When 30 year old Laura Peterson unexpectedly inherits a house in rural Lancashire, she seizes the opportunity to take a break from the busy but unrewarding life she has in bureaucratic Brussels.
Her discovery of an old silver locket hidden in the attic prompts Laura to delve into the history of the house and its former inhabitants. But the locket is more than just a pretty trinket. Under its influence Laura’s sleep becomes increasingly troubled; her dreams are haunted by the young girl who once wore the locket and her waking hours by a sinister old woman in a brown coat who seems to be following her.
Laura engages the services of a landscape gardener, Tom, to help her restore the old kitchen garden at the back of the house. Their work is hindered by a series of disturbing and unexplained incidences and when Tom tries to fell an old damaged oak tree he is almost killed.
Then a violent storm brings an ancient oak crashing to the ground and reveals a tiny human skeleton tangled in its roots. Convinced that her dreams and the discovery of the bones are connected, Laura goes in search of the truth. But the secret that has been hidden for so long is not to be given up willingly.
Review: I love the whole concept of this story and It has a lot of promise. An old silver locket with mysterious properties that conjures dreams from the past and can seemingly change its emotional characteristics.
I especially enjoyed reading the second half of this work. The problem is I found the first half of the story somewhat wanting.
The prologue lacked that hook needed too draw the reader in and I strongly believe this to be the root of my problem of getting into the story. I was almost half way through the work before I started getting into it. For me, I think the story needed to be darker… More sinister if you like.
Along with the slow pace of the story, some of the dreams and characters lacked the depth needed to keep me drawn in hence the three stars. With a bit of work, especially on the prologue and in the first few chapters, I have no doubt this could become a steady five stars work.
Sounds like a winner to me, Olga… Just downloaded it. 🙂
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Thank you, Olga. What you have said is greatly appreciated. 🙂
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It sounds like a good idea, and you explain clearly what didn’t work for you, and even offer some suggestions for improvement. A great review.
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Maybe. 🙂
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Maybe that was it.
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I try to be fair and hope I am. 🙂
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Thanks for the appreciation, Diana. 🙂
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That explains everything. I thought you were just a really fair reviewer…;-)
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It’s the author’s synopsis. 🙂
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I suppose I could skip over prologues, but in this case it would not have made a difference as I simply couldn’t get into the work straight away… Took several chapters later. Sometimes I give up on a work by then. When that happens, the review, I’m afraid to say, is not so generous.
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It’s quite possible. I’m sure there probably are more positive reviews. I maintain that this could be a five-star work, but in all honesty is not. Most of my reviews are four or five stars but occasionally a book doesn’t meet the mark. I have to be honest.
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I haven’t read any reviews of it myself, but did do a free book post for it a little while back. Glad you found the review interesting, Robbie. 🙂
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Thanks for the honest review, Kevin. I like how you take the time to find a good balance and give suggestions. 🙂
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Interestingly, you make this sound very appealing in your description…
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Sometimes I skip the prologue if it seems flat/dry. If something doesn’t make sense later in the story I go back and read the prologue, but usually I like to get right into the story.
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Roberta’s comment said it – I’ve seen a review of this book around. It was the bones that joggled the memory, but if my mind isn’t failing, I think the other review was more positive.
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I am quite sure I have read another review for this book somewhere, Kevin. I found yours most interesting and comprehensive. Thank you.
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