How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin releases on April 29, 2025!

This is the second novel in the Castle Knoll series, and I believe can be read as a standalone without being confused. I think if you've read and enjoyed the first book this will totally be an awesome read for you, I think the story is technically continued from the first book with a new twist, so that is fun!

Annie Adams is caught in a web of murder spanning decades. She is settling into life at Castle Knoll when she crosses paths with Peony Lane who has a cryptic message for her. When Peony Lane is found dead just hours later, Annie realizes someone is trying to make her look guilty. We jump from now to 1967 and present day to Annie, to realize how far the webs go through Castle Knoll and to learn the truth.

These characters were well done, and the setting was unique and well written. The switching from the FMC's POV to the journal entries was a bit jarring for me in the first half of the book.

This is a cozy mystery vibe. I thought it was a bit predictable, even with some twists thrown in.
Definitely a cozy mystery that will be well received by many!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to the sleepy English village of Castle Knoll—where secrets brew stronger than the tea and fate might just be sealed before your second cup.

Kristen Perrin’s How to Seal Your Own Fate is a delightfully cozy mystery with a brilliant twisty edge. Set in a charming village that feels like something out of a postcard, this book gives readers everything we love about the genre: quirky locals, unexpected alliances, and a mystery that unravels deliciously over time.

Told through dual timelines and POVs, the story gracefully bounces between past and present, building tension while layering in emotional depth. Perrin uses this structure to her advantage, dropping just enough clues and red herrings to keep you guessing. Every time I thought I had it figured out, another twist threw me off course—and I loved it.

The cast of characters truly shines. Each person felt distinct, with just the right balance of eccentricity and heart. Whether you’re a fan of nosy neighbors, curious librarians, or secretive townsfolk, you’ll find someone to root for (or side-eye suspiciously).

The pacing is gentle without being slow—a hallmark of a great cozy—and the setting is vivid enough that I felt like I was strolling down the lanes of Castle Knoll myself.

The only reason this isn’t a full five stars? A couple of twists felt a bit over-the-top, stretching believability just a touch. But honestly, that didn’t dampen my enjoyment. If you're in the mood for a mystery that’s warm, witty, and filled with secrets, this one’s for you.

Perfect for fans of: dual timelines, charming English villages, and mysteries that keep you on your toes.

Some stories simply don’t warrant sequels, and *How to Seal Your Fate* exemplifies this perfectly. While I had a lukewarm reaction to its predecessor, I appreciated the author's intent and heart, recognizing her potential. So, I was quite puzzled when a sequel emerged, as I struggled to understand where the story could possibly go. Nevertheless, my curiosity about how Kristen Perrin would surprise us remained intact.

The first 30% of the book was impressive; even my skeptical mind found it engaging. I mentioned to a friend that it might surpass the first. I enjoyed the freshness of the returning characters, and the mystery was intriguing. However, after this point, the story took a dramatic nose dive.

My thoughts quickly turned to the words tedious and convoluted. With characters reappearing and their relationships so interwoven, a character map or a family tree from the editors would have been invaluable. When a village serves as a character in its own right, a fictional map would have been useful too. Confusion set in, as the character dynamics felt contrived, and the dialogues came across as inorganic. It was like watching a train wreck unfold—it was chaotic!

Annie, in particular, became the most unlikable character. At least in the previous book, the author recognized that there are certain things the police cannot share with civilians. Having read enough crime dramas, it's clear that police don't divulge crucial information during ongoing investigations. In this sequel, Crane seemed to have lost his grip on reality, asking a novice twenty-five-year-old to pursue leads and carelessly handing out evidence. It makes no sense! At times, the author's writing veered into incoherent territory.

The motivations behind the murder remained murky, and the accident from nearly fifty years ago still lay shrouded in mystery. Annie’s relationship with her mother felt bizarre compared to the last book. Are we seriously meant to believe that her mother stealthily entered her daughter’s newly inherited mansion to grab a file related to someone who is now her muse? It’s absurd!

Frances’s decisions felt questionable, often contradicting the personality we had begun to understand as readers. To top it all off, during a pep talk from Annie's friend Jenna, instead of being grateful, Annie became defensive and petulant. I found myself despising her character by this point.

Overall, the book was tedious and contrived, lacking a clear direction. I can't fathom how a third book could possibly follow. I will be passing on that.

If you liked the first book in the Castle Knoll series (How to Solve Your Own Murder), you'll also like this sequel with the same dual-narrator, village-history-with-current-ramifications, murder mystery formula. With the many files and journals mentioned on the shelves of the estate for future mystery-solving reference, and the modern story that's quite slow to change beyond the actual murder mysteries, it's easy to imagine this as a long-continuing series or long-running television serial.

How to Seal Your Own Fate is the sequel to the first book and while some series you can read out of order or skip a book, this is not one of them. This heavily builds off the first book, the characters and their relationships are necessary to make sense of the second book.

Like the first book we see two separate storylines written by Frances (now dead) in the 1960s and narration by Annie, her great niece, in the present.

There is alot going on in this book in terms of two new murders and new characters that heavily rely on the information in the first book. While there is a lot going on the author takes us through each piece slowly so it's not hard to keep up with all the facts going on. great read and would love to see a third one come out of this.

I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

Second book of the saga "Castle Knoll Files", let's say that for me it was a bit of a flop. It is very similar to the first, in the first volume I gave 5 stars because it seemed to me a gripping and particular thriller, but here the story almost repeats itself, loses a bit of its uniqueness, almost turns into a banal thriller saga, and I think we already have too many of those. Thanks anyway to Netgalley, to the author and to the publishing house for this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely love this series! The town of Castle Knoll and Gravesdown Hall are characters in their own right, and I love how everything and everyone ties back to the community.

I really enjoy the twists and turns - almost everyone in this story does something bad and/or sneaky, and so it’s like trying to play 3D chess. This one did get a little too complicated at times, but it was still really fun to put all the pieces together.

Also c’mon Detective Crane - feel those feelings, man!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and Dutton Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book 2, following <i>How to Solve Your Own Murder</i>

<i>How to Seal Your Own Fate</i> picks up a few months after Frances' funeral, which we experience at the end of Book 1. This edition delves into the lives of Peony Lane (godawful cheesy name for the woman who foretold Frances' murder) and the intertwined Gravesdown/Foyle family relationships. Main characters from Book 1 reappear, and this story is as twisty as the first. The ending sets us up for a third book.

I enjoyed reading <i>How to Seal Your Own Fate</i>, but as in <i>How to Solve Your Own Murder</i>, there were too many characters to keep track of, including who was related to whom and how. There were many references to Book 1 which weren't explained thoroughly enough for this book to be a standalone. Also, the references were obscure enough that I had no idea what they meant or were relating to, having read Book 1 a year ago.

Overall, an enjoyable read - I always like a series with familiar characters and cozy mysteries.

I wanted to enjoy this follow-up to How to Solve Your Own Murder, but I found myself unable to maintain a suspension of disbelief that Frances would have done all this investigating and journaling but not solved the mystery 30 years before. I started excited to dive into the mystery of the car crash that killed Ford's family, but found myself losing interest halfway through. Other fan's of Perrin's prior work may enjoy this sequel, but it fell flat for me.

Having read the first in the Castle Knoll mysteries, I was happy to return to the world and see what Annie Adams was up to. Another murder has occurred in Castle Knoll and its reason lies back in the 1960s with the fortune telling of Peony Lane and the infamous Gravesdown Family. Annie's Great Aunt Frances' files and diaries come to Annie's aid yet again. I would almost liken Annie to a more modern Miss Marple with some twists.

Annie is learning how to deal with the large fortune and house she has been gifted. She has made a few changes but is still trying to figure out her role and what she wants to be. Her friend, Jenny, from London comes down to visit and helps her along the way. The Foyles, Archie and Eric, have starring roles in this tale and the theme of fortunes continues. Given some of the events of this novel, I know there will be more installments and I am excited about that!

This second book in the Castle Knoll series didn't grab me like the first one did. This is an amateur sleuth series and has all the right elements: multiple murders, buried secrets, and hidden pasts that pertain to solving current murders. I enjoyed the characters but the story, told over two different timelines seemed a little convoluted and the pace dragged somewhat in the middle. Overall, it was a fun read and I'll probably keep reading the series for the characters. Recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced reader copy.

This was another great story set in Castle Knoll. Annie’s detective skills and the cast of characters are so charming. The central mystery of this book was very twisty and had a few surprises in store. The reveal felt a little rushed to me but this was overall a great read!

5 STARS ** spoiler alert ** This was honestly such a cozy follow up to the first in the series. I was so excited to jump back into the world, this manner, the slow burn of the will they won’t they with our FMC and the main law enforcement character… THEY WILL RIGHT?? The sequel picks up pretty much directly where the first left off and our main gal finds herself right back into solving more murders. I really enjoyed the parallel here with the timeline to past and present where the deaths had some similarities that kept your head tilting and your eyes narrowing. I literally just finished this book about five minutes ago so my head is spinning and I can update this when my thoughts are more collected but I need to say.. THE ENDING?! OH. MY. GOD. Please tell me there is going to be a third book right away.

If you are a mystery lover, this is the book series for you.

In How to Seal Your Own Fate, we pick up immediately where the first book leaves off. Annie is settling into life in Castle Knoll after inheriting the Gravesdown fortune. She continues to discover more secrets as she finds herself in the middle of a new mystery. Like the first, we continue in a dual timeline in the 1960s following her Great Aunt Frances. I wasn't sure how Kristen Perrin would be able to do this without it feeling forced, but it was done brilliantly! It added so much to the discovery of the mystery and added so many great twists. If you want a book that you can't stop reading until you know what happens, I highly recommend this read!

Read if you like:
- cozy sleepy english village
- great cast of characters
- dual timeline & POVs
- twists at every turn

P.S- hoping for more scenes with Annie and Crane in book 3.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin is a duel timeline story that follows modern day Annie and her great-aunt Frances, in the late 60s, as they both investigate the mysterious deaths of the town's wealthiest family.

I enjoy the rural setting and secondary characters. Perrin's writing is descriptive and engaging and she does an excellent job at keeping the reader guessing. While this could be a stand alone, I would recommend reading How to Solve Your Own Murder first to get a sense of the characters and setting and background on why some characters have such big feelings.

Here we continue the stories of Annie and Frances and Castle Knoll. While it has been almost a year and a half since I read How to Solve Your Own Murder, I found it wasn't hard to fall back in with the characters and the town. Overall, a nice, cozy mystery, but definitely read the first book first!

I really really tried to like this. I was so, so bored and mostly just wanted it to end . I thought it started off okay, but just dragged on and honestly there were so many characters and story lines to keep straight which felt unnecessary.

How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kirsten Perrin is the second novel in the Castle Knoll Mystery Series. Annie Adams has sort of settled into her new normal. Inheriting the Gravesdown Estate and deciding what her next steps are the current plan. One day, she is stopped at the entrance to her estate by Peony Lane.

The fortune teller that changed her great aunt's life forever. She states that she has a fortune for Annie, and even though she won't want it, she should go see Archie at his farm. She realizes that there are a lot more of France's journals and files she should have that aren't accounted for.

Taking stock of what is there and what is missing brings her and her best friend, Jenny, across a body that will change the histories of the entire crew, and she'll need to revisit a cold case and solve it before it revisits her, permanently.

My favorite thing about this mystery series is how it seamlessly weaves cold cases into the tapestry of modern times. Annie is in our current timeline, and Frances's journals and the cold cases are from the 60s. By being in the same town and communicating with the same people, Annie is getting an upfront account of what occurred and begins to pull strings that don't quite fit for her.

I enjoyed How To Seal Your Fate and have given it 🥕🥕🥕🥕. It is released by Dutton on April 29th.

4 Stars

I enjoyed How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin, though not quite as much as the first book. The pacing felt a bit slower this time around, which made it a bit harder to stay fully hooked. That said, the writing was still strong, and I really appreciated being back with the great characters I fell in love with in the first book. The unique plot of the original set a high bar, and while this sequel didn’t quite reach that same level of intrigue for me, it was still an enjoyable read and a worthy follow-up. I'm definitely looking forward to what comes next from Perrin.

4 - One thing I would recommend, if it has been awhile since you read the first book in this series, look for a refresher or reread before starting this one!! Because How to Seal Your Own Fate dives back into this world with all its characters and details with very little recapping, there was a lot I think I missed picking up on, especially towards the beginning of this book.

How to Seal Your Own Fate is the second book is the Castle Knoll series. I absolutely LOVED the first book when it came out last year and was excited to hear that this was turning into a series!! In this book, Peony Lane, the fortune teller who predicted something major in Frances Adams is once again featured, except this time, Peony is the victim of a murder. In this book you are reliving the life of Frances and it follows immediately after the events of the first book, which is why I think it is helpful to read book two immediately after the first.

My favorite part about this book and series is how it is a cozy mystery. It just feels so good to curl up with a cup of tea, a nice blanket, and jump back into this world. There were parts that did confuse me throughout the book, but I'm not sure how much of that was the lack of prior details and reveals that I forgot. I did love being back with this little town and getting to see Frances' life again.

Thank you to Dutton Books for the free book!!