ARC Review: The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston is a paranormal mystery/thriller set in England in 1881.

Hecate is a single young woman, embarking on her first job as assistant librarian at the nearby cathedral. It isn’t very long before she realizes that she is able to see and communicate with ghosts inhabiting the cathedral.

Soon after strange occurrences begin happening at  the cathedral, and in the town beyond. Hecate must use her ability to solve the mystery.

Hecate was a very independent, and forward thinking woman for the time period, however it sometimes led her into reckless behaviour which put her in danger. At times her father even seemed to encourage her recklessness, which I felt was a bit odd, even if he was excited at finding out about her abilities. That said, I enjoyed seeing her fight to find a place for herself that didn’t involve marrying and setting up house. 

I enjoyed seeing Hecate’s relationships develop throughout the story. I did wonder what in the world she found in common with her best friend, Clementine. They seemed so completely different and at times I found Clementine to be quite annoying.

I did have a bit of trouble in the middle of the book. The story started to drag a bit and I found it hard to stay engaged, but it eventually picked back up.

One incident in the book nearly brought me to tears. It was just heart wrenching what happened. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but make sure you have a tissue box handy.

All in all, I enjoyed the story, even though the mystery was not resolved at the end. I am torn about continuing the series, usually I’m excited for the next book to come out, but I’m ambivalent about continuing at this point. I’m going to assume it’s just my current mood, because as I said, I did like this book, and can’t figure out why I’m not looking forward to the next book with more enthusiasm.

In my opinion The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is well worth a read.

I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley and am reviewing it voluntarily.