Loved the setting and spooky vibes. Very dark academia of the British variety. Well done for a debut and I look forward to the rest of the series.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is a strong gothic mystery debut. Ruby Vaughn is an American heiress that works at a rare bookstore. When her octogenarian employer sends her to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is forced to look at events in her past and is brought back to the one person that she thought she would never see again, Tamsyn. Ruby visits Tamsyn and her husband at their home known as Penryth Hall. Ruby is completely unsettled by the home and Tamsyn's husband. Eager to depart, her plans are set aside when Tamsyn's husband is found dead in the woods. Tamsyn and the employees at the manor believe that the curse that killed the residents of Penryth Hall 30 years ago is back. Ruby must work with the town's Pellar to determine what or who killed him.

I enjoyed delving into this gothic mystery and trying to figure out if the murder at Penryth Hall was actually part of a supernatural curse or done by mortal means. Ruby character was perfect for this book. I enjoyed learning more about her past and what happened between her and Tamsyn. Her skepticism of the supernatural lead to a nice balance with her partner, Ruan in the investigation and I am hoping to learn more about the mystery behind these two characters in the next book. Overall, a great gothic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review The Curse of Penryth Hall. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love the gothic, atmospheric vibes in this book. Plus a historical setting in a countryside? Yes, please!

This book was so twisty! Perfect amount of suspicion and information. The MC is basically me, if I had lived back then. I'm curious to learn more of what a "pellar" is and what their job entails. Can't wait to read the sequel!

I love gothics and I was looking forward to this. On top of that, it was set in Cornwall! However, something just felt off about this book.

4*

I wanted to love this book. A gothic mystery set in Cornwall? Please and thank you.

And for the most part, I did. I thought the characters were well-developed and their drama felt real and relatable. The dive into Cornish folklore was wonderful and the driving factor that led me to pick up this book.

Do I wish Armstrong had played around with the thesaurus a little less? Yes.
Do I wish Ruby and Ruan's past had been better developed? Also yes,

But overall this was a great debut and I'm excited for the next installment.

Absolutely fabulous. This one was a bit of a slow starter for me, but once things started speeding up, between murder, attempted murder, and a phenomenal cast of characters, I couldn’t put this one down. EVERY SINGLE TIME I thought I’d figured out what was going on, the author went left and I was back at square one.
Between curses, a vicar who seems off, a housekeeper who seems to know more than she lets on, a healer/witch who is definitely my favorite character and a cat that seems a bit more than meets the eye this book kept me fully involved and anxious to see what will happen next!
This is definitely a must read and based on the ending, I expect we will be seeing more of these characters in the future, and I for one cannot wait!

I was really looking forward to this book as the premise seemed very much up my alley, However, the execution ultimately just wasn't there for me.
The overall conceit is very interesting, but the book suffers from lack of character development; the book starts of strong and tapers off as it progresses.
While typically I like progressive reveals over the course of the book, it doesn't work here. There's not enough information from the start for the reader to hold onto, and so it's hard to make sense of what turns out to be key parts of the book.
With some structural changes I do think this book could have been much improved.

This is a wonderful atmospheric novel filled with mystery and suspense. It is filled with twists and turns with an ending I never saw coming. It is a captivating debut novel.
Thanks to Net Galley for this advanced copy.

Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. I'm unsure if it was the pacing or the structure but something made it feel a bit disjointed and slow. However, there still was much to enjoy with an intriguing plot. I did find myself wanting more from the characters though. Despite that it wasn't for me, I can guarantee it's one for many others.

The curse of penryth hall is a gothic thriller that takes place in 1920's England. After the murder of the man of Penryth hall, the time clock starts before others are attacked or murdered in similar fashion. Is this the curse? Or just a convenient murderer? Overall, I liked the premise of this book but it fell short for me. The characters were flawed in a great way, but the ending, while surprising, was not one that felt complete. I do appreciate when it's more than one murderer, but the final murderer, and their ending was very anti-climactic.

3.5/5 Stars

After the war American heiress Ruby Vaughn creates a new life for herself after a scandal back home. She now lives in Exeter, working in a bookshop. She is tasked with delivering a box of books to a Pellar named Ruan Kivell living in Cornwall, where her old friend Tamsyn lives. Tamsyn lives with her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth and their young son in Penryth Hall. After an awkward dinner, Edward's body is discovered in the orchard the next morning and talk of a curse keeps Ruby in place. Ruby teams up with the Pellar to determine who is behind Edward's death, and who may be coming for her next.

I didn't love this, but I also didn't hate it either. I was more interested in the mystery rather then the characters in this, and can't say I particularly connected with any of them. I did however, want to know more about the curse, and the Pellar. I liked Ruby and Ruan, the Pellar and thought their relationship to be intriguing enough. I did like their constant bickering, and thought that they had an interesting dynamic. I wasn't the biggest fan of Tamsyn, and couldn't quite grasp why Ruby was so enamored with her. I listened to this on audio, and think the narrator did a great job with these characters and their accents.

After the Great War, heiress Ruby Vaughn finds herself delivering books (from the rare bookstore she operates with her octogenarian housemate) to the Cornish countryside. While there, Ruby stops to see her former close friend, Tamsyn. Married to Sir Edward Chenowyth, Ruby finds herself at the magnificent Penryth Hall—and soon embroiled in a murder. With the help of local healer Ruan Kivell (recipient of the book delivery), Ruby investigated whether the supposed curse plaguing Penryth Hall is real…or is something else at play?

I didn’t realize I hadn’t posted a review on this book until I learned book 2 is slated to release this year!

Years ago, I went on a gothic novel kick after reading The Ivy Tree by Mary Stuart. This book captures all the adventure and Cornish lore of those gothic novels while adding well-developed characters and a thrilling mystery. This book was an excellent kick off to a series and I cannot wait to read about Ruby’s next adventure!

The Curse of Penryth Hall is out know and I highly recommend for some lore-filled, adventurous, and mysterious reading!

The Curse of Penryth Hall
Jess Armstrong
Rating: 🦄🦄🦄🦄

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for my digital copy of this book for review. I'm sad it took me so long to read it!
Here's some bulletpoint thoughts:
*enjoyable, complex characters
*Gave me very Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre feels
*Witchy/healer vibes
*War stories
*Very gothic, dark murder mystery with an ancient curse and found family
*Beautiful scenery and setting
*Hints of a past relationship between to 2 main FMCs, but no more than hints
**This is a debut novel and the first in a series. The second will be coming out in December of this year!

If you enjoy the dark, creepy, ancient curses, witchy mysteries, I would recommend looking at this one!

#thecurseofpenrythhall #jessarmstrong #witchy #foundfamily #netgalley #ancientcurse #murdermystery
#bulletpointreview #bookreview

This book exceeded my expectations and is great!! It was just the right amount of creepy, mysterious and had intrigue!

I don't know if lovely is the word one should use when describing a gothic thriller but that is how I felt abotu Penryth Hall. A wonderfully written historical mystery that embraces love and the lengths we will go for friendship. I thought Ruby was a charming protagonist whose resilience and love for her friend were admirable. I can not wait to read more of her adventures. TW: abuse.

A wonderful gothic novel with strong characters and great supernatural elements that are both believable and entertaining.

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!