Author: Jane Nickerson
Publisher: Random House Children's
Genre: Historical, Retelling, Young Adult
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Source: Random Buzzers
Purchase: Amazon | TBD | B&N | Kobo
The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
I will admit, I have never ever read anything to do with Bluebeard but have heard talk about him. So I sort of know a few stories. So, when I went into this, I had no expectations or hopes that it would be like the actual stories, which probably made this a little easier to read.
To be honest, this actually started off slow for me. And when I say slow, I mean, I read the first chapter and put it up thinking I wouldn't come back to it, ever. But, a few months later and I found myself swiping my fingers over the spine and pulling it off the book shelf to read again. Glad I decided to try again. I found myself getting caught up in Sophia's life and rolling my eyes and hating Bernard de Cressac.
Sophia was a girl of seventeen and had moved in with her godfather due to the death of her father. At first she thought that her life was grand and couldn't imagine anything better. But she soon discovered the dark secrets that were laid to rest at Wyndriven Abbey and found herself searching for a way out.
Sophia's character was very likable, she was young and naive, which made her all the more real. She had ideals of what life should be like and missed her family very much. She grew up a lot throughout the course of the book and became a very strong individual, which I found agreeable.
Bernard was a very lustful character. He believed in riches and power and believed that his controlling behavior and tempers were for the best. He was a very jealous individual. He was everything that you love to hate. And believe me, I hated him immensely.
The story was quite interesting, however, I did anticipate the ending a little and some of the course of events. I do wish that this book had a few surprise twists so it wasn't as predictable. But it was still a really great read and I recommend it to readers who enjoy re-tellings.
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