The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston
Narrator: Marisa Calin
Series: The Hecate Cavendish Series #1
Published by Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press on July 23, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
Length: 13 hours 18 minutes
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, Audiobook, Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.

England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding long forgotten souls in its stony embrace. Hecate Cavendish speeds through the cobbled streets on her bicycle, skirts hitched daringly high, heading for her new life as Assistant Librarian. But this is no ordinary collection of books. The cathedral houses an ancient chained library, wisdom guarded for centuries, mysteries and stories locked onto its worn, humble shelves. The most prized artifact, however, is the medieval world map which hangs next to Hecate’s desk. Little does she know how much the curious people and mythical creatures depicted on it will come to mean to her. Nor does she suspect that there are lost souls waiting for her in the haunted cathedral. Some will become her dearest friends. Some will seek her help in finding peace. Others will put her in great peril, and, as she quickly learns, threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

This was really good! I have become a fan of this author’s writing after reading the books in the Found Things series, which starts with The Little Shop of Found Things. I haven’t had the chance to explore her backlist yet so I was excited to pick up her newest book which appears to be the start of a brand new series. I was quickly swept away to Hecate Cavendish’s world and couldn’t wait to see how things would work out for her.

As the book opens, Hecate is starting her position as an assistant librarian at Hereford Cathedral. Her father is a respected member of the community and his recommendation helped her gain her position. She is very close to her father and confides in him right away when she begins to see ghosts living within the Cathedral after she starts working with the items in the library. Things become more intense after a serious incident at the Cathedral. Hecate, along with her father and a few close friends, need to get to the bottom of things before more people are put in the path of danger.

I liked Hecate right away. She has picked a different path by taking a job instead of looking for a good marriage. She is incredibly smart and doesn’t shy away when things become dangerous. I felt like her character experienced a lot of growth over the course of this story. The mystery kept me guessing and I was eager to see how things would work out and loved that there were some big surprises along the way.

I listened to the audiobook and thought Marisa Calin did a fantastic job with this story. I have enjoyed her narration work in the past so I was eager to listen to this book. She does a great job of bringing the characters to life through her reading by adding just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I enjoyed the various voices that she used to represent this varied cast of characters. I am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very well-written novel with just enough paranormal activity to keep the story very interesting. I liked Hecate and her family quite a lot and look forward to reading more of this series in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio.

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