The Quickening

“Although we'd left the overhanging shrubbery behind us, theday was still dark, and I saw, as in the photo, part of the house was in shadow. I looked up to see what was throwing its shade onto the Hall but saw only the watery sun hanging low in the sky, straining to lighten the day. I could see nothing which would explain the outline darkening the eastern wing which cast such a gloomy pall.”

Exciting, is it not? Not!
No need to bore your soul with a synopsis. The blurb is there. But I can tell you that, for me, this was a failure. And then some.

Endless, pointless discussions over photos, pregnancy, and maids. I got it the first time, repetition doesn't help.

The dialogue was wooden, and there were numerous grammatical mistakes. “Her” instead of “here” many, many times. “Wer” instead of “were”, the editor must loath the letter “e”...The questions were oddly formed, as if they were too “American” for lack of a better definition, and it bothered me.

Louisa “winced” and “frowned” too many times...Lily “flinched”, everyone's faces are “flushed”. Louisa's self-pity over her second husband was exhausting.

The fact that the heroine learns facts while eavesdropping is lazy and naive.

Loaded with every cliche imaginable.

A character utters the “come thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of Hell”. And Louisa doesn't recognize the quote. So much for her endless education. Leave Macbeth alone, dear “writer”.

The inclusion of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a gimmick and a presumptuous choice on the part of the writer.If you don't have the chops to meddle with an actual literary legend, leave him/her alone. Honestly!

And in the end, I was tired.I was exhausted and I didn't care. To mention this drivel next to The Silent Companions and The Familiars is pathetic.

Many thanks to Orion Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.