A story of a young lady Marta who after the death of her Grandmere is sent away to become a governess and ladies’ companion at the residence of Sir William Pritchard. There are ghostly and witchy vibes, turbulent weather, a creaky old estate house, family secrets and more that you would expect in a book of this genre. And if like me, you love flawed morally ambiguous characters then you need to add this to your TBRs immediately, as pretty much every character is suspect in some way; their secrets and lies muddying every single action —it’s absolutely glorious! I was born in the City at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, within the sound of Bow Bells - so I really am a true-born cockney! If the reader is initially sympathetic of Marta’s plight, her emerging nastiness and cruelty might alter that a little, but by then it’s hard to look away.

Griffin gives the reader an enthralling gothic horror tale that might just be a prequel to a certain Henry James novella. The main character of Marta is morally grey and is quite unlikeable but it works in these circumstances and I found myself wondering if I really should be rooting for her or not. After her grandmother dies, Marta finds herself swiftly despatched to Fyneshade, a gothic hall in Derbyshire, to act as governess for a young girl. To Mrs Gurney’s consternation, Marta accidentally encounters Grace’s older brother Vaughan and his hawk.Fyneshade is published by Viper Books today (that’s Thursday 18th May 2023) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow next year. m sure when I reread it then I’ll have changed my mind about the ending, and then I’m pretty sure I’ll change my mind again. While I absolutely love the twist of seeing a story through the eyes of a sociopath or villain, it also makes for quite uncomfortable reading.

There were some real gut retching moments where the pit of your stomach drops because you know what’s coming and cannot bear to read on- yet must! Not only that, but one of the few males, young Master Vaughan Pritchard is forbidden to enter the house whilst his father lives. Separated from her lover and discarded by her family, Marta has no choice but to journey to Fyneshade, Pritchard’s ancient and crumbling house in the wilds of Derbyshire. Marta finds herself drawn to Vaughan, despite the warnings of the housekeeper that he is a danger to all around him.This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail/Viper. Halfway through the novel, however, my attitude towards Marta changed as I noticed how evil and manipulative she acted.