Review: The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

The Curse of Penryth Hall

by Jess Armstrong

Release Date: December 5, 2023

2023 Minotaur Books

Ebook ARC Edition; 326 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250886019

ASIN: B0BQGGBCXC

Audiobook: B0CKCQXNY7

Genre: Fiction / Historical Fiction / Gothic

Source: Review copy from publisher

3 / 5 Stars

Summary

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

My Thoughts

The Curse of Penryth Hall is an interesting murder mystery / gothic story set in the 1920s. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book as well as the time period as I am always interested in post-WWI historical fiction writing as I don't think there is enough of it.  

I really liked the Ruby, the main character, as it would be very difficult to be an independent woman during this time period, but circumstances have led her to be leery of relationships and distrustful. Considering what happened to her and how families 'dealt' with problems during this time period, she came out rather lucky, so I totally understand where she is coming from and why she would not want to give up her independence.  I liked how the author made her life difficult because some of the things she did would have shocked people during this time period and she would have suffered consequences, even dangerous ones.  However, I don't feel the author managed to do the same with the other characters, except the cat?  Ruan actually drove me nuts as he seemed like two different people half of the time, his character development almost non-existent because the author couldn't seem to make up her mind as to how she wanted him to appear.  For example, he would be nice and friendly to Ruby one minutes, then the next time they would meet, he would be cruel and dismissive, almost as if he was putting on a show for those around him. Not a genuine person at all. And the other characters were written this way as well.

The writing itself was well done, and I enjoyed the atmospheric setting of the mansion and the lands. There were quite a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting which made the story intriguing as I wasn't sure if I was reading a simply mystery or a gothic suspense.  While some of the plot points were a bit silly, and Ruan sometimes ruined a scene for me, I thoroughly enjoyed Ruby's investigations because she often used logic and sense when seeking information.  It was also a bit of a slow burn, sometimes too much of one. 

Verdict

The Curse of Penryth Hall seems to have more elements of a gothic mystery in it, but I would have to say also some elements of magical realism.  I thought Ruby's character development was interesting and I enjoyed learning more about her, but I thought the others could have been better and would have added more to the story. The overall plot was interesting, but did have a tendency to meander causing it to slow down and focus on things that I don't think were necessary to the story.  There was a lot of potential in this book and the writing was solid, so I will definitely read more from this author in the future.