Grace is a treasure, and she can draw beautifully, albeit Marta will not be able to contribute much to teach Grace anything. I wish the ending was more impactful, the main character really brought out the bloodthirsty part of me and whilst the resolution fanned the flames of that bloodthirstiness, I was hoping for something more explosive.

Not only that, but one of the few males, young Master Vaughan Pritchard is forbidden to enter the house whilst his father lives. And if like me, you love flawed morally ambiguous characters then you need to add this to your TBRs immediately, as pretty much every character is suspect in some way; their secrets and lies muddying every single action —it’s absolutely glorious! For the most part, I did like Marta, but she’s probably the least likeable protagonist I’ve ever encountered—with her fiendish, unfriendly demeanour on show to virtually everyone around her (barring the handsome and soon to be wealthy Vaughan) it was pretty difficult to decide whether to root for or against her at times, especially when considering her pretty abysmal treatment of Grace. She is quickly embroiled in this family's web of misery and finds she will do anything to get the outcome she wants.Secondly I know you shouldn't judge a book by its' cover however what a cover, absolutely delicious. This gothic novel is also about a governess who ends up having a questionable relationship with the heir to a large house. It’s an homage to the classic and you will understand it better and enjoy it more after you’ve read the original story. turns out she's Miss Jessell from The Turn of the Screw and this book ends as she's about to enter that second literary adventure! Using the dark gift her Grandmere taught her, Marta intends to discover the secrets the crumbling house keeps behind its locked doors and secret passageways.

Grace, the little girl she is sent to look after is, in Marta’s eyes, a pathetic, unlikeable soul she makes very little effort to get to know. It had echoes of The Others too, with some truly creepy moments, and some so totally and utterly revolting that they were funny (the odd machine in the black bedroom, for example, or the dismembered doll).

It’s an imposing place, but she is well-equipped with Grandmere’s teaching about herbs and remedies, knowledge that saw her referred to as a witch. Griffin gives the reader an enthralling gothic horror tale that might just be a prequel to a certain Henry James novella. I got to the end, and there it was, one final little note from the author pointing me at Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw.

But Fyneshade is filled with mysteries: the master, Sir William Pritchard, seems to be absent; excepting the groom, all the staff are freakishly unattractive women whose dislike of Marta is soon plain; and the north wing is kept locked.The atmospheric writing cleverly twists and turns as we are drawn deeper into the story, and as she uncovers more about the family and the house. Marta is tough as nails, self-assured and witchy in a wicked sort of way, which is just so much fun. When she arrives at her new posting, finally we are given the key in the man she meets ‘a mature and thrillingly dangerous version’ of the man she left behind at the beginning of the book, ‘plucked from the face of the earth and finished by an unholy hand’. Find your next must-read with the Serpent’s Tail newsletter and discover gripping crime and mystery from Viper Books.

m sure when I reread it then I’ll have changed my mind about the ending, and then I’m pretty sure I’ll change my mind again. So when I first saw Fyneshade, with its striking cover and intriguing blurb, it grabbed my attention with two ancient, gnarled hands. It’s Grace, in her own way as ‘uncanny’ as Marta, who thwarts her and impedes her progress with the gorgeous heir, Grace’s brother Vaughan. Arrogant and selfish, she is quick to make enemies and instead of nurturing young Grace, she under-estimates and manipulates her to suit Marta’s scheming plans.Marta experiences the house as a ‘maze of stone'; the house exudes an unusually hushed, and suffocating atmosphere.