Monday, February 21, 2022

Review: On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaime Jo Wright

1885. 
Adria Fontaine has been sent to recover goods her father pirated on the Great Lakes during the war. But when she arrives at Foxglove Manor--a stone house on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior--Adria senses wickedness hovering over the property. The mistress of Foxglove is an eccentric and seemingly cruel old woman who has filled her house with dangerous secrets, ones that may cost Adria her life. 

Present day. 

Kailey Gibson is a new nurse's aide at a senior home in a renovated old stone manor. Kidnapped as a child, she has nothing but locked-up memories of secrets and death, overshadowed by the chilling promise from her abductors that they would return. When the residents of Foxglove start sharing stories of whispers in the night, hidden treasure, and a love willing to kill, it becomes clear this home is far from a haven. She'll have to risk it all to banish the past's demons, including her own. 

This is the second book I've read by this author. I love the dual timelines that are so interconnected. I love the mystery and intrigue. I like finding the normal explanation for the ghoulish tricks that inevitably happen. While I expected this book to be dark, I wasn't quite prepared for how dark this one went. I don't know how much to say without spoiling, but the feelings that Adria was having, the trauma that Kailey goes through, it's all a lot to process. I felt that perhaps there could have been a little less current events woven into the story, but that's a personal preference, not a dig on the author. Comparing this to Bonaventure Circus, I liked that one better than Foxglove, but I'm still super excited to dive into my next Jaime Jo Wright book. One of the things I like about her writing is that she's so good at keeping me from guessing who the bad guy is. I was 1 for 4 this time. Overall, a good read, but not my favorite. That being said, I really couldn't put it down, actually, reading it during my breaks and in the car and before bed. If you like spooky vibes, I say go for it.




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