First things first, Please read 'A Witch In Time' and 'The Ladies of the Secret Circus' before reading The Star and the Strange Moon. Ms. Sayers does a beautiful job of bringing characters from previous books into this one and it was such an enjoyable read. More thank likely, I will be buying physical copies of all three books, I can't say thank you enough for how much fun I had reading your work.

Thank you Netgalley, Orbit books and Constance Sayers for an eARC of this book. As usual, I don't really read the blurbs for books that I read so I jumped into this blindly. At first, I thought it was going to be the same flow or similar story-ish to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by TJR but then there's so many other genre that's pitched into this book. I see elements of horror, mystery, thriller, drama and some comedy all rolled into one story. I haven't finished this book and DNFd it at only 30%. I just wasn't caring for the characters enough for me to continue. I have so many other books that I'm so eager to jump into so maybe in the future I will revisit this book but that'll probably be some time the end of next year. This book just wasn't for me --- it wasn't a bad book but I just probably wasn't in the right mindset or place to appreciate this book. The plot was promising, missing actress - two different timelines - we're all trying to uncover the mystery behind the actress' disappearance. If you like solving mysteries with a hint of horror and thriller - maybe some fantasy too? Then this book is for you. I'm still grateful I got the chance to receive this eARC. Rating it 3⭐️ - just for the fact that it's promising but the problem is probably me. So please, still give this book a chance if the blurb is interesting for you.

I am obsessed with Constance Sayers' writing. I love how she weaves her stories. I had zero clue what to expect while reading this, and it was sooo good!

The Star and the Strange Moon is a gorgeously written tale of one man's obsession with the mysterious disappearance of a movie starlet forty years prior.

I just knew I was going to love this book simply by reading the description. It is exactly what I was expecting - an imaginative, inventive historical fantasy/mystery, set in two different worlds. Each setting was equally compelling; Gemma's felt like a magical, dark fairy tale, while Christopher's world had the more traditional hallmarks of mystery and suspense.

The beginning was a bit slow, but that's only due to all the background that needed to be laid out. After that, the book becomes impossible to put down. Gemma was a wonderful character - a strong, independent, feminine model who didn't adhere the preconceived stereotypes of women of her time.

This story is completely enchanting. It was a wonderful rabbit hole to fall down and lose myself in. It reminded me of Somewhere in Time (1980) staring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour and A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw.

Thank you to Redhook Books, Constance Sayers, and Netgalley for an advance digital copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and given voluntarily.

4½ stars rounded up to 5 stars

Recommended for fans of:
Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mysteries, Magical Realism, Fairy Tales, Women's Fiction, General Fiction

This is such a fascinating and unique read. I am always able to expect that from Constance Sayers. I know I am in for a hauntingly beautiful treat every time I crack open one of her books. I will be consumed by the first sentence, hungrily waiting for every astonishing detail and description. That will sweep me up in a swirling mist of mystery. She did not let me down this time. I was in love with the characters. Their interweaving threads add to the heightened intrigue of what happened when Gemma Turner mysteriously disappears during the middle of filming. One frame she is there, the next frame she has vanished. It has been a mystery that has haunted the film industry for decades. No one knows what happened to Gemma in 1968. Will it ever be solved?

Gemma was the known it girl for surfing movies. She wanted to branch out and spread her wings. Her last movie ended in disaster and the offers have all but dried up. Until a director from France offers her the starring role in his new horror movie, L'Etrange Lune. She cannot pass up this opportunity. The filming will be set in the French countryside at the director's home. As soon as she arrives, Gemma knows in her gut to run. But she cannot, she is in too deep. As filming commences, strange occurrences occur. Leading to Gemma disappearance. Years later Christopher Kent is a young boy when he comes across a photo of Gemma. Which leads to the downward spiral of his mother. Who is this woman and how did she have such an effect on his mother? Christopher becomes obsessed with Gemma. He tracks down every lead and every person that knew her. Will he be able to uncover what happened to Gemma?

This is such an awe-inspiring read. It is shocking, terrifying, and out of this world. I loved each and every second I had it in my hand. I will not forget this tale. Thank you to Constance Sayers and Redhook for my copy.

The nitty-gritty: Constance Sayers’ latest is a beautifully written, complex story about movies, curses, monsters and fame.

Like Constance Sayers’ other books, The Star and the Strange Moon is a complex, character-driven story that moves back and forth in time. In fact, I was surprised to recognize at least one character in this book from A Witch In Time, the first book of Sayers’ that I read, and I suspect the author deliberately included this character as an Easter Egg for her readers. This time she tackles the “cursed movie” trope and succeeds brilliantly, bringing fresh ideas to one of the year’s most popular literary trends.

Christopher Kent is ten years old in 1986 when his life is forever changed by a strange scene involving his mother and a framed photo. In a hotel, Pamela Kent spots this photo on the wall and becomes enraged. Christopher doesn’t understand her behavior, nor does he (yet) understand the connection between his mother and the woman in the photo, who turns out to be a young actress named Gemma Turner. But the experience haunts him, and Christopher will spend the next fifteen years trying to uncover that connection.

We then jump back to 1968 and meet Gemma, a “washed up” twenty-two year old actress whose career hinges on whether or not she can impress Thierry Valdon, an avant-garde director who is famous for his New Wave style of movie making. Thierry is making a horror movie called L’Étrange Lune, or The Strange Moon, and he wants Gemma to be the star. Gemma agrees to Valdon’s terms—leaving her troublemaker musician boyfriend Charlie Hicks behind—and flies to France to begin filming. But after only a handful of days shooting, something odd happens on set. Gemma is filming a scene where she’s running down an alley, but suddenly she disappears. Despite the crew’s frantic searching, no one can find her, and she’s eventually proclaimed dead.

But Gemma isn’t dead. She’s been magically transported into the film L’Étrange Lune. Set in 1878, Gemma finds herself in a world of period costumes, and each person she meets is playing a part in the movie she was filming. Everyone is calling her “Gisele,” her character’s name in the movie, and she’s surrounded not by the actors she was working with, but by the characters themselves. How did she get her? And more importantly, how can she get back home? 

Back in the “real” world, Christopher has never given up his obsession with tracking down information about Gemma and her ill-fated movie, L’Étrange Lune. And that persistence is about to pay off, as Christopher gets closer and closer to the truth of what really happened to Gemma.

The Star and the Strange Moon is a slow-build, enthralling mystery with surprises on just about every page. Constance Sayers loves to play with connections between her characters, and I loved the way these connections appear throughout the book. For example, the photographer who took the photo of Gemma that made Pamela Kent so angry is a character in Gemma’s 1968 timeline, a man named Rick Nash who took that photo during a party. Gemma’s agent Mick Fontaine turns out to be related to Christopher’s girlfriend Ivy. And those are just two examples in a story brimming with all sorts of fascinating connections. What’s even more impressive is that these connections cross time periods and locations, and you can tell the author put a lot of thought and time into figuring out her complicated relationships.

The dual timeline worked very well, and I enjoyed both Christopher’s search for Gemma in the present, and Gemma’s experience in the past, trapped in the movie she was filming when she disappeared. A big chunk of the story revolves around the mysterious, unfinished film L’Étrange Lune and the secret cult following it’s attracted. Christopher eventually turns up clues about the movie, but rather than have his questions answered, the mystery only deepens.

This isn’t a fast read by any means, but I enjoyed taking my time, lingering over all the different characters and their connections to Gemma. My only complaint is that the story did feel a little long in places. Some events didn’t feel important to the overall story and probably could have been left out. And while I loved the explanation for what happened to Gemma, there is a romantic element at the end that felt tacked on (although I will admit the story is building up to this romance from page one).

But aside from that, Constance Sayers has another winner on her hands. This isn't my favorite of her books (that distinction goes to The Ladies of the Secret Circus), but you really can't go wrong with any of them.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Absolutely loved this book! The beginning is a bit slow but when it picks up in the second act, oh boy does it take you on a roller coaster. Such a creative fun book, the atmosphere and setting were well worth the build-up.

Thank you Netgalley and Redhook for access to this arc.

I liked the descriptions given – especially for the 1968 part of the story. The information that Gemma’s physical appearance was inspired by French actress Francoise Dorleac helped me visualize her. I could see Gemma getting her start in early 60s California beach films and tiring of the genre, as her desire to try her hand at scriptwriting grew. Was a French director, trying to make an improved (French) version of a Hammer horror film without actually having ever seen a horror film, any more receptive to this than the male rulers of Hollywood? Of course not. Gemma’s over-the-top self involved rock star lover fit right in with the other drug taking British singers of the late 60s.

The opening of the story threw me for a loop though. Who was this ten year old boy whose job it seemed to be to take care of his drug taking, mental health issues challenged mother? Well, that took a while to figure out. As a character later told Christopher, everything was carefully thought and planned out. I’m not sure I would have wanted to date an adult Christopher as obsessed as he was with this strange film that was only shown every ten years to a select group of people who were supposed to be acting under a bizarre series of rules. Would those rules really work? Well, obviously not as Christopher and Elizabeth (plus a few others) went full bore “conspiracy theory” about the film. How strange all this was was perfectly encapsulated by the scene when Christopher bores the pants off of a cousin and their dates as he did a deep dive into the various nutjob trains of thought on L’Estrange Lune. I could almost see the three of them slowly backing away from him.

The romance? Eh, I didn’t think so. It’s more obsession and Gemma meeting up with a male who isn’t a total wank loser. In fact the more I thought about it, the creepier it got. As a child with a sad backstory, Christopher was pitiable but as an adult he was bland and blah but fixated. His “nearest and dearest” thought that Christopher was dangerously obsessed (there’s just no other word that fits as well) with the film and I found I agreed with them. It was unhealthy and the fact that he himself realized that no one would miss him if he disappeared? Yeah.

Who did I like the best? That would be Gemma who tried to advance her film career beyond Beach Blanket Bingo and twice got tossed into the deep end of a shit show – the first when she arrived and began filming of L’Estrange Lune. in the face of many who denigrated her and the second when what happened, happened. She kept her head above water and managed to claw agency out of it, even in the face of some shameless victim blaming.

Right … so the film. When I read something in the 1870s “Amboise” section of the book (when Gemma is trapped inside the film) that set off my klaxon alarms of historical inaccuracy it helped me peel myself off the ceiling by thinking, “Just remember, it’s a film. It’s supposed to be a bad horror film that’s being reshot. Historical authenticity has no place in it. We’re talking “Hollywood authenticity” is good enough.” That helped as well with the horror scenes because the vampires veered between laughable and gross. Hitting the end though, was full on euwww though the final bits answered the main questions about the whole set up.

Still, the way the “how did all this get started” was explained was just another section of villain exposition or telling instead of showing which added to all the other instances of information being conveyed in slightly irritating ways. The villain magically typing answers to Gemma?? Was there a better way to make sure readers had all the necessary information? Surely so. I also thought that tightening or eliminating some scenes (Gemma goes to 1878 Paris!) would have moved things along. There was way too much unnecessary description of the places and clothes. The arc I read also had a lot of typos that I hope were fixed. And yet, there I was, reading until the end to discover “what next” so it did work for me on some level. I just wish Gemma had been left with her own agency to triumph over both the villains who got her into that mess.

I've read a few horror books about media gone awry recently (Silver Nitrate, Mister Magic, etc.), but I've never heard of one with this exact premise. And I really did like the premise. I thought the concept of having to act your way out of a horror movie in a Groundhog Day-type manner was riveting, and the fact that the film with the new additions was shown every couple of years was very eerie.

For the most part, I enjoyed the execution! I loved the Gothic atmosphere, the slow burn, the twists that the audience was given. I will say it was probably 50-100 pages too long. However, the thing I liked most was the evolution of the relationship between Christopher and Gemma. It felt reminiscent of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue for a couple reasons (and I loved that book).

The biggest disservice to this book is marketing it as a horror; it is absolutely not. This is a fantasy historical fiction with a touch of romance. The backdrop / inciting incident is the filming of a horror movie, but I feel like describing it as a horror book closes it off to a potentially wider audience who would enjoy this book. While there are certainly a few horror/Gothic elements to the plot, I wouldn't let that characterization dissuade you from looking into this book.

Overall, an interesting premise executed very well, and I look forward to seeing what Sayers comes out with in the future.

From the very beginning, The Star and the Strange Moon is utterly enthralling. I generally love horror and fantasy, and this one blends the two genres perfectly, set against the backdrop of the 1960s movie scenes and the lifestyles of the rich and creative. This book follows two timelines as they close in on each other. In the first, Gemma Turner is a 22-year-old actress who’s trying to save her floundering career. She accepts a starring role in a French horror film, L’Étrange Lune, directed by an eccentric director, Thierry Valdon. But despite his initial invitation for her to share her notes on his script, he demands complete control over the film. The two don’t get along at all. Things go from bad to worse when, in the middle of shooting an evening scene, Gemma disappears right on camera. She’s never seen again.

Gemma’s parts in the book are so captivating. I love how much grit and ambition she has, not just as an actress, but also as an aspiring screenwriter. She leaves behind a problematic musician boyfriend before relocating to France for the horror film shoot. There are many different theories as to what happened to Gemma or who might have wanted to harm her. However, I love the direction Constance Sayers instead takes it. The reveal is earlier than I’d expected, but there’s a lot more story to be told about it!

The other main narrative of the novel follows Christopher Kent. His single mother trashes a poster of Gemma Turner and never recovers mentally, dying two years later. Only 10 at the time, it was a pivotal moment for Christopher, and to him, Gemma Turner was like a key to unraveling the mystery of his own mother. What was the connection between them? Why was there so much mystery surrounding Gemma Turner and her unusual disappearance? From the time he’s a teenager and into his 30s, Christopher does what he can to learn more about Gemma Turner and try to figure out what really happened to her. There’s also the creepy, secretive showings of her last film, L’Étrange Lune, that crop up every ten years, always with new and impossible footage. There’s so much secrecy surrounding this film…. Not to mention melancholy and death. Is this film cursed? Is it coming straight from Hell?

There are so many fascinating directions The Star and the Strange Moon goes in, but most of them are major spoilers, so I shall refrain from anything specific. I love how it’s built around a horror film (my favorite movie genre!), complete with an eerie chateau and a cast including vampires. Gemma is a woman very ahead of her times in 1968, and she’s a captivating protagonist to follow. The setting in France is as beautiful as it is haunting, with its fog and strange history. I also love how this book dives into the arts—specifically, movies and a bit of the rock music scene following the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

This book is also largely about family trauma and the tenuous connections we can draw to the seemingly irrelevant. Not everyone would fixate on such a specific detail the way Christopher Kent does, but he’s tenacious and determined. He might grow up to be emotionally unavailable or living in a dream world, but I felt for him. So much in his life is ripped away and all he has is a mystery to solve.

The Star and the Strange Moon is a beautiful, haunting novel centered on a mystery that only grows weirder as you learn more. The characters are compelling, with thoughtful themes and connections, and I love how the horror and fantasy balance each other out. I’ve really enjoyed both of the Constance Sayers books I’ve read so far, and I look forward to reading The Ladies of the Secret Circus and anything else she puts out in the future. She’s becoming a favorite author, with just the right vibe for this time of year, especially.

Thanks to Redhook Books, author Constance Sayers, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Star and the Strange Moon took me on many journeys. I felt like I read 3 different books by the end, but they also all fit together into one story. It’s mysterious, a little spooky gothic, a little romantic, and entirely gripping. There were twists I was able to predict with clues and twists that hit me out of left field AND twists that I kind of predicted but also surprised me. The story starts out slowly with tons of world-building and characters, but it’s well done and necessary to make everything make sense later on.

I think this book will impress readers of numerous genres. It was fun, weird, sad, and compelling!

This is a dual-timeline story about an actress who disappeared on set in the middle of filming a horror film, and a film student who becomes obsessed with finding out why his mother hated the star so much. In 1968, Gemma Turner thought she might have just caught a big break in her career when she was cast for the lead in a radical new horror film, along with a promise to let her write part of the script. But one night, between the shadows of an alleyway, Gemma disappears on set and is never seen again. Yet, Gemma is alive. She’s been pulled into the film. And the script—and the monsters within it—are coming to life. In 2007: Gemma Turner’s disappearance is one of Hollywood’s greatest mysteries—one that’s captivated film student Christopher Kent ever since he saw L’Étrange Lune for the first time. The screenings only happen once a decade and each time there is new, impossible footage of Gemma that shouldn’t exist. Curiosity drives Christopher to unravel the truth. But answers to the film’s mystery may leave him trapped by it forever.

I am a huge fan of this author's books. At first, this book started out as a bit of a slow burn for me, and I was afraid I would not like it, but I refused to put it down. I am so glad I didn't. This book was both creepy and haunting, yet at the same time there was a love story. I know that sounds weird, and my description can not possibly do this book justice. I will just say that the dark magic was what gave it the creepy element, while Gemma being forced to replay (or re-enact I guess) the same story over and over and knowing she could never go back to her real life was the part that was so haunting. I loved this book, and if you are a fan of fantasy fiction, then I believe you will want to add this to your TBR pile.

This book is told with dual timelines. Each one just as interesting. This book sucked me in from page one and kept me turning the pages. It was intense at times and maybe a little predictable in spots. I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

The Star and the Strange Moon took me on an unexpected journey that I was so happy to experience. I loved the film elements and the mystery and horror involved. The different years the book encompasses didn't feel awkward or hard to follow. Everything felt so lush and thoughtful. It could be a bit slow at times but it didn't take away from the overall reading experience for me.

WOW.

The Star and the Strange Moon is a haunting take on fame and the consequences that others suffer at the hands of those willing to give anything.

It is impossible for me to describe how much I love Gemma and Christopher. Gemma makes a world of her own in this Hell that she has been sentenced to. Christopher would give anything to solve the mystery of L'Étrange Lune and the disappearance of Gemma Turner.

I absolutely loved Anthony A's role in it all, and how he gave Gemma so much more than you would think given the circumstances. Though, that makes it more like Hell for Thierry, so obviously I loved that.

I wonder about Charlie a bit, how Gemma was able to bring him into her world with memories that she would have no idea about. Was it really his spirit? And what did their kiss do for her in this "movie"?

I 100% would recommend this book for anyone looking for deals with devils and cursed films.

What genre was this? I don't even know. Was it romance? Was it horror? Was it time-traveling fantasy? Was it intellectual/artsy? I don't have the slightest clue, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. I showed up for this literary party with my dancing shoes on. Similarly, I honestly don't know how to give a plot summary without major spoilers because every twist and turn had me going, “Wait, WTF, stop, really?” It's so chaotic, just go with it.

The Star and The Strange Moon, by Constance Sayer, follows two timelines. First, we meet Christopher as a young child who cares for and is then separated from his deeply mentally ill mother. His story is heartbreaking as he grows to adulthood and navigates his trauma around the loss of his mother. Woven into that trauma is his obsession with the 1960s film star Gemma Turner (a photo of whom precipitated his mother’s final mental breakdown). Gemma’s horror story and timeline are braided into the narrative of Christopher’s, and thus begins the most genre-bending piece of media I’ve ever consumed. It's like Nosferatu meets Daisy Jones meets Outlander meets Le Viol du Vampire meets Lord knows what...

Constance Sayer, your mind is a deeply weird place, and I freaking love you for it. Gemma is a delightful character. My only criticism is that she’s supposed to be a spectacular writer, and YOU are clearly a great writer, but she seems kind of clueless and helpless for quite a while. Why is this character, who is supposed to be empowered and brilliant, acting the part, writing a story, and dialogue for herself that isn’t particularly interesting?

I recommend this if you have a high tolerance for not knowing what is going on and enjoy going along for the ride. If you prefer a cleaner genre or don’t like fantasy blended with your realism, definitely skip this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for the ARC-- All opinions are unbiased and my own.

Thank you to Orbit for the free eARC. This is my honest opinion.

Wow this book reminds me so much of a favorite movie of mine growing up called Somewhere in Time. I was obsessed with this movie and the idea of time travel for a long period of my life.

Gemma Turner is an actress on the outs with Hollywood, but she captured the eye of a director doing avant garde New Wave movies in France in 1968. She loves the idea of the film and being a creative (she wants to be a writer) on the film and working with this specific director, but the film script is less than inspired and it's plagued with issues, like her disappearing from the set while filming. In 1986, Christopher Kent watches his mom have a complete mental breakdown over a photo of a stunning woman, and later he becomes obsessed with the woman in the photo, namely Gemma Turner, who went missing in 1968, presumed dead while filming L’Etrange Lune, a film that no one has seen. However, there is a selected screening of the film every 10 years, but something is very wrong... there are scenes that can't be possible.

This book is strange, filled with mystery, horror, thriller, following the rules of horror films, and breaking them at the same time. I was fascinated by all the mysteries and putting all of the clues together as to what happened with Gemma, and following Christopher's detective work in piecing everything together in the modern time. I was intrigued by how the author weaved everything together, and on how the story ended, because it made me think about how I might write a story.

4.25 out of 5 stars. Recommend for those who like mysteries about celebrities, with a little bit of the fantastic.

I was so excited to read this because I absolutely loved The Ladies of the Secret Circus. This book did not disappoint, I LOVED it!!! One of my favorite books that I read this year. The book was pure magic and beautifully written. I hated when the story ended. I wanted to keep reading about Gemma and Christopher. I would have never guessed the reasons behind Pamela's reaction to Gemma's photograph. The best thing for Christopher, were his aunt and uncle. They gave him such a stable life, he longer had to scrounge for change or take care of his mother. Gemma starred in her own personal horror movie. She handled it pretty well. That was one movie I wouldn't want to watch or be involved with. Everything about it was scary. I loved how Gemma would introduce modern words and fashion to her maids. Thierry Valdon got exactly what he deserved. Loved getting to know all of the characters and trying to figure out the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Gemma. I enjoyed how the book alternated between Gemma and Christopher. The clues to solving the mystery of Gemma's disappearance were always there, but it took the persistence of one person to put them all together. I loved when the truth about everyone and all the connections was finally revealed.

Definitely recommend the book. I loved the story, characters, and writing style- everything about the book. This would make such a wonderful movie. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Redhook Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2023/11/06/the-star-and-the-strange-moon-by-constance-sayers/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Hauntingly beautiful,evocative and captivating

I think I used up most of the relevant descriptors in my short review above so you probably don’t need the rest of this write up. But here we go anyways. I’m absolutely loving Constance Sayers. Her ability to bring to life on the page amazing characters and surround them with magical backdrops is just wonderful and The Star and the Strange Moon was another success for me.

The story is told in two timelines which is a device that I love. We flip back in time between two characters. Gemma Turner, an actress from the 60s whose dreams of stardom seem to be slowly slipping away and Christopher Kent, whose timelines first brings him to us as a young boy and from there he progresses to a young man. Christopher has been obsessed by the actress ever since his mother experienced a sort of meltdown after seeing Gemma’s picture hanging on a hotel wall. Gemma and Christopher’s lives are set to become inextricably linked and many of the cast floating in their orbit also share connections that will eventually reveal themselves as the story moves forward.

Without doubt this is a layered book and for me the immediate word that springs to mind is obsession. Gemma is desperately trying to get her career back on track and in her desperation takes on a role with a director who himself seems to be a little desperate (obsessed even in his need to make a groundbreaking film). Gemma never has a good feel about this new style horror film and her gut instincts tell her to walk away but desperation leaves her little choice (or so she believes). In a strange twist Gemma disappears, during filming, and is never seen again. This is one of life’s strange mysteries that in the more modern timeline still fascinates people and in fact this last movie for both her and the director has become something of an obsession with movie aficionados. A small collection of individually chosen people get together every 10 years to rewatch L’Etrange Lune – two things must you know about this cult status film, each showing is different than the last in ways that are simply not possible, and, speaking to others about the experience is forbidden and holds deadly consequences.

Jump to Christopher. He has been obsessed with Gemma since his mother became unhinged one time after seeing her picture. His family try to guide him, to set him on a different track, to put the past behind him and live more in the here and now but Christopher is unable to let go. He eventually finagles himself a prized ticket to the next screening of L’Etrange Lune and although the film is disturbing for him he continues to dig, even as the mystery and the body count begin to rise.

So, it’s not a spoiler for me to say that Gemma is actually living an almost nightmare existence, transported (for want of a better word) into the very horror film that she is making. I totally loved this element of the story. This faux movie set was such a blast from the past. The scenes and the retakes made me think of old Hammer movies which made me smile and then we have Gemma, stuck in the middle of this older version of France where to an extent her wealth and status, whilst giving her some options, still mean she is restricted by old fashioned customs. And the movie, or something, is trying to push Gemma – or, well, ‘direct’ her. I liked Gemma though. She makes mistakes but she keeps hold of her more modern sensibilities and starts to push this production in a way that she wants. Its a great concept and really well executed.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (or more modern day America), Christopher finds himself taking on board a job that takes him to France. Cunningly enough, he may have been incentivised to take this job because it gives him the opportunity to take a stroll through the very squares and streets where Gemma was last seen.

I think this is stunning. I love the way that so many threads tie in, in fact some of the threads didn’t even feel like threads until they did become tied together! A captivating mystery, two very easy to read central characters that I was definitely rooting for. A modern day setting coupled with a throwback to the sixties and a faux 1800s? setting with coaches and bustles and creepy characters. I wouldn’t call this horror as such but you do need to remember that Gemma is now starring in the strangest horror movie ever and some of the scenes have horror elements as a consequence.

Elements of horror, a tantalising mystery, dual timeline with a historic setting thrown in for good measure. Magic and monsters. And, who knew, a romance. I didn’t even realise I was reading a romance until everything started to come together.

In terms of criticisms. I don’t really have anything to be honest. I will say that there is a lot to put forward here and also, with the nature of the story, some repetition as we backtrack and investigate. It wasn’t a problem for me though because the beautiful writing held me glued to the page.

The moral of the story – be careful what you wish for.

My thanks to the publishers for providing me with a review copy through Netgalley. The above is my own opinion.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the Arc!

This book was beautifully written. The prose was well done and that’s what kept me hooked.

I was excited to read a book with an art form as a major theme. I’m not one to relate to film/cinema so that did make it challenging for me to relate to these characters. This book also had dynamics of mystery, paranormal, and magical happenings.

Overall I recommend because it is a beautiful book even if the characters didn’t grab me.