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bethpeninger's review
Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.
Well. I made it to 15% before calling it quits. Getting to 10% was a struggle so I feel like I was rather generous in 1) getting to 10% and then 2) going beyond to 15% in an effort to give the book more of a chance. I just didn't care about this story or the three women connected throughout time by a mysterious pearl and mirror. From the very first sentence, I knew it wasn't going to be a book I would be able to engage with. Cornick's style felt clunky and tedious to me. It felt like the story, and the characters, were being held back by something indefinable. I read the introductory story of all three women in hopes that maybe one of them would pique my curiosity enough to keep on but they didn't so I decided to move on. This title gets pretty high ratings over at Goodreads but I can't contribute to them.
Well. I made it to 15% before calling it quits. Getting to 10% was a struggle so I feel like I was rather generous in 1) getting to 10% and then 2) going beyond to 15% in an effort to give the book more of a chance. I just didn't care about this story or the three women connected throughout time by a mysterious pearl and mirror. From the very first sentence, I knew it wasn't going to be a book I would be able to engage with. Cornick's style felt clunky and tedious to me. It felt like the story, and the characters, were being held back by something indefinable. I read the introductory story of all three women in hopes that maybe one of them would pique my curiosity enough to keep on but they didn't so I decided to move on. This title gets pretty high ratings over at Goodreads but I can't contribute to them.
olindaaaf's review against another edition
4.0
Makin menuju ending makin menarikkk. Elizabeth and craven really got my attention walaupun their love story banyak bgt rintangan tapi in another life time kelanjutan mereka di teruskan sama kemanisan story mark-holly dan mereka saling menguatkan<333
allison_ck's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars to this wonderful historical mystery spanning multiple timelines! If you're a fan of Kate Morton you will love this book.
seacrab1's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a sucker for time-travel romance but this one fell short for me. The writing is pretty good (yet overly descriptive in places) and most of the characters are likable, but there are too many stories going on; it's all over the place. Perhaps I've just read different versions of this tale before, told with more focus and intrigue. I got through it on sheer determination to not mark it DNF, which shouldn't be the main reason for turning the pages.
ashesbooksandbobs's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed on: 5171 Miles Book Blog.
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but the beautiful cover of House of Shadows immediately caught my attention, making me want this book in my hands. The image alone could sell the book without the interesting blurb or story inside! Upon flipping this book over, readers will learn it is set throughout the hills of Oxfordshire and partially in London, England. I don’t know about you, but I was sold! Since airfare is quite pricey to hop across the pond, I have to settle for being taken there by the hands of authors. Luckily, Nicola Cornick was up for the challenge and created stunning imagery through her writing, easily transporting me not only to another country, but to multiple time periods.
Woven through three separate centuries, this tale begins with Elizabeth Stuart, The Winter Queen, warning her lover, William Craven, to destroy an ornate mirror which brings doom to greedy men. Her life has turned to shambles, she believes, due to the power the mirror possesses. A power many underestimate.
In the present day, Holly learns of the disappearance of her brother, Ben. She decides to leave her cozy life in London and help in the hunt to discover what could have possibly happened to her brother. Upon arriving, she learns Ben was researching the family line at their old Mill house in Ashdown, something he didn’t seem particularly interested in prior in his life – a mystery in itself. Holly soon discovers the handwritten journal of Latvinia Flyte among Ben’s things, telling of her scandalous 19th century life. Shortly thereafter, Holly acquires a mysterious looking-glass deeply connected to the past and expanding the history Holly must sort through.
The story takes readers through time and history, connecting three different women’s lives in the modern era. One of my favorite things about Historical Fiction is being able to absorb the facts through an interesting tale, mixed with just enough fiction to keep the story exciting. This is one of my favorite ways to learn of the past because it keeps my interest, rather than the dull monotone life stories we often get through Non-Fiction. I had no knowledge of the life of Elizabeth Stuart, also known as The Queen of Bohemia prior to reading this novel which alternates between time periods. I was eager to fact check which parts of this story were real with the fiction within the pages, allowing me to further my knowledge of an incredibly interesting historical woman. I enjoyed being able to get to know Elizabeth as a living, breathing woman, rather than a fancy queen in a big dress, painted as a work of art.
Another great aspect of this tale was being able to learn of Latvinia through Holly’s reading of her diary. It added the third perspective in a unique way, allowing readers to experience both Holly in the present and Lavinia in the past simultaneously. Like Holly, I couldn’t help rooting for Lavinia and hoping her trials in life would turn into success. I was constantly on the edge of my seat hoping to learn more about her mysterious life and how she could possibly be connected to the story.
I found all three time periods within the pages to feature quite interesting storylines. When the setting would switch between chapters I was often so caught up in one perspective, I would be disappointed with the change and wanted to continue reading about the characters I was with at the moment. The changing perspectives were done so well by the author and was a great tactic in keeping the reader’s interest throughout the book. Only occasionally would I find the present storyline with Holly to be dragging and not quite as exciting as the past perspectives of Elizabeth and Lavinia. This was the sole reason I knocked a star off of my final rating, giving four stars instead of the full five. However, the addition of a love interest for Holly and being able to experience the unexpected tidbits of romance within her story was a pleasant surprise, allowing her viewpoint to be more of an experience, rather than the search for her brother being the only aspect of her story.
House of Shadows was an interesting story across the board — full of romance, mystery, history, superstition, and heartbreak. I highly recommend this unique and fully immersing novel. This will be one I reflect on for months to come.
The release date is set for October 17th, however, pre-ordering is available now. This book will not only look lovely on your shelf, but will keep you captivated until the very end.
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but the beautiful cover of House of Shadows immediately caught my attention, making me want this book in my hands. The image alone could sell the book without the interesting blurb or story inside! Upon flipping this book over, readers will learn it is set throughout the hills of Oxfordshire and partially in London, England. I don’t know about you, but I was sold! Since airfare is quite pricey to hop across the pond, I have to settle for being taken there by the hands of authors. Luckily, Nicola Cornick was up for the challenge and created stunning imagery through her writing, easily transporting me not only to another country, but to multiple time periods.
Woven through three separate centuries, this tale begins with Elizabeth Stuart, The Winter Queen, warning her lover, William Craven, to destroy an ornate mirror which brings doom to greedy men. Her life has turned to shambles, she believes, due to the power the mirror possesses. A power many underestimate.
In the present day, Holly learns of the disappearance of her brother, Ben. She decides to leave her cozy life in London and help in the hunt to discover what could have possibly happened to her brother. Upon arriving, she learns Ben was researching the family line at their old Mill house in Ashdown, something he didn’t seem particularly interested in prior in his life – a mystery in itself. Holly soon discovers the handwritten journal of Latvinia Flyte among Ben’s things, telling of her scandalous 19th century life. Shortly thereafter, Holly acquires a mysterious looking-glass deeply connected to the past and expanding the history Holly must sort through.
The story takes readers through time and history, connecting three different women’s lives in the modern era. One of my favorite things about Historical Fiction is being able to absorb the facts through an interesting tale, mixed with just enough fiction to keep the story exciting. This is one of my favorite ways to learn of the past because it keeps my interest, rather than the dull monotone life stories we often get through Non-Fiction. I had no knowledge of the life of Elizabeth Stuart, also known as The Queen of Bohemia prior to reading this novel which alternates between time periods. I was eager to fact check which parts of this story were real with the fiction within the pages, allowing me to further my knowledge of an incredibly interesting historical woman. I enjoyed being able to get to know Elizabeth as a living, breathing woman, rather than a fancy queen in a big dress, painted as a work of art.
Another great aspect of this tale was being able to learn of Latvinia through Holly’s reading of her diary. It added the third perspective in a unique way, allowing readers to experience both Holly in the present and Lavinia in the past simultaneously. Like Holly, I couldn’t help rooting for Lavinia and hoping her trials in life would turn into success. I was constantly on the edge of my seat hoping to learn more about her mysterious life and how she could possibly be connected to the story.
I found all three time periods within the pages to feature quite interesting storylines. When the setting would switch between chapters I was often so caught up in one perspective, I would be disappointed with the change and wanted to continue reading about the characters I was with at the moment. The changing perspectives were done so well by the author and was a great tactic in keeping the reader’s interest throughout the book. Only occasionally would I find the present storyline with Holly to be dragging and not quite as exciting as the past perspectives of Elizabeth and Lavinia. This was the sole reason I knocked a star off of my final rating, giving four stars instead of the full five. However, the addition of a love interest for Holly and being able to experience the unexpected tidbits of romance within her story was a pleasant surprise, allowing her viewpoint to be more of an experience, rather than the search for her brother being the only aspect of her story.
House of Shadows was an interesting story across the board — full of romance, mystery, history, superstition, and heartbreak. I highly recommend this unique and fully immersing novel. This will be one I reflect on for months to come.
The release date is set for October 17th, however, pre-ordering is available now. This book will not only look lovely on your shelf, but will keep you captivated until the very end.
kne's review against another edition
3.0
There was a lot going on in this book, and it vaguely reminded me of a handful of both parallel/historical novels and suspense novels, though I couldn't really place which ones. I thought the three storylines would be a bit much, but I actually like it and didn't find it difficult to keep characters straights. I think my primary objection was that I just didn't like the whole mirror/pearl business, which needed to be either more or less supernatural to really work for me - and I would have preferred less supernatural. Overall though, I thought this was an interesting, unique addition to the world of the parallel narrative in women's fiction.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
kirstra's review against another edition
3.0
Less mystery and more romance than what I was hoping for.
crayolabird's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
When Holly's brother Ben goes missing, she doesn't even really know where to start looking in the little town where he'd been living. Between an old diary from a former resident of the town as well as the infamous Winter Queen and her consort from the 17th century, two relics that seem to have power of their own will tie these distinct time periods together. Can Holly keep herself safe when it seems as though time is sloshing around in her head?
This book is a pretty mixed bag. On the one hand, I do love historical fiction that pops between two time periods and makes connections between them. And there was a nice-ish romance in the modern portions. But those connections I usually like? They just didn't really flow for me, there were plot holes that were frustrating and Holly is just not as strong of a heroine as I wanted her to be. The paranormal-ness just never actually worked for me - it was there but then not and not really discussed again, which left me asking questions that distracted me from the story. Although the ending felt a bit jarring and rushed, I'm giving it two and a half stars because I liked it enough that I DID read the whole thing but if I compare it to a Kate Morton or especially a Susanna Kearsley, I just think this genre can be done in a tighter and more enjoyable way.
When Holly's brother Ben goes missing, she doesn't even really know where to start looking in the little town where he'd been living. Between an old diary from a former resident of the town as well as the infamous Winter Queen and her consort from the 17th century, two relics that seem to have power of their own will tie these distinct time periods together. Can Holly keep herself safe when it seems as though time is sloshing around in her head?
This book is a pretty mixed bag. On the one hand, I do love historical fiction that pops between two time periods and makes connections between them. And there was a nice-ish romance in the modern portions. But those connections I usually like? They just didn't really flow for me, there were plot holes that were frustrating and Holly is just not as strong of a heroine as I wanted her to be. The paranormal-ness just never actually worked for me - it was there but then not and not really discussed again, which left me asking questions that distracted me from the story. Although the ending felt a bit jarring and rushed, I'm giving it two and a half stars because I liked it enough that I DID read the whole thing but if I compare it to a Kate Morton or especially a Susanna Kearsley, I just think this genre can be done in a tighter and more enjoyable way.
dogearedprints's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the three stories in this book and the care and attention to detail on the Winter Queen Elizabeth Stuart. It's hard to balance three different stories and make a reader care about all three, but Cornick did it. My only complaint was I wanted a little more about Lavinia Flyte. I understand her story being told via a diary makes limits it, but I kind of thought it was going to be a chapter for each of the leading women: Holly, Elizabeth and Lavinia. Would definitely recommend.