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A review by thenovelbook
The Red Monarch by Bella Ellis
4.0
With her powerful storytelling and immersive world-building, Bella Ellis has done it again. This third installment of the Bronte Sisters Mysteries will keep you speeding through the chapters as the suspense and drama build.
This time, the Brontes are summoned south to London by an acquaintance who has recently eloped, only to have her husband kidnapped by a band of rogues who give her one week to find and return "the jewel" they have lost.
The Bronte sisters are accompanied by their brother Branwell. I like that this series humanizes Branwell and draws out from the reader a feeling of regret for what he could have been. And the characterization of all three sisters is brilliantly done, particularly Emily in all her antisocial glory.
The suspense and pacing are excellent.
Content note: The evil that the Brontes encounter is very grim, involving dens of iniquity and child trafficking. Readers should be aware that there are a couple of brief moments that involve the supernatural, though these are not central to the plot.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for this advance review copy!
This time, the Brontes are summoned south to London by an acquaintance who has recently eloped, only to have her husband kidnapped by a band of rogues who give her one week to find and return "the jewel" they have lost.
The Bronte sisters are accompanied by their brother Branwell. I like that this series humanizes Branwell and draws out from the reader a feeling of regret for what he could have been. And the characterization of all three sisters is brilliantly done, particularly Emily in all her antisocial glory.
The suspense and pacing are excellent.
Content note: The evil that the Brontes encounter is very grim, involving dens of iniquity and child trafficking. Readers should be aware that there are a couple of brief moments that involve the supernatural, though these are not central to the plot.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for this advance review copy!