Julia Buckley

Ginevra Bond was a decent read. Some parts of the novel were slow and I felt my attention waver in parts, but overall the book was pleasant. It had a very happy and optimistic tone and the main character was relatively fleshed out. I would've loved to see more development of her brother Doug and even more of the friendship between her and Viola - her love interest tended to take a leading role (which is hard to escape these days in any genre but particularly YA).

That being said, the book itself had an interesting plot and was somewhat original. Overall a decent solid read.… (mehr)

Castle Dark, Castle Deep by Veronica Bond is a 2022 Berkley publication.

Another murder has taken place at Castle Dark. If that is not shocking enough, the victim was a young man with no apparent enemies. The motive remains elusive as Dash takes over the case, while Nora fends off a new cast member that rubs her the wrong way and worries about the distance that has grown between her and Dash. The case is at a standstill until Nora and Dash make a shocking discovery that changes the entire dynamics of the investigation- and could bring danger to more than one of the cast members- Nora included…

The large castle, spooky catacombs, Halloween, and an Ibsen play is the perfect backdrop for a good Autumn themed mystery. I enjoyed the first book in this series because of the Gothic undertones- and the author continues with that theme in this second installment.

The mystery is solid, but light, with the romance getting a little more attention this time around. There were a few niggles, though, as one of the characters that ended up being central to the mystery barely said a word throughout the entire book. I thought that was little odd, considering the circumstances, and it sort of nagged at me a little.

That said, I loved the spirit animal segments and the beautiful fall scenery described in the story and, of course, I loved hearing about the ‘Bronte’s’- Nora’s three cats- and how they are growing, and the way the story ended so peacefully and full of winter promise.

Overall, a very nice follow-up to ‘Death in Castle Dark', and a good book to curl up with this fall.

3.5 rounded up… (mehr)