Summary
Girls of Brackenhill is a book about a formidable castle and a mysterious disappearance. The castle had been in the family for generations and didn’t have the best of reputations with the townspeople. Hannah’s Aunt Fae and Uncle Stewart, who she hadn’t seen in many years, were the only ones living in this large atrocity. Hannah used to spend summers there with her older sister, Julia. They had a delightful time exploring the castle’s nooks and crannies until something more sinister happened. Her sister disappeared. Hannah went home and hadn’t been back since.
Then, Hannah received a call telling her that her Aunt Fae had passed away in a car accident. Her Uncle Stewart was mainly unconscious and being cared for by a Hospice nurse in the castle. She had to go back to this unnerving place to make funeral plans and figure out continued care for her uncle. Returning to the castle with her fiancé brought memories to the surface for Hannah. She needed to know what happened to her sister.
MY REVIEW
The plot takes us through scenes from the past and present, which could be confusing at times. As I enjoy supernatural stories, I was excited to read this. It ended up being a rather slow moving story, but as I got closer to the end I couldn’t put it down. I had to know how it ended. I finished at 3:00 in the morning and felt cheated. It reminded me of the stories my students would write that just ended suddenly, without clarity. Overall, this was a lengthy, yet interesting story, that led to a disappointing ending. It is worth reading, but don’t stay up in the wee hours to read it.
