I had high hopes for this one, but found it very slow moving. ( )

This book is a slow burner, atmospheric descriptive and engaging from the start but the mystery suspense and tension build to a dramatic conclusion. Well written and researched with superb characterisation throughout particularly our brave clever courageous heroine. Numerous surprises and twists along the way.
Completely recommended. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I got through Audible to listen to on audiobook.

Audiobook Quality (3/5): The narrator was kind of stiff sounding and didn’t really do a lot for the story. It was okay narration but not great.

Story (2/5): DNF, got 60% of the way through the audiobook. This premise sounded really interesting but was just very boring. I liked the premise but the story moved way too slowly for me. I might have just finished this up if I hadn't gone on vacation at the 60% mark. When I got back I realized I was dreading listening to the rest of this...so decided to move on to something else.

Characters (2/5): I didn’t engage well with any of the characters and none of them were all that interesting to read about. Marion was especially frustrating, she seems to be pulled along reluctantly through the story rather than push forward any real action.

Setting (3/5): The 1860’s New Hampshire setting should have been interesting but felt more like any generic Victorian setting to me. There just wasn’t enough description and influence of the settings to really make this setting come alive for the reader.

Writing Style (2/5): The whole story felt stiff, slow, and a bit wandering to me. It was about a subject I am interested in (women in Victorian times in asylums) but just never went anywhere. I was very bored and frustrated. I kept trying to figure out how I could be so bored by something I was expecting to be so interested in. This is a very, very slow burn mystery that makes very little progress in the first 60% of the story. I didn’t enjoy the characters or setting much either.

My Summary (2/5): Overall I didn’t enjoy this and didn’t finish it. It has a promising premise but the stiff protagonist (Marion) and the lack of progress really hinder the story. It wanders a bit and just doesn’t engage the reader well. I won’t be reading any of Blackmore’s future books. ( )

Fascinating historical fiction ( )