Creepy, fast paced and maddening.

I must admit that I spent the first half of this book just generally being angry, I found it difficult to relate to the main character and found her vain, fickle personality grating. But more so than that, the misogynistic, racist men that heavily detailed the book, infuriated me. Which I know is accurate and relevant to the time in which the book takes place, but as I was having trouble finding any redeeming quality in the main character, I was just overtly angry for the first half.

The story itself is very well written, keeping the reader on their toes. It is beautifully alliterative and paints a dark and morose setting. Which I adored, and I did, come the end, feel myself rooting for the characters. Hence my 4 star rating, it is a good book, I think I just found some of the characters too close to home and that grated on me personally - which has absolutely no reflection on the author's capacity to spin a spooky tale.

Overall a book that I think those who love dramatic heroines, creepy haunted mansions and historical science would appreciate.