Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for the free E-book for review.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackstone is as atmospheric as they come, and I'm all for it. Set in the Hereford Cathedral, readers get a tour of the ancient chained library, its crypts, and a glimpse of the medieval Mappa Mundi. While some details may have been changed, these elements add an undeniable element of authenticity to the story.

Hecate, the heroine, is named after the Greek Goddess of witchcraft, ghosts, and necromancy. She is an inquisitive character who defies social norms, and her close relationship with her father is something special. I enjoyed following her as she crept through the crypt, conversed with ghosts, and pored over ancient tomes to unravel the mystery of the rogue souls, all while befriending a cat and a griffin.

The introduction of mystery, the supernatural, and an ominous, shadowy presence piques the reader's curiosity. The author's writing style kept me glued and engaged throughout the book.

This is a strong start to the series, and I look forward to delving deeper into this world and witnessing Hecate's growth as she resolves the mystery of who was behind the unleashing of the souls possessing the rich.

hecate can see and talk to ghosts and she gives off detective vibes all throughout the book. it is sad and haunting and left me quite shocked.

According to her mother, Hecate Cavendish needs to settle down with a nice man. According to her father, Hecate is a gifted scholar who should be given the freedom to choose her future. Things in the Cavendish house are, understandably for the late 1800s, tense. As if this weren’t enough, Paula Brackston makes things even more complicated for her protagonist in The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by, well, introducing some hauntings.

Hecate’s first day as assistant librarian at the Hereford Cathedral is a happy one. Only her mother’s disapproval mars the day, but Hecate is used to that. She wheels across town on her new bicycle, determined to make a good impression on the clerics at the cathedral. One might think that her gender and her name would put the men of the cathedral off but, with the exception of the cantankerous librarian, Hecate charms everyone she meets. Much to her surprise, she also charms the resident ghosts: a medieval monk, a Napoleonic veteran, a Georgian maid, and an aristocratic lady.

Things get stranger at the cathedral when an apparent desecration in the crypt and a shocking murder nearby lead Hecate and the ghosts to pursue supernatural leads. Hecate is the kind of protagonist to hare off on her own but, thankfully, she takes precautions to arm herself before tackling anything dangerous. It’s a relief to read a character who doesn’t charge in blindly. And, being a librarian myself, I appreciated that one of the things Hecate does to learn more about her adversary is to take a trip to the British Library and con her way into the archives.

Readers may want to wait for the next book in the series before picking up a copy of The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish. The conclusion to this book leaves a huge hanging thread that diminishes the effect of a pretty spectacular climax.

I was so excited to be accepted for Paula Brackston's new book but sadly this wasn't for me (at least at the time). The story did not grip me in a way that I wanted and I found myself falling asleep when I would read at night. That said, Brackston's writing style is beautiful and I thought that I would immediately fall in love with what was being written but it fell flat for me.

I am a reader that likes a character that is easy to connect with and dynamic enough to pull me in and while I thought the main character was interesting, she did not make up for struggling to pick up the book. I slogged through each chapter just trying to get through the book. There were moments throughout the novel that would pick up my interest, but when that would end it would again cause of a lack of interest.

Overall, there some interesting moments, but I was not enthralled with the book itself or the mysteries that should have made me want to continue. I will probably try this novel at a different time to see if my opinion changes and in turn update my review, but as it stands I am at a 2.5 stars for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such an interesting premise for a book! The language is very descriptive. I felt like I was there with Hecate! If you’re interested in 1881 England, treasured old books, strong young women, and fantasy, I suggest you check this book out. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5
Thank you @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress #partner #macaudio2024 for the gifted audiobook and eARC of this book!

In this magical story we follow an assistant librarian, Hecate, who has magical skills who can see ghosts. 👻 Within the library that she works at is a secret library within which is old, mysterious and houses an unusual collection of books. Not just anyone has access to it. Next to Hecate desk is a map with eccentric people and mythical creatures. She will soon discover just how important those people and creatures mean to her.

💭I loved Hecate’s “take no sass” attitude. She is fiery, spunky, and spirited which made her easy to like. In fact, I am not sure there was a character in here that I didn’t fall in love with. This book was a magical slow burn that features extraordinary souls and fanciful writing. The author was able to create such a atmospheric setting it was easy to get lost in. I am not sure this book will be for everyone based on the prose and slowness of it so make sure you’re in the right mood going in! This was light in fantasy, mixed with historical fiction, mystery, paranormal and magic! I do think the audio helped me to become immersed into this ancient librarian’s world! This is labeled as book 1 so there will most certainly be a continuation of Hecate!

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish was a captivating story set in a historical period about a young woman named Hekate . The plot centers on her experience learning that spirits are speaking to her and that she can communicate with them without anyone else seeing her at her new work as the librarian's assistant at Hereford Cathedra.

I thought the book's plot was intriguing and that it had a lot of mystery, spirits, and murder! Even though I liked Hecate's personality and that she was unique, I thought everyone's respect for her was a little forced. To be honest, I thought the book's pacing was a little off; at first it started out slowly before picking up speed in the later part.

And the ending doesn't really appeal to me. The storyline was left completely unresolved. No answers to the questions or even a suggestion as to who the main villain is. Hekate merely postponed evil till a later time rather than vanquishing it.

Despite that, it still was a interesting book to read. Though it might not be for everyone, I thought this book was quite unique.

Paula Brackston has hit a home run with ‘The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish’. From the first page to the last, I was enthralled with every aspect of this story. The characters are well developed and the places are rich with detail. Hecate Cavendish, although the main character of this story, does not appear overtly so. She is well entwined with other characters, which I found made her stronger and more relatable to the average reader. The slow development of the story and its environment allows for total emersion into it. I was hard pressed to put this book down and found my thoughts and feelings lingering long after setting it down. This book is written in the past, which I loved for many reasons, but the depth in which the story is laid out, it’s as if you are riding on Hacate’s bike with her, feeling the wind in your face. Most people don’t appreciate or read a long review of a book, so I’ll conclude with this: read this book, you will not be disappointed. I am eagerly awaiting the next great adventure of Hecate! Great work, Paula.

Good world building and, in the end, a clever and engaging story. But it was so slow! The first half of the book just dragged. I almost gave it up a time or two, but finally the story came to life and the second half was quite enjoyable.

Hecate is just the kind of character that I love to love! She's got lots of moxie.
Hecate Cavendish is a young woman in the Victorian Era. She has a job as a librarian's assistant in a cathedral when strange things start happening. I really enjoyed Hecate's relationship with her father, but the rest of the family isn't bad either- the somewhat stodgy, but well meaning mother and the sickly, but mischievous brother. While, there were great, well rounded characters, I wasn't a big fan of the romance involved.
This is a fun story, that kept me wanting more, but I didn't love the ending. It is part of a series, so I'm hoping for more resolution in the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy for review.

I definitely enjoyed this book and I'm sorry I've been busy (9 months pregnant)and delayed reading! I love historical fiction and liked the relevance with goddess hekate(sp?) The history behind the main characters name, history and everything magical I really liked as well.
I related to hecate in terms of being focused on her career path and not love life yet was so happy that she had found someone. Only to lose him so suddenly which I had lost my fiance years ago so I could relate.
Besides being able to relate this book was filled w magic, mystery, and suspense. The only thing I was upset about was the ending did not really have a resolution and left the story hanging! Otherwise I def recommend! Hoping for second book!

This book is a classic case of it's me not you. I thought this book would be different than it was, BUT I this is definitely a book my mom would really love!

This is a paranormal mystery with a gilded age kind of flair. Love that the FMC is independent and rides a bike. LOVED the MMC. The mystery unfolding was well done.

I wish the ending was a little more drawn out though. It felt like the conflict and resolution and occurred very quickly.

I also am a little too used to reading romances and this story hurt my heart and I will never forgive 😭

Read this if Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre style writing and gilded age mysteries are your thing! The writing definitely has more of that classic feel.

Overall, I would recommend this to the older mystery loving ladies at church or those nostalgic for Murder, She Wrote will love this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written, and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

When Hecate Cavendish gets her dream job of library assistant at the famed Hereford Library, she is excited to begin her journey. But when she settles in, strange things begin happening. Can she solve the mystery that the clues point to before everything goes awry? This book has it all, romance, paranormal intrigue, history, etc. Definitely cannot wait to see where this series takes us!

I felt confused by the content of this book. I sometimes it felt like a general fiction book with a society ball and romance of suitors. Then there was the religious side of the main character working in a cathedral library, the church choir, relics, crypt, priests, monks and all, which then also contrasted with the witches, ghosts, exorcisms and spells. I expected something a little different with the cover, but overall wasn't ever fully engaged with the book.

Hecate Cavendish is not your average 18th century young woman. First, her father encourages her desire to have a job and even helps her to secure a position as an assistant librarian at the Hereford Cathedral. Ever the rebel, she even shortens her skirts and buys a practical pair of high boots in order to make it easier to ride her bicycle around the village. While working on proving herself trustworthy to her boss, Hecate becomes aware of other employees of the Cathedral, the difference between Hecate and them is they are dead. When Hecate tells her father that she can see souls (their preferred term), he reveals to her that he was told that she would be born with special gifts from the goddess, Hekate and that's why she was given her rather unusual name. When an unexplained incident in the crypt of the cathedral seems to unleash dark forces, Hecate must learn how to access the powers of the goddess, with a little help from her friends, both living and dead, to save the library and the cathedral before more people get hurt. While I enjoyed this a great deal, it does end on a cliffhanger.

The person in charge of designing the book covers for Paula Brackston knows how to hit their mark. Beyond the cover, I really enjoyed this start to the Hectate Cavendish series. I will look forward to picking up the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It's the perfect cozy read for the fall. The setting and timeline of this book is well suited for the plot. As one who loves to travel, the author did a fantastic job of immersing you into the locations. Any book that has settings in UK and a library already has me hooked. This book moved a little slow, but I appreciated that because it gave it time to really get to know the characters in the story and added depth. The adventure was perfect for a first book of a series and I am looking forward to what comes next. I want to thank St. Martin's Press and Paula Brackston for the advanced copy for an honest opinion. I'm ready for the next installment.

I have read four other books by the author, the Xante books, and loved them, but I could not get into this book. It is very original, but could not hold my interest. Sometimes a book just doesn't work for a reader, and that was the case for me.

I received an ARC for free and gave my honest opinion voluntarily.

As a huge Paula Brackston fan... I loved this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Hecate. She was a pleasure. Story started a bit slow but it picked up it's paced and flowed at a good pace. The end just seemed so abrupt.

Thank you to Netgalley, St Martin's Publishing Group and Paula Brackston for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish.
This is my honest and unpaid review of the book. Despite seeing this author's work all over the place and wanting to read her books, this was the first one I finally did! I really loved the originality of the supernatural element that is woven throughout the story. The setting in Hereford Cathedral has now made me want to add it to my travel list on my next UK trip. I even looked up pictures to see what the chained books looked like. I loved the characters and the history in this novel. I sure am hoping there will be more books after this one? I'll also be picking up this author's other books in the meantime.