I've read a number of reviews that have said they found the time period this book was set in to be unrealistic and that tarnished their enjoyment.

However, I didn't see it this way. The timeframe the novel is set in IS more modern but the setting is very insular - almost of a village whose residents are behind the times. I don't think the "surely social services would have got involved" nature of this is entirely unreasonable but also - in an insular community with a very powerful man who blackmails a huge number of people? Not too far fetched for me, I'm sorry to say.

I found this novel compelling- the gradual ebb and flow of Sandra/Cassandra as her trauma and instincts both encouraged and repressed her, the development and deterioration of her relationships and the perception of her from outsiders created a truly haunting depiction.

The writer here has created the perfect storm of a victim. We want to protect her, shake sense into her, shout at her, change her but she is irreparably shaped by her own superstitions and the defence mechanisms she creates wherein she blames herself for everything that happens to her.

I wasn't keen on the ending to the novel, I have to say and there is the depiction of a character within it who is black- this character is of low income and works as a cleaner in the big house. This character speaks with a very broad accent - the only one really demonstrated at length in the whole novel -and I feel like the inclusion of a singular woman of colour in the novel in this role is an odd choice. She becomes such a vital character but the introduction of her skin colour and social status with no other origin info and without similar details included on other characters felt a little like racial stereotyping to me. I would love to talk to the author to find out their thoughts around this :)

I was gifted a copy from Kaleidoscopic book tours for this honest review.