The Fifth Petal

3.5/5

Brunonia Barry has the right amount of setting, plot and character to make an exceptional novel. Take a decades old murder mystery tied into a centuries old mystery, mix in a little mental instability, throw in a dash of ESP, and sprinkle with a healthy amountof lore, then you have an amazing read that will keep you up long past your bedtime. You will not forget these characters. You might even start wondering if they are real.

I received an ARC from Netgalley to read and review.

I love this book and couldn't put it down! Love the characters and the history of the Salem witches. I love books that intertwine history with their storyline. I didn't realize this was the 2nd book in a series. It worked well as a standalone novel, although now I want to go back and read the 1st one.

I would give The Fifth Petal 3.5 out of 5 stars. What first drew me to pick up the book was the setting – I enjoy historical fiction and wanted to learn more about Salem and the witch-trial period. As a fan of police procedurals I was also intrigued by the murder mystery aspect of the plot. The story was interesting and engaging, and for the most part kept me turning the pages. It was a bit too long; the story dragged in some parts, and could have been shorter without losing any plot. Additionally, while you certainly don't need to have read the first book in the series to understand this one, there are a lot of references to the first book (which I had not read, and therefore the many references made me feel I was missing something rather major). Overall though I liked the characters and enjoyed the unique atmosphere of modern-day Salem. A good read for fans of mysteries with a hint of the supernatural.