THE ORPHAN OF CEMETERY HILL - Hester Fox


 

Boston in the 1800's. Sisters Tabby and Alice are on the run as they've just escaped their cruel, abusive aunt and uncle. They choose to split up so that they can reduce the likelihood of being found and Alice leaves Tabby to hide out in a cemetery for awhile.  There, Tabby meets Eli, an old caretaker at the cemetery. The two develop a respectful bond and Eli comes to think of Tabby as a daughter and likewise, Tabby thinks of Eli as the father she didn't have and she helps him with his caretaking and grave-digging work.

Tabby meets Caleb who is at the cemetery to bury his father. He finds her beautiful but he's engaged and Tabby doesn't want to encourage him despite her own feelings. They remain good friends and they will need one another's help  when each is in danger.

Tabby discovers that she can communicate with the dead - an ability that may prove useful as a secret organization is currently robbing graves in order to experiment on the bodies. But her ability is used against her though she may need it to save Caleb as he is accused of murdering his fiancé.

This was kind of a new genre for me to read.  I've read plenty of fiction with supernatural elements, but this strikes me as more of a gothic romance - a genre that I have mostly avoided because ... well ... I don't know why other than it hasn't appealed to me.

Author Hester Fox creates a dark, moody atmosphere (which is something I would expect in a gothic romance) and yet our central character, Tabby, somehow always seems bright and positive, even in the bleakest of moments.  It's an unusual dichotomy, and I'm not even sure how intentional it was, but it worked because it kept me interested in the story. I cared about Tabby, and by extension, Eli and Caleb (and even Alice, though she isn't in much), so what happens to them is always pressing for me as the reader.

I did expect, or want, there to be more to the "Resurrection Men" part of the story, but I felt it did take a back seat to the romance aspects.  Even Tabby's ability to communicate with the dead didn't contain as much interest or excitement as I was hoping for.

In all, not a bad read.  It doesn't make me eager to read more of Fox's work or the gothic romance style, but neither does it deter me from such.

Looking for a good book? The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox is a gothic romance with a strong, positive central character who will appeal to many readers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

* * * * * *

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill

author: Hester Fox

publisher: Graydon House

ISBN: 152580457X

paperback, 384 pages

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MURDLE VOLUME 1 - G. T. Karber

Image
 I enjoy puzzles of many different varieties. I had not heard of 'Murdle' before this but essentially this is a combination of the game of Clue and a Sherlock Holmes micro story. With suspects, possible murder weapons, potential locations, and/or motives plus some very brief hints, readers are meant to combine the logic of what's know with deductive reasoning to identify the killer (or killers?) in 100 different mystery word puzzles. I will admit right off the bat that I did not do all 100.  I didn't even do half of these, but I did so some random sampling through all the categories (Elementary, Occult Medium, Hard Boiled, and Impossible). I did not get any correct in the Impossible category (of course not ... they were impossible!) and only one correct in the Hard Boiled (of five). The Elementary puzzles were, as expected, pretty easy and the Hard Boiled only a little bit more difficult. Each mini mystery comes with a grid printed in the book to help the reader-detecti
Read more

VINYL RESTING PLACE - Olivia Blacke

Image
 Juni Jessup and her two sister, Tansy and Maggie, have gone into business together in their hometown of Cedar River, Texas, opening a combination record store and coffee shop. Vinyl LPs are making a comeback after all, despite critics thinking the medium was dead.  But speaking of 'dead' ... finding a dead body in the supply closet just as they are looking to have a grand opening is not part of the plan.  Juni's life gets more complicated when their uncle, Calvin, already a suspect in the murder, disappears. And the police officer leading the investigation is Juni's EX-boyfriend (who passive-aggressively keeps putting himself back into her life). Convinced that her uncle would never murder anyone, Juni sets out to prove his innocence - which isn't easy since he's making himself look guilty - because Calvin is family and family is EVERYthing to Juni. As readers of my blog know, I'm not a big fan of most cozy mysteries, but the setting caught my eye and my in
Read more

THE RAVEN THIEF - Gigi Pandian

Image
 With Tempest Raj now a member of the company, Secret Staircase Construction (a company who, as their title suggests, builds mystery-themed, secret rooms inside homes) has finished their first job. Their client now wants to celebrate to kick off her new beginning - new home and new life now that she's divorced from her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property, led by Tempest's friend, Sanjay.   But during that séance, while all those gathered sat in a dark room holding hands, Corbin's dead body crashes the party, falling across the table in front of everyone. There were eight people in the room, and they were all holding hands, but all the evidence points to one of them being the murderer.  Suspicions point to Ash, Tempest's grandfather, because he was the only one with Corbin's blood on him. Of course, as a doctor, he was also the only one who checked on the body - wherein he acq
Read more