17 year old Verity Thaumas has remained at Highmoor, her family’s estate, with older sister Duchess Camille following the events from 12 years prior. Her other sisters have all ventured away, fulfilling their dreams, when one day sister Mercy writes that the Duchess of Bloem wants Verity to paint a portrait of her son. Verity is more than excited, but Camille is not. In a blazing row, Camille reveals that Verity has been kept at Highmoor because she is still seeing ghosts and doesn’t realize it.
Shocked and feeling betrayed, Verity runs away in the middle of the night to the Laurents at Bloem. The new land brings her a renewed joy to paint, but so does the heir, Alexander. However, it quickly becomes apparent that something isn’t quite right at Bloem, and Verity is somehow a part of it.
I admire Verity. Her desire to show that she’s more than what Camille fears. To capture her own dreams. I didn’t find this one to be as spooky as House of Salt and Sorrows. I mean, there are ghosts here but there were ghosts in HoSaS too who were way more creepy. There is, however, some super dark parts, so readers be warned. This is labeled horror for a reason.
This is not a standalone novel. I feel like I should have gone back to the first novel and re-read it. There were so many references to it, some vague, some not, that I had to keep double-checking on. With the way this one ended, I can’t help wondering though if the first book was meant to be a appetizer, and now the audience is getting to the main event. I just want to know what happens next, and I really don’t want to wait.
Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.
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