Release date: October 12 2024
Publisher: Moonflower Books
Pages: 415
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

1891 Norfolk.

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it.

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia’s stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

Review

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a gothic historical fiction novel that follows a young woman named Julia Pearlie. Julia is desperate to find a new role after the horrible events during her previous role as a governess. With no references she has very few options but when she is offered the role of companion and etiquette teacher to a young woman named Olivia Richmond, Julia knows she has no choice but to take the role. When Julia arrives at Mistcoate Hall she hears rumours about the Mistcoate witch and Olivia’s strong belief that she can commune with the dead. As Julia gets to work training Olivia for the upcoming London season, she is soon sucked into the darkness and mysteries that surround Mistcoate hall. Will she be able to save herself and those she has grown to care for?

I absolutely adored this book. It was an eerie, unsettling gothic tale that completely captured my imagination. It was such a readable, addictive read. I frequently found myself sitting down to read just one chapter and getting so caught up in the story that I was still there five chapters later. I really enjoyed Davidson’s writing style – the sights and sounds of Norfolk in the 1800s really comes to life in Davidson’s prose. Davidson is also an absolute master at creating atmosphere – some of the more spooky scenes were absolutely terrifying and without a doubt sent a shiver up my spine.

I loved the slightly isolated setting of Mistcoate Hall and I found the tarot element really fascinating. Davidson has created some really compelling characters in this book. Julia and Olivia are both so interesting and I really liked Alice, Ed and Marian too. This gothic book is a dark and creepy page turner so if you’re looking for some historical fiction that you won’t be able to put down, The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a book you will not want to miss.