REVIEW: Mrs England (Stacey Halls)

Premise: Mrs England

Author: Stacey Halls

Premise: When nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of the Englands, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there's something not quite right about the mysterious Mrs England.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It had all the markings of a good gothic story. However it took a long time for it to actually commit to the gothic genre. The first half of the book felt like a normal historical fiction story and was a bit dull. Then an unsettled atmosphere starts to build, but slowly. Once it really picked up, I was hooked and devoured the last 100 pages or so. The final paragraph of the book was genius and makes you question everything!

So a strong second half that just about makes up for the slow first half.