Haunting Violet by Alyxandra HarveyThe blurb:
Violet Willoughby has participated in one too many fake seances to believe in the supernatural -- especially after watching her mother fool widows and old men into handling over their fortunes. But she is forced to reconsider her jaded views when she has a frightening vision during her mother's latest scheme at the country estate of prominent spiritualist Lord Jasper.
Thrust into the center of an unsolved murder committed within the upper echelons of Victorian society, Violet is faced with a ghost who won't rest until her killer is brought to justice. The only person Violet can trust with her new secret is her mother's assistant, Colin, the boy she's grown to love but can never be with because of the rigid rules of their society. Can Violet find a way to accept her new talent and prevent another murder without risking her own chances for a future with the one she loves?
Review:
When I saw the cover and read the blurb, I wanted so much to read Haunting Violet. The book itself more than lived up to the cover. I love historical fiction, mysteries, and a good love story, and Haunting Violet has all these things plus characters that draw you in.
The book opens with, "I was nine years old when my mother decided it was time I took part in the family business. I was pretty enough no, she said, that I might be of use. I'd grown into my ears and my long neck and might be clever enough to be handle myself. Besides which, she claimed, she had no other option."
As Violet tries to reconcile her mother's dodgy profession with her conscience, she is very aware of her place in the class structure and of her precarious position. The snubs, bullying, and the kindnesses all give us a better understanding of her strong character, her sense of fairness and integrity. Violet is a good friend - to Colin, to the highborn Elizabeth, and even to bullying Tabitha Wentworth. The mystery of Rebecca's death is carefully revealed. If you are partial to historical fiction, mysteries or love stories, you're sure to find Haunting Violet an engrossing and satisfying read!
Reading level: Young Adult
ISBN-10: 080279839X - Hardcover $16.99
Publisher: Walker Childrens; First Edition edition (June 21, 2011), 352 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
About the Author:
Alyxandra Harvey is the author of the Drake Chronicles -- Hearts at Stake, Blood Feud, and Out for Blood. She studied creative writing and literature at York University and has had her poetry published in several magazines. She lives in an old Victorian farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, with a few resident ghosts, her husband, hawk, and two dogs.
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