Review: Miramont's Ghost

{on Goodreads}

Miramont's Ghost is the story of Adrienne Beauvier, a young woman of privilege, but also of fearsome talent. From the time she was little, Adrienne knows things before they happen. At first, her clairvoyance is taken as an active imagination, but soon it becomes the subject of town gossip. Adrienne's beloved grandfather seeks to protect her, while her own mother ignores her and her malicious Aunt Marie watches her with disdain. The loss of her grandfather sends Adrienne into a dark, inward spiral, and she hides her gift from her family and community. For a time, it seems as though Adrienne has a chance at true love and will be able to escape the oppressive atmosphere of her childhood home. Her Aunt Marie, however, is far more evil than Adrienne predicted, and she finds herself falling for Marie's carefully plotted traps. 

I downloaded this book with the Kindle First subscription and I'm so glad I chose it because it was one of those books that just completely sucked me in right from the start. I felt so strongly for the character of Adrienne; I sympathized with her loneliness and had empathy for her fear of being herself. Many of the characters were in the background, but the relationship between Adrienne and Marie was very intense. I wouldn't necessarily call this a scary story, but reading the passages about Marie's wickedness in the dark with only the backlight on my Kindle had me feeling like I might have nightmares. I don't want to give away the major twists of the novel, because they are of the no-way-I-did-not-see-that-coming, gasping-out-loud type. I can say that I found myself in such despair over this story and Adrienne's misfortunes that I had to explain my terrible mood to my boyfriend when he pointed out that I had been acting sad. I just can't help but feel that Marie is one of the most villainous characters I've ever encountered. I later found out that the setting of the story, Miramont Castle, is actually a real place, and located in Maintou Springs, Colorado. The castle was built by Father Jean Baptiste Francolon, who shows up in Miramont's Ghost as Adrienne's cousin and Marie's only, beloved son. Like his mother, he was a character that I found wholly disturbing. The Miramont Castle is now a historic landmark and rumored to be haunted; I'd love to read some nonfiction about the supernatural events at the castle and the history of it. The only writing-related criticisms that I have are that some of the characters fell a bit flat (I would have liked to see a more well-developed mother for Adrienne) and that I was sometimes confused by the direction of the plot. This would be one that I recommend to readers who enjoy mysteries, thrillers, and historical fiction.

Bottom Line Rating: 4/5

Title: Miramont Ghosts

Author: Elizabeth Hall

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing, 2015

Price: $10.99 {for a paperback on Amazon, only $4.99 for Kindle!}

Format: E-book

Source: Free with Kindle First subscription