I quite liked this book to start. Hecate was an eager and excited young girl journeying into the next phase of life as a young adult. A medieval castle, priests, old books, and mysterious maps made for quite the setting of what would end up being a slow trod through mystery, intrigue, and ultimately obscurity. The plot here was overly wordy, and drawn out. And I didn't originally know this was the start of a series but I didn't get enough that would warrant continuing on with this story. There simply wasn't enough present or anticipated that made any investment in any particular character while I do quite like Hecate.

I love Paula Brackston's books they pull you in and hook you. I love her writing style it is so easy to read and get lost in the story. This new book is the start of a new series and I am here for it!!! This is one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint me. It had magic, ghosts, libraries and magical beasts. This book was everything that I had hoped. If I coyos give 6 stars I would!!!!! It kept me up all night reading this book. Love it. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!!!!
I just reviewed The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston. #NetGalley
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Unfortunately, this was another book that I could not finish. When I read the summary and saw the cover I thought it would be a book that I would be very interested in reading. However, I have had trouble with finishing it. Every time that I pick it up I don't have the motivation to read it and try to finish it. The book is a little too slow for me and I do not connect with any of the characters. The fact that I am unable to finish the book has nothing to do with the Author and how they wrote it. I do not doubt that there are people who will enjoy this book. However, this book just ended up not being for me

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I think this book was a good blind of history, gothic, romance, and mystery. I loved the main characters as she tries to solve the mysteries surrounding her. The plot was a little slow moving, but the pay out was worth it. If you enjoy gothic mysteries than this book is for you.

Thank you to Net Galley for my arc of this book!

This was a beautifully written story. It did take me a little bit to really get into it, but once it caught my attention I felt myself wanting to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.

I loved Hecate’s character. She was fierce, loyal, and smart as a whip. Her ghostly companions were charming.

The historical aspects of this book and its atmosphere were great, really helped you get a feel for the time period.

I would love to see where Hecate goes next!

For the most part, I liked this book. The main character, Hecate, was likable. She was ambitious, driven, and inquisitive. Her father was also a protagonist, who played a bigger role in this book than it lets on. I liked the writing style. I liked the magical/mythical additions and the slight religious references. I liked the characters (key master, souls, etc.); I think they all added to the story nicely.

There were a lot of open ends, however, and it became clear why at the end, when I realized this was the first in a series. I would have rather had the whole story in its entirety in this one book. While I do think I would consider reading the next book in the series, I really don’t want to wait (and forget) all the details!

I absolutely loved this book! The setting, writing style and characters had me transported to a different time. It was the perfect escape read. Such a great gothic feel, which I LOVE! I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston was an excellent read and I look forward to being able to purchase a physical copy later this year.

What this story does particularly well

- excellent pacing
-phenomenal prose
-well-developed characters with believable motivations

What didn['t work as well for me
Dialogue in this story felt odd. it was mostly at the beginning of the book thought so it may be attributed to getting used to the charecters or authorial style.

I love missed this author! Thank goddess she is back with an amazingly strong female lead! This new series is going to be fabulous!

2.55 stars
Historical Fantasy

The writing is very reflective of the time, so if you do not like lengthy sentences or “flowery/victorian” language, this book wouldn’t be for you.

The characters of the library/cathedral ghosts were lovable and well-written, but overall, this book was a miss for me right now. Perhaps I will pick it up again and I will enjoy it a bit more in a different time of my life.

Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5, rounding up to 3. This book just wasn’t for me. I typically read high fantasy or science fiction, and this was more of a historical with some magical elements. Beautiful cover art though. (I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I loved Hecate. She is a woman who defies convention and can see ghosts. This magical novel is filled with intrigue, secrets, and long forgotten souls. A great start to a new series!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

THE HAUNTING OF HECATE CAVENDISH is such a fun and immersive read. I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction and fantasy. Even though this is not my go-to genre, this book kept my attention from start to finish.

Hecate is an engaging protagonist, and I admired her intelligence and how she seemed ahead of her time. Her quirky personality makes her very relatable and likable. The author has fleshed out the cast with wonderful mythical creatures. Solomon the cathedral cat was my favorite.

This story really has it all -- fantasy, romance, and mystery. This will be a surefire winner for fans of romantasy! Cue the wait for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

This is my first Paula Brackston book but it won't be my last. This book felt a bit genre bending (which is one of my favorite things), but I think I'd call it paranormal historical fiction, bordering on cozy! It's not a fast-paced read, but I really enjoyed the sustained softer nature of the book.

Hecate Cavendish is all my favorite things in a heroine. She's smart, brave, a bit ahead of her time, and delightfully quirky. I love that she eschews all the priorities society imposes on women in favor of things she feels are far more worthwhile - valuing curiosity, intelligence and wit. I LOVED her bike, deep love of books, and unflappability in the face of the paranormal! She certainly did her namesake proud.

The mythical creatures, ghosts, and evil spirits added so much charm to the story, not to mention Solomon the cathedral cat! So many of the side characters were well-developed and beautifully written.

If you love a little romance, a little mystery, a heavy dose of the paranormal and fantastical, and a very curious and plucky heroine who wins the day with her wits in historic England, you will love this book. My one criticism is that I didn't realize that this is the first book in a series! I had expected a more decisive resolution in this volume despite that and thought the conclusion could have had more heft. However, I'm desperate for book 2 to find out what happens next!

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston. This is book one of the series. Paranormal, 1880s, smart and strong female lead.

I rate this 3 stars.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book, Hecate begins her new job as assistant librarian at the local cathedral. I craved more at the end, the ending started out dramatic, an epic fight but then the ball was kind of dropped. A vague conclusion to what all happened so quickly but still questions left unanswered. If book two was out it would be fine but as of now I’m not happy with the ending of the first book.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book, The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish, by Paula Brackstone.
I rated this book 4 stars. I LOVED Hecate as a heroine. She is smart, opinionated, and marches.to her own drum. No body intimidates Hecate! I found myself rooting for her to be successful.
The plot and mystery were interesting and kept me guessing, although I did get some of the non-central characters confused at times. I
Hecate's ghost friends and the magic of the Mappa Mundi intrigued me. I want a tiny griffon of own! I really enjoyed the details about the time period and Hecate's Victorian dress.
I really hope this is the first of a series, because I need more of Hecate Cavendish and her magical friends in my life!

Gothic, atmospheric, a feisty heroine, romance, supernatural elements and creatures…all revolving around books! This was a very enjoyable read and I’m hoping for a follow-up.

I requested an ARC of this book because of the description and title - a haunted library? Enchanted artifacts? A woman born ahead of her time? My opinions are mixed, but the story pretty well composed so it's a 3 for me.

Some of my dislikes may be your likes, so let me start with those.

The book is slow - and not in the worst way, as there is definitely an audience for this book - one that appreciates a cozier story or maybe prefers classics, as this story reads like one. Not just in the "I really researched 19th century dialogue," but in the tune of "I am going to write like Jane Austen." The whole book reads in the style of classics, and while that's not anything that powers my motor it might do something for yours.

There was not enough action in a book that has ghosts and exorcisms for a reader with preferences like mine. Take a scene where an enchanted book is trying to swallow up an enchanted creature and it lasts a few paragraphs, compared to several mentions and pages throughout the book of Hecate's relationship to her bicycle. Again, these are interesting takes, for sure, but I needed more suspense.

The ending was kind of... meh.

My likes are definitely Hecate's character and relationship with her father.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

On paper, this book has the makings of the kind of story I should absolutely love: a free spirited Victorian era girl resisting gender expectations by seeking work as a librarian, the library has a magical map and fantastic creatures, and there’s a (demonically inspired) murder mystery afoot.

In reality, it took me a week to read this book. It rarely takes me a week to read a good book, but for some reason I never could get fully invested: it was kind of slow going. I loved Hecate as a lead character. But I didn’t really buy into either the magic or the romance. And the mystery? Surely there has to be a sequel, because it’s never fully resolved.

There are definitely parts that I loved: the library, the ghosts, Hecate herself, her relationship with her father. I can’t put my finger on what’s missing. Would I read a sequel, if provided? Probably. I want some resolution, and I liked the story well enough. It’s just not going to be a hands down favorite.

Having read Paul Brackston’s “ Witch’s Daughter”, I was delighted to read her latest work “The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish”. The book is a wonderful start to her new series. Spellbinding and captivating I didn’t want to put it down. This whimsical fairy-tale about demons and goddesses and good vs. evil is nothing short of brilliant. Although slow at times I still rated it five stars and look forward to reading more books in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on July 23, 2024.