R39RDJUQO86U6T?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp