Amidst the devastation of Ireland’s Great Famine, a young woman is salvaged from certain death when offered a mysterious position at a remote manor house haunted by a strange power and the horror of her own memories in this chillingly evocative historical novel braided with gothic horror and supernatural suspense for readers of Katherine Arden’s The Warm Hands of Ghosts and The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins.
County Clare, 1848: In the scant few years since the potato blight first cast its foul shadow over Ireland, Maggie O’Shaughnessy has lost everything—her entire family and the man she trusted with her heart. Toiling in the Ennis Workhouse for paltry rations, she can see no future either within or outside its walls—until the mysterious Lady Catherine arrives to whisk her away to an old mansion in the stark limestone landscape of the Burren.
Lady Catherine wants Maggie to impersonate her late daughter, Wilhelmina, and hoodwink solicitors into releasing Wilhelmina’s widow pension so that Lady Catherine can continue to provide for the villagers in her care. In exchange, Maggie will receive freedom from the workhouse, land of her own, and the one thing she wants more than either: a chance to fulfill the promise she made to her brother on his deathbed—to live to spite them all.
Launching herself into the daunting task, Maggie plays the role of Wilhelmina as best she can while ignoring the villagers’ tales of ghostly figures and curses. But more worrying are the whispers that come from within. Something in Lady Catherine’s house is reawakening long-buried memories in Maggie—of a foe more terrifying than hunger or greed, of a power that calls for blood and vengeance, and of her own role in a nightmare that demands the darkest sacrifice . . .
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I had been wanting to read this book for a while because I kept seeing it show up on Bookstagram as a highly recommended read. When I saw it was part of a Hambright tour, I immediately signed up.
Reading Experience
From the very beginning, I felt like my entire identity changed every time I opened this book. The writing is so vivid and descriptive in a way that makes you feel like you are stepping directly into the experience. It’s incredibly immersive.
This is one of those books that is completely unputdownable, but I found myself intentionally reading it slowly because of how heavy it is. The historical elements, especially what was happening to the Irish people at the time, were just so sickening and devastating. I didn’t want to rush through that. I wanted to sit with it and give their history the respect it deserved.
At the same time, Maggie’s experience is heart-wrenching. There is so much loss and struggle, and I really wanted to be delicate with that instead of rushing through the story just to get to the end. I could have read it in one sitting, but I didn’t want to.
Story Structure
The structure of this story is so interesting! It moves between Maggie’s present situation and the traumatic memories of her past, where she lost everyone she loved in horrible ways. We are constantly moving between those timelines, but within her past, she is also experiencing dreams and fragmented memories that she had almost shielded herself from remembering. She has to face those memories in order to navigate what is happening to her in the present.
The way these moments are presented feels almost paranormal, with hauntings, strange presences, and this sense of something deeper and more mysterious at work. It creates this constant feeling that you are not entirely sure what is real and what isn’t, which fits the tone of the story perfectly.
Characters
I absolutely loved Maggie!! She has gone through something beyond rock bottom. At a certain point, she is left with two choices: give up completely or keep moving forward one step at a time, and she keeps going! Her resilience and inner strength, whether because of or in spite of everything she has been through, made it impossible not to root for her.
There are also other characters that I really connected with and enjoyed getting to know, but saying too much about them would give things away. Just know that there are relationships in this book that add a lot of depth to the story.
Tone & Themes
Resilience is such a strong theme throughout this book. Maggie has experienced unimaginable loss, and yet she continues to move forward. Every step she takes builds on that strength.
At the same time, there is this eerie, almost haunting atmosphere throughout the story. The house itself feels like it holds something more, and there are elements of the paranormal woven into Maggie’s experience that add another layer of tension and mystery. She is constantly faced with difficult choices between seeking revenge and doing what is right, and watching her navigate those decisions adds so much weight to the story.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those books that lingers. I genuinely wish I could go back and read it again for the first time. It’s still sitting with me, and I don’t really want to let it go.
If you enjoy historical fiction that is immersive, emotionally heavy, and layered with a haunting atmosphere, this is absolutely worth picking up!
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this virtual book tour, Hambright PR
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Maria Tureaud hails from the Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast of Ireland. A developmental editor of fifteen years, Maria is the author of the middle grade book The Last Hope in Hopetown, and the upcoming adult historical gothic releases This House Will Feed and Beneath, It Sleeps. When she’s not writing books, or sprinkling magic onto client manuscripts, you can find Maria drinking tea in New Jersey as she dreams of moving home to her beloved County Clare and the place she feels most in tune with — the Burren.
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