Release Date: May 23rd 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 336
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis
A Gothic supernatural mystery for fans for The Quickening and The Shape of Darkness, featuring real-life events and people, such as George Méliès and the Moberly-Jourdain incident, where two English women claim to have seen the ghost of Marie Antoinette in the gardens of Versailles.
1902.
Helena Walton-Cisneros, known for finding answers to the impossible, has started her own detective agency. She takes on two new uncanny cases, both located in Paris – which itself is too much of a coincidence to ignore. In the first case, two English women claim to have seen the ghost of Marie Antoinette in the gardens of Versailles. The second case is the murder of a young woman working at the mysterious Méliès Star Films studio outside Paris.
As Helena and her colleague Eliza investigate, they hear whispers of vanishings at Méliès Star Films, strange lights, spies, actors flying without ropes and connections to the occult.
What is George Méliès practising at his secretive film studio? And is it connected to the haunting in Versailles? Helena and Eliza will only find the answers if they accept the natural world is darker, stranger than they could ever have imagined…
Review
The second book featuring Helena Walton-Cisneros and her work to uncover supernatural mysteries. This time Helena has started a detective agency with her friend Eliza. As the agency is opening they become involved in two mysterious cases in Paris – first two female scholars from Oxford claim to have seen Marie Antoinette in the past and the second is the disappearance of a young woman working for a film studio. As the colleagues work to uncover the truth, they soon learn that the two cases might be linked and that there might be a lot more going on at the Méliès Star Films studio than they thought possible.
I read The Golden Key a while ago and was really intrigued to see where Womack would take the story next. On the Nature of Magic is a captivating read, full of mystery and magic. The plot unfolded well and the story kept me guessing as I was never quite sure if the cases were magical or not. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion but also felt that there could be the possibility of another installment which I would definitely be keen to read.
Helena and Eliza are fascinating protagonists – they’re working together but they have very different beliefs. Eliza’s beliefs are firmly rooted in science and she is attempting to reconcile with the idea that their cases involve the occult. Helena is determined to help women in need as well as work to understand the powers that she has. I enjoyed seeing their relationship as colleagues develop as they race to uncover the truth behind the mysteries.
The story is set both in London and in Paris and I liked the depictions of both cities, particularly the dark and eerie catacombs of Paris. If you’re looking for a Gothic mystery with a dash of magic thrown in, this could be just what you’re looking for.
I really love books that feature an expedition or climbing a mountain and creepy things start happening (I just love Michelle Paver’s books!) so when I read the premise for Ascension it sounded like exactly my cup of tea. Told through a series of letters our protagonist writes to his niece, the story follows scientist Harold Tunmore as he’s invited on an expedition to explore a mountain that has appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On arrival strange and mysterious things start happening and the higher they go the more questions arise. Can Harold and his team unravel the mystery of the mountain and will they make it out alive?
Psyche and Eros is a beautifully told Greek myth retelling. I was initially drawn in by that beautiful cover and was completely hooked from the outset. The story follows Psyche, the princess of Mycenae, who angers the goddess of love Aphrodite. As revenge, Aphrodite sends Eros to deliver a curse to Psyche. However when Eros is hit with the arrow meant for Psyche, he finds himself in love with her. If Psyche ever looks upon Eros the curse will split them apart. Will they find a way to break the curse and be together?
Garth Nix is back with an all new fantasy adventure featuring Susan Arkshaw and the mysterious booksellers. Picking up after the events of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, the story follows Susan, Merlin and Viven as they are transported to a strange house taken out of time. There they find a series of murders have taken place and an ancient sovereign with the ability to animate stone. The ancient sovereign takes an interest in Susan and together with the help of the other booksellers, the trio must find a way to stop the Lady of Stone before she kills again.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is a whimsical fantasy adventure tale that follows Susan Arkshaw, a young woman who winds up involved with the mysterious booksellers – an extended family that protects the ordinary world from the creatures of the Old World. Susan is in London to start art school and find out who her father is, but her search may take her further into the Old World than anyone thought possible.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is the sort of book that grips you as soon as you read the first page and absolutely does not let you go. The story follows a man obsessed with myth and fairytales as he ends up married to the mysterious and beautiful Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. Their marriage is built on a promise that he must never look into her history or pry into her secrets. When the couple learns that Indigo’s aunt is dying they must return to Indigo’s family home – the House of Dreams and the bridegroom discovers a childhood best friend that mysteriously disappeared. Can he resist prying into Indigo’s past and what will be the consequences if he does?
The Serpent and the Dead is a fun and fast paced fantasy tale that follows Lady Sif and the Valkyrie Brunnhilde as they embark on a quest to discover why some souls on the battlefield are disappearing before they can be escorted to Valhalla. When they two arrive at a small town they hear about attacks taking place from fearsome creatures that cannot be killed. Determined to uncover what is going on and rescue the missing souls, Lady Sif and Brunnhilde must use every ounce of their strength to uncover this evil enemy.
Widdershins is a beautiful, thought-provoking tale inspired by true events. The story follows two main characters – Jane Chandler who is learning how to be a healer, using herbs and lore to cure the sick. Meanwhile, John Sharpe has endured a hard childhood – his mother died during his birth and his father blames him for this. After enduring vicious beatings from his father he is sent to stay with his Uncle, a pastor. He finds purpose in becoming a witch-finder and rooting out all trace of witchcraft.
Sunwise is the second installment in Helen Steadman’s Widdershins series, focusing on the witch trials in England and Scotland. Following on from the events in book one, the story follows Jane as her lover Tom returns to find her married to the worst person imaginable. She’s stuck in an impossible situation, still trying to cope with the loss of her mother at the hands of John Sharpe and find a way to protect her daughter. As Tom tries to find a way for them to be together, Jane knows the witchfinder is still out there and John will stop at nothing to rid the world of witches and their magic.
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The Retreat is the newest twisty thriller from Sarah Pearse, author of The Sanatorium. Featuring the same protagonist, the story follows DS Elin Warner as she is called to a remote wellness retreat on an island. A body has been found and the death looks like a horrible accident, however, the woman wasn’t a guest and wasn’t supposed to be there. As Elin dives deeper into the retreat, she discovers the island has a dark past and the deaths might not be so accidental.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 