Fyneshade by Kate Griffin was released in the UK in 2023 with the pitch, Jane Eyre meets Amy Dunne. And since Jane Eyre and Gone Girl are two favorite books and I had to have this hardcover...I bought it from Blackwell's last year. The paperback is now available in the US. My library doesn't carry it but the ebook is only $5.99
This is a Gothic, historical fiction, thriller with witchcraft, a dark romance, and creepy horror elements. The main character, Marta, is unlike any protagonist I've encountered in a long time--she's self-serving, manipulative, extremely clever, and I kind of love her. After her witchy grandmother passes away, she shipped off to this huge estate to be the governess to a young girl named, Grace who is "different"--from her behaviors and characteristics, it seems like she has Down Syndrome.
5 enticing reasons why you would want to read it:
-The Gothic vibes and atmosphere (Fyneshade (the estate) is dark and mysterious
-The main protagonist is unlikable but at the same time, hard not to like
-The pace is perfect, the pages fly by
-The dark romance is so absorbing (I pictured Adam Driver as Vaughn)
-The story is wildly unpredictable
5 reasons I personally loved it
-Inspired by The Turn of the Screw by henry James but it's a better story
-The main protagonist is scandalous and unpredictable (Amy Dunne is a great comp)
-The witchcraft element
-It's a Gothic thriller leaning into Horror vibes, I would comp it to Wakenhyrst by Michele Paver
-Kept me entirely entertained and invested, never a dull moment

*content warning/child abuse