This novel is another one of my belated Edelweiss ARC’s. I was so excited to see it in person, and physically see the incredible cover art. After reading the novel, I studied the art again and discovered that there had been so many hidden secrets just waiting to be unveiled.

This novel was weird, but in a great and wonderfully mystical way. In this world, fertile land and overall well being, comes from great houses within each region. Each house holds the magic for that region, and when the houses begin to fail so do the crops, animals, and people in the surrounding areas. Our main character, Violet, has been born and bred to be the next caretaker of her great house. There is nothing in the entire world that she loves or cares about more than her house.

I loved how Violet and her house communicate. The personification, or anthropomorphism, of her house was intriguing and bewildering. We watch Violet struggle to come to terms with her failing house, and the evil the rests just beyond the surface. Violet grows as a character throughout this novel, as she goes from being a naive child to a women hardened by the choices her house makes.

Violet finds herself having to choose between saving the life she was created for, or saving the life she began creating for herself. This novel was harrowing and heart wrenching, delicate and understanding.

This novel was so unlike anything I have ever read before. My only complaint was that the dialogue and discussion between characters felt rather weak. Most of the dialogue that was exchanged between Violet and her house was seen and not heard. The author’s expertise, in my opinion, is in her descriptive writing style. This novel could have been told completely without the use of verbal dialogue, and I think I would have liked it even more.

This was such a unique read. I’m not sure I’ll ever read anything like it ever again.