The Curse of Penryth Hall is a mystery full of twists and turns. Ruby delivers a box of books to Cornwall for her charming employer, It is her first trip to Cornwall since her former friend's wedding. A man is killed, and Ruby, alongside Ruan, the community's "seer", works to determine if the death was the result of a curse or was a murder. The author does a good job of creating a setting that is as much a part of the story as the characters.

It’s December book people! While many of you are reaching for feel good holiday books, for my gothic mystery lovers this one’s for you!! The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jessica Armstrong is perfect for curling up in a cosy spot. I binge read this in a day. It’s an immersive blend of old books and mysticism, where legend and folklore get wrapped in the Cornish countryside. It’s a journey of facing old loves, of a curse reborn, of selkies, curses, and wisemen who may or may not be magical. This is all you need to know, really, you can go get the book now.
What follows is my purposefully vague description.
In postwar England Ruby Vaughn rents a room from her employer, Mr Owen. When he sends her to deliver a box of books to a client in the Cornish countryside he gives her one admonition, do not open the box. “These are ancient things, my girl…dangerous ones.”. It’s the last place Ruby wants to go. The last time she was there the most important person in her life, Tasmyn, married Sir Edwyn Chenowyth. She now lives at Penryth with her son. Ruby was so brokenhearted she didn’t respond to Tasmyn’s most recent letter.
When Ruby arrives to deliver the books she’s drawn to Penryth Hall. A horrific crime is committed, and it is feared the curse that plagued the home thirty years earlier has returned. A local healer, wise person, known as the peller, is brought in to help.
Going in with just a vague outline is going to be your best friend here. I think it’s easy to be spoiled on some things and I enjoyed having very little background. I loved the atmospheric feeling, just right for a winter read. This is Armstrong’s debut novel and she’s absolutely an author I’m going to be watching! I loved the mystical vibe combined with a female main character that was complex, strong, flawed, and open to new ways of thinking.
I highly recommend to readers looking for something atmospheric, gothic, set in the English countryside. Thank you to @minotaur_books @netgalley and @jessl_armstrong for the advance copy.

4.5
The story is a combination of mystery and a twist you won’t expect. At least, I didn’t. My mind kept going somewhere else.

Ruby was involved in trying to help with the investigation of the deaths and the major secrets that were being hidden in the town. It gets dark but not as dark as you would expect.

I loved how it had supernatural and how you are given the story with such detail that you don’t want to miss out on what happens next. Not only are you given a great ending, but I felt there was something that I didn’t get answered.

A gothic tale set after the Great War, where an heiress decides to run a bookstore.

Ruby is sent away from home due to a scandal, so she decides to help run a rare bookstore in Exeter. One day she’s given an assignment to run some books down to Cornwall, where Penryth Hall is. She’s shocked to see the house is run by her old friend Tamsyn and her new husband. Ruby feels the need to reconnect after their falling out, but Tamsyn doesn’t feel the same.

This story is a light mystery with a dash of a strong heroine. The premise was intriguing and definitely had the brooding gothic feel with a dash of paranormal mystery surrounding it.

I could not get into The Curse of Penryth Hall. The synopsis of the book was great; however, it did not live up to the hype for me. I could never get into the book. Seemed slow and drawn out. I stopped reading it a couple of times thinking if I read something else and came back it would capture my attention. Unfortunately The Curse of Penryth Hall was not for me.

This book felt like a good set up to a series. We got some good characters, and we’re introduced to a much different sort of fantasy. My only critique is that felt like it was super effective in the supernatural elements at times. If you’re going to try to try a hybrid genre or more realistic magic worlds, I think you need to be more clear than this book was at times. Still, I’d read another book if they continued with the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jess Armstrong for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Curse of Penryth Hall coming out December 5, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was really intrigued by the title, and I love historical mysteries. I love stories about grand houses that have a history to them. This book wasn’t exactly what I was picturing in my mind. I thought the book ended up being a little too long. I think it would’ve been better for it to be a little bit tighter. The characters were good, but I think they were floundering a bit and they were a little lost in the plot. I thought the writing was awesome and I was into a lot of the story. I just think it lost my attention a little toward the end. I think the curse wasn’t fully explained and how it affected the characters. Most of the action seemed to happen in the last 25% of the book. I would read other books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries!

This was an interesting read.

It was funny, magical, and the character development was top notch. I truly enjoyed this read.

This was a great murder mystery set in post-war UK.
Strong female lead who doesn’t believe in curses or anything she can’t logically explain.
Great story building and characters.
I love that the author had the characters deal with a lot of self-reflection and growth.

What a fun time this was. Obviously, the murder was not fun and very descriptive on some of the gruesome bits, but I loved it!! We start out with my favorite first chapter ever. "There were three things A girl wanted after the night I had. One: A proper breakfast. Two: a scarcity of sunlight. And three--possibly most important--coffee. DARK, bitter, and at least two pots."
As a charachter, I loved Ruby! She was witty and so relatable. I loved seeing her interactions with her family she found in Mr. Owen and their cat.

Then the story starts to get wild right off the bat after she arrives back to Lothel Green and meets an old flame/friend Tasmyn. The mystery had me on the edge of my seat, and I honestly had no idea who did it until the reveal. All my guesses were wrong. The cook/housekeeper  was my 2nd favorite character, and I am happy with the ending we get to see! I appreciate the ending, and it makes me feel like we could get more!

My only real negative was the constant repetitive of Ruby not believing in a curse or magic that the teller, Mr. Kivel is capable of. I am fine with her not believing, but she brings it up all the time. We get it it's been established. That being said, it didn't affect my rating 5/5 stars.

Make sure to add this debut gothic mystery with supernatural elements to your cozy winter reading list. Set in Cornwall in 1922 the story follows (mis)adventures of troubled and trouble-making American heiress Ruby. When her elderly employer and landlord Mr. Owen asks her to deliver some books to a local healer, Ruby is reluctant to go because her once closest friend Tamsyn lives there as well. Ruby's visit stirs up a lot of unresolved things from the past and throw her in the middle of a an investigation of unusual death of Tamsyn's husband.

This story had a little bit of everything but I think I enjoyed the dynamic between Ruby and Ruan the most. Cornish folklore, potential curse, lots of secrets and unresolved feelings and Ruby's mischievous spirit made for an entertaining read. It was a quick, fun read that made me forget about everything else for a few hours. I also liked the fact the epilogue read as if there is a possibility of a sequel.

Read this if you're up for:
- gothic vibes
- love triangle
- mystery with a dash of supernatural
- great chemistry between main characters
- compelling "side" characters
- beautiful setting

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Curse of Penryth Hall is a quaint, charming and cozy yet gruesome Gothic mystery novel set in the idyllic 1920's Cornish countryside. Is it an ancient curse or a terriorsome murderer that is targeting the inhabitants of Penryth Hall? This is the mystery the readers must solve. Our protagonist, Ruby Vaughn, an American Heiress is quite feisty and I instantly took a liking to her spunk. All in all this novel is a feel good mystery with a grim twist.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotour Books, the author, Jess Armstrong and NetGalley for extending me this ARC.

This book was so packed full of things I love that it might as well have been written for me. Rebellious protagonist with approximately zero percent of her shit together? Highly relatable. Murder mystery with supernatural elements? Delicious. Country house gothic set in 1920's Cornwall? Literally salivating.

Ruby, our disaster bisexual flapper protagonist, is sent to Cornwall to deliver an order of antiquarian books to Ruan Kivell, a folk healer and sort-of witch in the coastal village of Lothlel Green. Uncomfortably for Ruby, this delivery brings her to the doorstep of her estranged best friend and former lover, Tamsyn, now married to baronet Edward Chenowyth, the master of Penryth Hall.

A murder at Penryth Hall stuns the community the morning after Ruby's arrival, and she finds herself swept up in the speculation. While Ruby and many others suspect an earthly cause, some within the village blame the murder on an ancestral curse on the Chenowyth family. Regardless of the cause, and concerned for Tamsyn's safety, Ruby and Ruan begin an investigation that reveals decades' worth of Chenowyth family secrets.

Without giving anything away, I found the conclusion of this mystery to be so satisfying, and I loved the tension between Ruby and Ruan. Honestly, I loved just about everything about Ruan and would carry him around in my pocket if I could. There are still a couple threads that I would have liked to see explained a bit more, but overall my biggest complaint is that I wish there were more. I don't know if there are sequels planned, but I could totally see Ruby stepping into the role of reluctant lady detective in future installments.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me this advanced copy of The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this murder mystery which took place after the Great War.. It was well paced and I just couldn't wait to find out what the conclusion would bring. The ending did not disappoint.
An American heiress named Ruby, who works in a bookstore in Exeter with Mr Owen who is her housemate as well as her boss, gets herself into a scramble when she is asked to do Mr. Owen a favor, and return to a town that she never dreamed of going back to.
Ever since Ruby's best friend Tamsyn married Edward Chenowyth,( a baronet), she has not been able to return to the Cornish country side of Lothlel Green. However, due to her loyalty to Mr. Owen she decides to go and follow through with delivering a stack of books (that she is not allowed to look at) to Mr. Kivell who is known as the folk healer of the town. Ruby also knows that her once dear friend Tamsyn lives there and because they left off on bad terms, she does not want to dredge up the past.
Upon Ruby's arrival, Tamsyn is quite astonished to see her as she was not aware that Ruby was going to visit. Ruby and Tamsyn feel the strain of their relationship, however Ruby is invited to stay for a meal and and gets a taste of more than just the food. Ruby sees first hand how Edward's behavior dictates what happens in Penryth Hall and how it affects Tamsyn. Not soon after , a discovery is made in the orchard that will shatter everyone's lives. Although Ruby wants nothing more than to leave, her conscience will not allow her to leave her friend in distressing times.
This story is about love, loyalty, and the secrets that lie deep within people of the Cornish countryside. The characters each have their own unique qualities and beliefs which keep them engaged in the mysterious murders who some thought was caused by a curse. The curse became an explanation for all that could not be explained,. Is this curse responsible for the deaths or is there a murderer amongst the town's people and the residents of the eery and dark Penryth Hall? I enjoyed this tale that had some folklorish whimsey, and at times had me on the edge of my seat.

I love gothic mysteries with atmospheric, spooky settings, so I had high expectations of The Curse of Penryth Hall. I liked the premise, but the execution left me wanting more. I felt that there were a lot of plot holes and loose threads that remained unresolved by the end of the book. I didn't love Ruby, the main heroine. She was a bit one-dimensional, and I didn't fully understand her relationship with the Pellar. It was neither here nor there. The murder mystery itself was satisfying. The Curse of Penryth Hall is a debut novel, and it might explain its shortfalls.

Ruby Vaughn has made a nice life for herself, running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. 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. Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, is the one 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. To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside Ruan to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

I am torn about this book. The premise sounded good, and I really liked Ruby. She was plucky, stubborn and fearless. I liked Ruan, and enjoyed the interactions between him and Ruby. The mystery was good, and it kept me guessing until the end. I also enjoyed how quirky several of the villagers were. I really didn't care for Tamsyn at all - she just seemed spineless to me. I felt the story seemed to ebb and flow, rather than either build slowly or stay steady throughout, so at times my attention wanted to wander. I did enjoy the mysticism of the curse, & the strange vivid dreams Ruby started having. Overall, I felt it had a bit of an Agatha Christie vibe, with a little supernatural element added to it.

This was an enjoyable, atmospheric mystery debut. Set in England after World War I, heiress-turned-bookseller Ruby is sent by her boss to Cornwall to deliver some mysterious books. While there, she reconnects with her old friend, Tamsyn, with whom Ruby has lost touch since Tamsyn's marriage to the tyrannical Sir Edward Chenowyth. When Sir Edward turns up dead, the locals blame it on the Penryth Hall curse, but Ruby doesn't believe in their superstitions. She takes it upon herself to investigate Sir Edward's demise, and the local Pellar, Ruan Kivell, proves to be her sometimes ally, sometimes annoyance in the investigation.

I loved this book's Cornish setting and enjoyed learning more about their myths and beliefs. Ruan, the Pellar, is a sort of mystic healer whom the locals believe can cast love charms, ward off illness, and protect their village. This book does have a touch of a supernatural element, which is not normally my thing, but I thought it was well done here.

I enjoyed most of the characters, and I had a particular fondness for Ruby's boss, Mr. Owen, and his mischievous feline. I loved his quasi-father-daughter relationship with Ruby. My biggest complaint was that Tamsyn's character fell a bit flat. I didn't fully understand her or the connection between her and Ruby.

4 stars ⭐️ Would read from this author again

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this EARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun historical mystery with a side of slow-burn romance. Set in the quiet Cornish countryside, we follow Ruby Vaughon, an American heiress who lives with a loveable bookstore owner. She is sent to the countryside to deliver books to a mysterious healer Ruan. Ruby stays with her old friend in Penryth hall, when her friend's husband is murdered.

I absolutely loved this. The short chapters and compelling story made this so easy to read. It was giving Agatha Christie and Simone St. James vibes along with several other books I have read including, the Veronica Speedwell Series and A Dreadful Splendor by B. R. Myers. I clearly love a historical mystery lol.

I loved the banter between the local witch, Ruan and our MC Ruby. It was slow in its build up, but I also needed more! I really loved Ruby, she was feisty, determined, queer, and has a tragic back story. The only issue I had, was with Ruby's obsession with her former love/best friend, it just felt over the top. I cannot believe this is a debut and I look forward to reading more from Jess Armstrong.

Ah, to be an impossibly wealthy young woman in the early 20th century, spending one's days working for an avuncular seller of old books. If that sounds as interesting as watching paint dry, add to that scenario periodic trips to deliver illegal books. Ruby Vaughn's latest assignment is to deliver books to a handsome man in Cornwall who practices Cornish magic.

Of course, Ruby doesn't believe in magic. She just wants to deliver her employer's books and maybe visit an old friend she's neglected for a few years.

Ruby does reconnect with Tamsyn and leaves with suspicions that Tamsyn's obnoxious husband is abusing her. What develops is a murder mystery with more curlicues than twists, not to mention quite a bit of Cornish is-it-or-isn't-it magic. After all, Ruby doesn't believe in magic. Or does she?

"The Curse of Penryth Hall" by Jess Armstrong is a well-told story with an intricate plot. Although no time travel is involved, I would compare it with some of the recent books that feature it as if it can be reliably accomplished. Other similarities might be to some of the newer magical realism stories.

I recommend "The Curse of Penryth Hall." Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.

I enjoyed this book as a fun and easy read. I was hesitant to see where it was going for a little bit… I wasn’t sure what a Pellar was… I was just as confused as Ruby on that point… and I found the explanation a bit lacking. As the book went on, I was, however, glad to know that the murders were not going to be blamed on some curse even if the villagers were convinced it was. I had concerns that the Pellar might lean that way, seeing as that’s basically his job, but those concerns were for naught. I did find the magical healing and mind reading parts a bit… well.. weird. If there’s not a curse then why are we bothering with supernatural elements? Honestly he didn’t need to be a Pellar for the story to be good. That being said, some of the characters could have been developed more or differently and I feel that it would have had a better flow. I could see some of the twists coming but there were a few that I did not.

Overall, I enjoyed it as long as I didn’t try to think about it too hard. A fun and quick read but not one that I would rave about as being spectacular. It looks like the author set it up for a potential sequel… if so I’d be curious to see where she goes with it. If not, then it didn’t end leaving me wanting more so I also won’t be disappointed if there isn’t a sequel.