I enjoyed this book. I listened to the first in the series and loved getting to be back in this world. I enjoy following along as she solves murders.

This was a great second installment to this series. I loved the cozy mystery vibes in this book as well as from the first. The character development was great and tied together nicely. I look forward to the next installment in this series and to watch as the characters grow.

Definitely enjoyed the second installment in this series. The characters are starting to get more fleshed out, which is fun to see. I look forward to learning more about them in titles to come. One very interesting aspect of these books is the way you see the mysteries develop in the 1960s and in the modern day.

A solid cozy mystery and a good follow- up to the first in the series. Perrin gives you perfect elements - a good setting, solid pieces to the puzzle, interesting characters, and motives that make sense.

Once again I feel like I'm giving so much about Frances, which I love, but less insight into Annie. I do feel like Perrin could spend some more time really diving into our narrator.

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book, of course I am a sucker for a cozy mystery set in a small, English-country village full of suspicious characters. It's a quick read with a good, consistent pace that didn't lag or bring down the story at all. I will admit, towards the end, when the past and present mysteries began intertwining it started to feel a little chaotic. But immediately after the action went down, everything wrapped up nicely. I also really liked the closer look we got to see of Annie. How even though she's come into this new life, and is seemingly set from now on, she's still going through a phase of feeling lost and struggling with self-doubt. She's also dealing with complicated family and personal dynamics, and I felt that really added depth to her character. A big thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Kristen Perrins writing, so I was overjoyed when I was given this ARC to read. I love the narration, the descriptive details, the chapters going from past to present. It must seem obvious I suppose, but I loved the aunt Frances was kept alive and we as readers were given more insight to what she was like as a teenager. I loved reading and seeing what brought her to Ford. Just as Jenny had asked why they got married in the first place. It was nice getting that little flashback and seeing how they found their way back to each other.
The mystery, just like in the first book, kept me on my toes and anxious to read more. My brain was spinning with all the possibilities, of what could've happened, what really happened and who was framing Annie.
Truly an amazing book, so glad I was able to read it!

The tone of this book was completely out of left field, and something you'll need to read to really understand..

The writing managed to be serious and absurd, sad and funny all at once. This book was very, very thick with feeling, but, at the same time, I can’t accurately describe what it felt like to read. It was a super unexpected and unique experience...

Plot-wise, it’s a combination of things I like and things I don’t like, so it’s fitting that my rating landed right in the middle. I love boarding house settings. Something about a bunch of people, who would typically run in different circles, trying to work out life under one roof fascinates me. I like drifters, and grifters, and people running from the past. I also really enjoy religion in books. Not books that promote one religion, but rather stories where people are struggling to find purpose or something to believe in.

Murder at Gull’s Nest has all of the above, plus a series of mysterious murders to solve. The crime aspect is what lost me at times. I don’t typically like following an investigator. When the main chunk of the book is a person wandering around asking questions - where were you, who did you see, what did they say - that gets boring to me, fast. I’d much rather see action unfold in real time, than a person putting pieces together after the fact.

Even so, I think this premise has tons of potential, I liked Nora, and I will look out for the next book in the series.

How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5 Stars

There is nothing that I love more than a cozy murder mystery & a dual timeline! This series has quickly become a go-to for me. I absolutely fell in love with the first title in the series, and Kristen does it again with this one. The setting, the characters, the parallels between past and present- love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random Group DUTTON for an eArc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A solid 4⭐ mystery for me! I enjoyed this one just as much as How to Solve Your Own Murder; I think I'll be picking up all of Kristen Perrin's books from now on 😁

I really enjoy the dual timeline throughout the book with both Frances' and Annie's lives in Castle Knoll. Both plotlines were super interesting and I liked the deeper dive into Frances' love stories and our resident fortune teller, Peony Lane 🔮 I think it's so clever how everything ties together!! I couldn't guess the culprit either, too many suspicious characters in this town!!

**minor spoilers for the romance subplot below 👇🏼👇🏼 so stop reading here if you're worried about that**
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I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't more development between Annie and Crane? It seemed like we were heading that direction, and then it just faded away--I really hope the next book in the series gets them moving!! I think it could be a fun parallel with Annie's romantic development alongside Frances' 🩷

I was such a huge fan of How to solve your own murder and could not wait for the follow up and to be back in castle knoll. I enjoyed the second book, though I didn’t love it as much as the first. Would definitely still recommend the series to people.

>>> for some original book related illustrations, please check out my blog :) <<<<
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I always worry about sequels and if they will live up to the first book. but I felt like this one built upon the first one really well.

I enjoyed:
-the way the original story expanded upon the first book.
-learning more about Archie and his secrets.
-less Saxon!!!! yay!!!!

I didn't enjoy:
The pacing of the story. It was just a liiiiiiiiittle slower than i would personally like but that is very much a personal opinion! it didn’t stop me from liking it overall and wanting another book.

I thought this book was really good and kept me interested in the story. I also think this book left a lot of room for book 3 and 4 to provide more background on Castle Knolls/the Gravesdowns/Frances

Overall I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next in this series!

3.9/5 stars

How to Seal Your Own Fate, the second installment in The Castle Knoll Files series by Kristen Perrin, does not disappoint. After thoroughly enjoying the first book, How to Solve Your Own Murder, I was both excited and a bit apprehensive about how Perrin would follow up such a unique concept. Thankfully, she more than delivers.

Like its predecessor, this book features a clever dual timeline structure—present-day sleuth Annie unravels a mystery that's deeply intertwined with one young Frances faced decades earlier. Perrin executes this parallel narrative masterfully, keeping readers engaged and guessing right up until the final reveal.

What sets this series apart is its balance of originality and plausibility. Cozy mysteries often run the risk of becoming either too predictable or too far-fetched, but Perrin navigates that tightrope with skill. Her plots are intricate without being convoluted, and the characters continue to shine with warmth and intelligence.

I can't wait to see what Annie and Frances tackle next. Kristen Perrin has officially become an auto-buy author for me, and I highly recommend her books to any mystery lover looking for something smart, fresh, and wholly satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kristen Perrin once again delivered a fun and cozy mystery. I loved getting to reconnect with all of these characters in this town that's so much more complex than it appears to be. Much like "How to Solve Your Own Murder," this isn't a wildly intense mystery/ thriller novel, but rather is a light-hearted and arguably cute read. Perrin has a tendency to spell out each and every one of the details she's wanting you to notice— a habit that lends itself to a pleasant palate-cleanser of a reading experience. If you're a hard-hitting intensity fan who loves being thoroughly stumped on every page and having to piece details together yourself, this might not be your book. If you're looking for Travis Baldree-meets-mystery, you're in for an absolute treat!

Thrust back into Annie Adam’s world of Castle Knoll, everything and everyone continues to be not what it seems as a fortune teller dies hours after giving Annie a foreboding warning.

This is as cozy as a mystery gets and gives the feeling of nostalgia while being a very fresh and modern whodunnit. In congruence with the greatness of the first book, Kristen Perrin once again creates a murder mystery and small village that is exciting, shocking, and full of secrets. I could see this being a series with MANY books, in the likes of the great mystery authors of the past. I will read anything Perrin puts out, as they make the ultimate palate cleansers.

After the events of “How to Solve Your Own Murder’ (Castle Knoll book #1) Annabel “Annie” Adams is acclimating to her new life, finding herself 40 million pounds richer, and the benefactor of the Gravesdown Estate in Castle Knoll.

Realizing her eccentric Great-Aunt Frances kept files on almost everyone in town, helps explain to Annie why many Castle Knoll residents are hesitant to interact or speak with her.

But, having returned the Estate’s farm to Archie, continuing a cunning game of cat and mouse with Saxon, and having Detective Crane on speed dial, Annie has enough social engagements to continue her search for answers from her Great-Aunt’s past. And that new search comes from questions instigated by none other than Peony Lane!

The same Peony Lane who predicted Frances’ future leading to a domino effect of lives being forever altered from the 1960’s to current day.

Annie finds herself in a very precarious position once again when Peony is found murdered on the Gravesdown Estate shortly after the one and only conversation Annie had with her. And the murder weapon was the same ruby jeweled knife Annie stumbled upon just that morning.

As the dominos fall in quick succession, will Annie be able to stop them by finally finding out the truth from the past? Or will everything point to Annie as the predator the village residents thinks she is?

This is a twisty, torrid, tremendously detailed sequel by an author who dots every “I” and crosses every “t!” I really enjoy the meticulously laid out events bridging the past and present together. I also appreciate the well-thought out characters whose personalities jump off the page. Due to the intricacies of the characters, I would recommend reading the first book before this one.

Based on how the second book left off, I can’t wait to travel to Castle Knoll again!

Thank you NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a copy of this five star read in exchange for a review!

In this second installment of the Castle Knoll mysteries, Annie Adams is settling into her new life when a local fortune teller, Peony Lane, gives Annie a cryptic message. When Peony is found dead a few hours later, Annie must figure out what Peony was trying to tell her by hunting around into the dark secrets of the Castle's past. This is a wonderful historical mystery with a dual timeline. We go from present day back to 1967, where we get Emily's perspective of events. I enjoyed this, as well as the first in the series. Great atmosphere and characters.

Book 2 of the series was just okay for me. I think I'm just not the reader for this series. It's good and all but not for me. I know many reader's will love it and I would recommend it to readers

As soon as I finished the first book, How To Solve Your Own Murder, I ran here to Netgalley to request the second one! Kristen Perrin has managed to right a sequel that ups the ante of the first book in ways that I didn't anticipate--I loved it! I sped through this one, trying to solve the myriad of twisty mysteries along with Annie. What these books does well is examine just how many secrets a family can hold, and how desperate people can get to protect the ones they love. I know it's selfish of me, but I hope that this series never ends--even though that would mean killing off more residents of Castle Knoll!

Because I read the first book a little over a year ago, I had to spark notes it to remember everything clearly. However this book was really good!
I kept getting a little confused with the wording for the fortunes, but that was probably the point, that they could have multiple meanings. I did really like that they go over the timeline of everything at the end so you can see what you might have originally missed. Fingers crossed for a book 3!!

I enjoyed the first one so much that I couldn’t wait to get to this next one. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. The dual timeline in this one didn’t work; it was confusing and the use of diaries was weird. I never warmed to Annie in the first one and I really didn’t like her in this one, either. I think this was a case where a sequel was not needed as it tarnishes the feelings I had for the first one. I actually found my mind wandering in this one and didn’t enjoy it at all.