I listened to the Audiobook version of this story and I thought the narrator did a wonderful job, the story was easy to keep up with and I liked the characters a lot especially Hecate, this is my first book from this Author, I would check out her other stuff based off of this book! 3.5 ⭐️‘s

Thank you to the Author and Narrator for your hard work and thank you to
NetGalley for the opportunity.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity. I have followed this author for a long time and she just keeps getting better. The wonderful magical realism that she has woven into this is beyond compare. She is the only time travel romance that I will read.

I really really wanted to like this one, but it just kept dragging on. I needed it to get the point sooner. I think other people will like it, it's definitely got mystery, fantasy and intrigue, it just wasn't for me this time.

I liked the idea of this story. I hadn't realized that it is a series. As such, it does have an ending but not THE ending. I did not enjoy the narrator of this book. Her delivery was bothersome. I liked the different voices she had. I just didn't like the cadence and the delivery. This is the first Paula Brackston book I have read. I liked it but it left me slightly flat. However, I am interested enough to read the next book in the series when it comes out.

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s a historical ghost story and I feel like you can’t get much better than that. I really enjoyed Hecate. I loved watching her and John’s relationship blossom. I was sad and disappointed in the ending. I did find moments suspenseful and spooky. It was a good one to read for October.

An interesting take on a historical fiction mystery, with ghosts, necromancy, and magic.

Hecate Cavendish is a slightly unusual girl (aren’t we all?) raised by her traditional mother and her archaeologist father (who has less strict societal expectations of Hecate) she takes a job at the Cathedral library, and in the process discovers that she’s more unusual than she ever could have guessed, and that dark things are afoot in the city.

I enjoyed the magic system in the book and the way it wound through different aspects of the story.
I didn’t connect massively with Hecate, but mostly in a ‘I am older and can’t imagine myself in you anymore’ kind of way - I think younger readers would empathise with her desire for more than society expects her to be happy with.
The plot was interesting and kept me wondering. It developed in ways I didn’t necessarily expect, which I enjoyed.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would probably continue the series in the future.

3.5 stars
The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish follows an eccentric young woman who gets her dream job, only to find out that she can see ghosts and some malicious spirits are following her. I had some issues with this book. For example, I found that neither Hecate as a character nor the romance really developed until the final third of the book, and the pacing felt incredibly slow at times, but there were also aspects that I loved. I really enjoyed the premise of the books and some of the darker elements it introduced (both in terms of horror and tone). Although the beginning felt slow, the end really hooked me. Overall, my main issue with this book is that I just couldn't get my brain to latch onto it and care about it. While this would normally be a red flag for me, I believe that in this case I was just in a bit of a reading slump. Additionally, this book feels like it's meant for a slightly older demographic (older women who like cozy mysteries, not young adults who want fast paced romantic fantasies). So while I did find this story slow at times and didn't form a strong connection to it, I think that is all subjective, and overall, this is a pretty solid mystery with fantasy elements.
Thank you to the publisher and Macmillan Audio for the eARCs in exchange for an honest review!

This author is new to me, so I traveled slowly through Hecate's world.

I loved the map, the griffin, Hecate's backstory and her sensitivity to all things paranormal. Also enjoyed the fiance found, all the haunts, the supportive family, as well as the many tangibles with minds of their own - totally enjoy this kind of fantasy.

My three stars suffered from an ending that fell short - considering all that had been sacrificed to arrive at that last page, I needed more than I got. But. . .did get the griffin and that was Not Nothing. Will be reading more of this author!

*A sincere thank you to Paula Brackston, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

This book was very good, it did have some slower parts but on a whole offered a sense of adventure, fantasy, mystery and a little love. The character development was decent, I didn't feel overly attached to any one character however and therefore didn't have overly strong emotions during sadder parts of the book (trying not to give away spoilers here!). I did like the plot and how it developed. Would recommend to anyone who would like a lighter read but still enjoy the journey.

This audiobook moved sooo slow for me. It was hard for it to keep my attention and too me two months to finish. It picked up for me at about 60%. The narrator was very breathy.

Hecate Cavendish has just gotten her first job in a cathedral library and discovers she can communicate with spirits and has magical abilities. She's soon befriending ghosts and fighting off body-snatching demons with the help of Reverend Forsythe (the love interest), her father (who refreshingly, is proud of her abilities) and a police Inspector (the skeptic). There is a main mystery and a little bit of a romantic sideline (that I am so disappointed about I don't want to continue with the series.)

Sometimes killing off one of the good guys in a heroic way can help a story, but for me that wasn't the case here. It wasn't even used as a plot device - the character's ghost could've helped fight or come back at a key moment to stop the demons. What a waste. A sense of urgency to finish the book is lost when the ending can only be half-happy at best.

If you like witch fantasy books or supernatural mysteries (but not romance), this is the book for you. Just know that the action is slow to get going and there's a lot of character and world building as the first in a series.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish was an excellent read. I liked the character exploration and the writing was propulsive. I would read more from this author.

I wish I liked this more, but I got caught up on the "I'm not like other girls" aspect of Hecate's character. I'm genuinely really sad I didn't love this, as I also work in a library and was hoping I would feel a kinship with her!

that wasn't as understood or approved of - - with the twist of having some special abilities.

I found the characters and the plot interesting. There were some points in the story that moved a bit slowly and others that felt a little unnecessary. But overall, I found it to be enjoyable to read. It had a little of everything. Some paranormal, romance, historical feel, mystery and more. Yet it didn't feel disjointed. The author managed to blend it all together seemlessly.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I really enjoyed the audio version. The narration was done well and gave the story a more gothic and atmospheric feel. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for these early release copies.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish. I enjoyed the time period, characters, paranormal events and story line. I think Hecate was well developed as a character. The story moved at a good pace. I loved the library and the map (and all of its secrets). I am drawn to books about books, libraries, librarians, etc and this one did not disappoint. I also love a good haunting. I would like to read more about Hecate and her world. If you like a good historical fiction, paranormal, mystery, and light romance, give this one a try.

I liked parts of this book, but overall it's a bit too long. Marisa Calin is a good narrator. I wanted more magic and library intrigue, and less highly descriptive day to day goings on. The books, the map, Hecate's burgeoning abilities, and the mystery portions are all good; the story just felt a tedious at times and I didn't care much about the romance. Overall this is a 3.75 for me.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m very glad I was able to listen to the book because I would not have pronounced Hecate properly on my own! This book checks a lot of boxes for me:

- strong female MC
- high moral character of MC
- magic
- suspense
- romance
- period piece
- good vs evil

But I LOVED the narrator as much as I loved the book. I will read more by this author because they’re narrated by the same person! If you like historical and magical, you will probably like this!

I always love Brackstons witchy magic fantasies. This fell short for me. At times it was boring and needed less descriptions. Always love the narrator. Wanted to love this one.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavenish - Paula Brackston. I don’t think it’s fair to review this book. I am a huge fan-girlie of Paula Brackston’s, and I love everything she does. This book is about Hecate, she has gifts, she can communicate with the dead and the more she learns about her gifts, the more she puts the people around her in danger.

I love the writing style. I love the characters and the way the author weaves such a hypnotic tale. I was addicted from start to finish. I got the ARC and the ALC and both were phenomenal. It is the start of a new series and if you love historical fiction, add this one to your TBR. 5 stars

This book follows Hecate Cavendish, who is excited to have secured a position as librarian’s assistant at Hereford Cathedral. Though her mother would prefer she direct her efforts toward finding a suitor, her father Edward Cavendish, an archaeologist by profession, is encouraging of his daughter's endeavors. Unbeknownst to Hecate she possesses a special gift – an ability to see and interact with the spirit world with a strong sense of paranormal activity – a gift she only becomes aware of when she encounters the friendly spirits roaming about in the cathedral. But much evil also lurks within those walls, spirits with sinister motives being unleashed into the community. As chaos ensues, Hecate will have to learn how to use her gift to protect everything and everyone she holds dear.
I was interested in this book because of it's intriguing premise. The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston is an engaging read. The author combines elements of paranormal and murder mystery, historical fiction, magical realism and mythology and romance into an immersive narrative that kept me glued to the pages. The novel gets off to a slow start but picks up as the narrative progresses. The author writes beautifully with keen attention to detail. Hecate is an endearing protagonist and I absolutely loved getting to know her and those in her circle of family and friends. Her father, who is an ally and who believes in her abilities, and their interactions were a joy to read as was her relationship with her ailing younger brother. I enjoyed the way both she and her father strive to appease as well as work their way around her mother. The characters (good and sinister) were well developed, and I enjoyed following Hecate in her search for the truth behind the sinister occurrences. Despite the uneven pacing, the narrative flows well. I did find the ending a little underwhelming after such an intense build-up, more so because we did not get all the answers to our questions. This is a lengthy read and I can’t help but feel disappointed that the author chose to leave certain aspects of the mystery unresolved.
However, since this is the first in a new series, I suppose we will have to wait for the next installment for our answers.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc copy to preview.

Story Review: I feel like there should be a category for rating for people who have aphantasia or hypophantasia. The writing in this was incredibly descriptive and beautiful from a word perspective. Unfortunately, for someone who is unable to render images in their mind, it just starts to mumble all together. I love witchy books, LOVE. I received both the audio netgalley copy and the ebook and even attempted to stick with the story in immersion reading style, but alas, the descriptions just took me out of the story.

Audio Narrator Review: As for the audio narration, the voice was clear, crisp and well metered. The pacing was excellent. The difference voices were great and the accent selected fit the story quite well. If not for the description lengths at points I would have really enjoyed this book based on narration. I am giving the narration 4 stars, while the book gets a 3.