The Haunting of Violet Gray by Emily Sadovna Review (Gifted)

Hello Readers,

Thank you, Emily Sadovna for sending me a copy of The Haunting of Violet Gray for free in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers

When I saw Emily offer this book on Instagram and after reading the blurb I needed to get my hands on this book. This book has witchcraft, time travel and conspiracies like gimmie! having almost all of my favourite things combined in one book its everything I could want and more. We're just going to beak down my favourite elements, witchcraft, Cat is drawn to a beautiful mansion where she is seduced into the world of modern witchcraft. Time Travel, The gift of astral travel. Conspiracy No spoilers!

This novel centres on a mysterious young woman called Cat, who showed up two years ago with no memory of who she is or how she came to be there. The haunting of Violet Gray is a gripping, suspense-driven tale of witchcraft set in the present day with haunting reflections of life on the south coast in 1940. This is most definitely the kind of book you can get yourself lost in and has you hooked and turning pages to see the mysteries unravel.

Cat is an interesting, confused protagonist, searching for answers. It is unclear who she can trust initially, though this confusion is slowly clarified through interactions with the other characters. One day Cat answers a job advert to be a cleaner at a beautiful mansion, Cat is drawn into the world of modern witchcraft and finds herself haunted by a supernatural presence in the house. Upon discovering a witch’s journal, Cat anchors her mind to the summer of 1940, where she witnesses events that lead to a secret occultist ritual, the deadly outcome of which has remained a secret ever since. Cat is plagued by the paranormal happenings of the house and the desperate whispers of a long-dead girl.

An oppressive atmosphere is generated through expressive descriptions of settings and the characters involved.  It’s not long before the two stories begin to intertwine with one another, and Cat is left to piece together the clues of a mystery much bigger than herself. She quickly realises that she is central to the plans of others and must use all of the strength, concentration and all the bravery she can muster in order to fulfil her own destiny.

I feel like it did some great things playing with the idea of that dynamic between politics and witchcraft and then also generation z and witchcraft. This is a spellbinding promising first novel and I am looking forward to reading the next instalment of Hunter's Moon.

L x