Synopsis

Rosie Strange always thought she was more interesting than most people – not just because of the legacy her family has bequeathed her. But this is more than just the Essex Witch Museum… and could be more paranormal.

Meanwhile Sam Stone, Rosie’s curator, is oddly distracted by a possible clue into what happened to his missing brother. As other boys go missing, the past threatens to catch up with him, as he and Rosie are lured deep into a dark wood where something far scarier than Hansel and Gretel’s witch is lurking…

Review

Somewhere in this book was an interesting story. I could feel the author’s intention, but the writing style was nowhere near strong enough to deliver.

The main character Rosie is irritating. While I appreciate her narration is in keeping with her character, it was extremely difficult to read. From half a page on the contents of her suitcase to three pages on toenail varnish there was an excessive amount of description. One sentence contained six ‘many’s which frankly is not needed. None of the lengthy soliloquies led to a major plot point, which is usually the reason for seemingly insignificant details being exaggerated.

Lurking beneath these adjectives was a vague, predictable plot line that could have been quite interesting – mystery amongst a witch museum – but wasn’t. The secondary plot of Rosie’s mother was told through diary entries from the 1980s… written in the style of the 1780s. It was confused, ridiculous and frustrating.

This book is apparently the sixth in a series, but prior knowledge wasn’t really required. Not that I’ll be reading these, or any subsequent books about the museum. Very disappointing.

I was provided with an ARC. All opinions are my own.

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