thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

i always worry about sequels and if they will live up to the first book. but i felt like this one built upon the first one really well.

i enjoyed:

the way the original story expanded upon the first book.

learning more about Archie and his secrets.

less Saxon!!!! yay!!!!

artist rendering of peony lane’s murder

i didn't enjoy:

i'm not sure if it was because this is an uncorrected proof, but several times it seemed like pronouns were swapped and it made the story a little hard to follow who Annie was referring to in those moments.

****

i thought this book was super enjoyable and kept me interested from start to finish. i also think this book left a lot of room for book 3 and 4 to provided more background on Castle Knolls/the Gravesdowns/Frances. i desperately want to learn more about them.

overall, i enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next in this series!

(3.9/5 stars)