I read this book as a standalone, not knowing it was a sequel. I do think I missed a lot of context and information from not reading book 1, so my review is biased based off of that. It was an okay book, but I would not read it as a standalone book, I would follow the order of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I loved Kristen Perrin’s debut novel and her second book did not disappoint! Perrin’s unique and well-developed characters are my favorite part of her writing, and “How to Seal Your Own Fate” includes several new and interesting people from Castle Knoll. The start of the book was a little slow for me, but once the story picked up I was hooked! Annie Adams dives deeper into the lives of her great-aunt Frances, Archie Foyle, the Gravesdowns, and the mysterious fortune-teller who set Aunt Frances’ life of paranoia in motion, Peony Lane. This book was excellent and I am now going to wait impatiently for the next installment of the Castle Knoll series! (I have to know if Annie and Crane are finally going to get together!)

I didn't enjoy this as much as the first in the series, maybe because I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight. It was an interesting premise and well-executed, I just wasn't quite as drawn in this time. I'd like some more character development for our main protagonist -- maybe in the next one?

This was book two of the Castle Knoll series. Now that Annie has solved her Great Aunt’s murder and moved into Gravesdown Hall, she continues to discover more secrets and more murders. Banding together with her best friend Jenny, potential love interest Detective Crane, and Aunt Frances’ files of secrets, Annie is now looking into the life of Peony Lane, Frances’ cryptic fortune teller.

This book was filled with the same cast of characters we grew to know and love in How to Solve Your Own Murder. I enjoyed continuing to learn more about each of them and their pasts. The mystery keeps you guessing until the end sets things up well for the next book in the series.

My main complaint with this second book was that the characters and what happened to them in the first book is vital to the plot of the second book, and I had a hard time remembering all the details from book one. Kristen Perrin did write in some reminders throughout the book, but I felt like a needed a season recap and a family tree at a few points. Regardless, I sped through the read and will eagerly await the next in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love a good cozy mystery, and this one had some unexpected twists that I did not expect. I did catch myself having trouble putting it down at night because I wanted the mystery to be solved. I enjoyed the chapters that are passages from Frances’ journal, and learning more about her past and her relationship with Archie.

However, there were a lot of involved characters in this book, and it got difficult to keep all the names straight, and how each person was involved. I started having to take notes just to keep things straight. There are also a few loose ends I wish were resolved at the end.

I am curious about how Ford and Frances eventually come together, so I will be reading the sequel!

I loved the first book in this series and was so excited to get a chance to read the second installment. This book had all the cozy mystery elements that I loved so much in the first one, but for some reason it fell a little flat for me. I wish I had read them back-to-back because I had forgotten a lot of the characters and plot points. With little to no exposition, I felt lost in the world. With that said, I had fun reading this book and would recommend the series to others once it is complete.

Get ready for a thrilling ride with Kristen Perrin's How to Seal Your Own Fate! The second book in her captivating Castle Knoll series, this novel takes us back to the quaint English village that harbors dark secrets beneath its idyllic surface. When Annie Adams finds herself entangled in a web of mystery and murder, she must race against time to uncover the truth behind Peony Lane's cryptic warning before it's too late.

As we're transported between present-day Castle Knoll and the village in 1967, we find ourselves piecing together the clues that connect a tragic car accident from the past to the ominous events unfolding in Annie's life. With an engaging plot that'll keep you guessing until the very end, How to Seal Your Own Fate is perfect for fans of cozy, suspenseful mysteries and well-crafted characters.

Another fantastic installment in The Castle Knoll Files! There’s something about Kristen Perrin’s writing that feels like it’s from another era—and I mean that in the best way possible. Both books in this series have a good ol’ classic mystery vibe, and the way she crafts the characters and their voices just pulls me right in!

Once again, we get to dive into both Annie’s mind and Frances’ journals to piece together the mystery, which I really enjoy. However, the slow-burn romance is really taking its time… book three, I’m counting on you! 🤞

My only gripe? The ending didn’t totally land for me. The killer’s confession felt a little far-fetched, which took away some of the satisfaction of the reveal. But overall, I’m still hooked on this series and will definitely be back for more Castle Knoll mysteries!

Huge thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the gifted eARC! ❤️

Did you read How to Solve Your Own Murder and wonder what happened in the years between Emily’s disappearance and Frances and Ford’s marriage? How to Seal Your Own Fate dives into those years more, filling in the story of Frances’s late teenage years, the history and dynamics of the Foyle family, and the mystery surrounding the crash that killed Ford and Saxon’s family.

I read both books back to back and the charm and mystery of the first book really come alive again in How to Seal Your Own Fate. Annie is a delightful sleuth to follow - she has a heart for the people of Castle Knoll while wanting to solve the case and bring justice. Frances’s story was also developed in interesting ways in How to Seal Your Own Fate - her diary entries feel believable for an 18/19 year old woman. She isn’t trying to seem older and more mature to impress Ford Gravesdown in this book - she’s able to let loose and be young and free. I’m still left wondering how and why she trades that in for a life with Ford, but I’m assuming that will be in a future book (which I can’t wait to read!)

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group, Dutton, and Kristen Perrin for this gripping ARC!

I really liked the first Castle Knoll book and was looking forward to this sequel, but I found myself lost and wandering in the dark so quickly, that I was disappointed... It's been a year since the last book. There were so many references to the characters and events that this felt more like a "part II" than a second-in-series - and I could not keep everything straight as a result. There are a LOT of characters. There are multiple timelines. And there are a lot of mysteries - some solved previously, some unsolved, some brand new. The combination of those three things meant that I constantly felt like I was behind the 8 ball and really struggled to hold all the threads together.

I understand there is going to be another book - at this point I think I will have to save these and read them when they are all available so I can go sequentially without any breaks in between. I'm hoping that will help me hold all the pieces together in my head such that I can enjoy the interrelated and overlapping mysteries rather than be frustrated by them. I did really enjoy book one, so am definitely not counting this one out - but don't want to reread book one now for this one, and then have to go back and pick up one and two again in a year!

I really enjoyed this follow up to How To Solve Your Own Murder. The writing is addictive and always makes you want to keep going to see what will happen next. I loved that this one continued as a dual timeline as well. I will say I was slightly more invested in the first one, but overall a great sequel. Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for this advanced copy. Can't wait to read the next one.

How to Seal Your Own Fate was as delightful as the first one. This was cozy and kept me trying to guess the twists and unable to put the book down.

"I can see how thinking that every aspect of daily life might relate to a crime can warp your sense of self."

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another super fun read in the Castle Knoll Files! There is something about Kristen Perrin's writing that feels like it's from another time - in a wonderful way. Both of the books in this series feel like old timey mysteries and the voices of the characters and language choices just transport me. I love it and find her writing very enthralling.

Once again, the reader gets to live in both Annie's mind and Frances' journals to try to solve the mystery. I think I enjoyed the first in the series a bit more, mostly because I was more invested in the premise, and the hint of romance might be burning a bit too slow - c'mon book 3🤞🤞🤞 - but I definitely will keep coming back for future mysteries in Castle Knoll. 

Publishing April 29th! Thank you so much to Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for the gifted eARC! ❤️

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I had high hopes for its successor. Alas, it was not to be. Some authors think that since the first book was successful, they can write the second book the same way. They then create a formula that the series follows, with each rendition being inferior to its predecessor. The readers want novelty! We don’t want to read the same book over and over (well, maybe some people do, but not I).

That isn’t to say this sequel wasn’t enjoyable. I liked seeing more of Castle Knoll & getting to know its inhabitants a bit better. I liked the flashbacks vis à vis Frances’ journal entries. I liked how the dynamic changes a bit now that Annie actually lives in Castle Knoll. Overall, this book was fun to read. However, it lacked that je ne sais quoi that made the first one sparkle. I doubt I will read any more in this series.

thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

3.5⭐️, rounded down

Annie Adams is back with another small town mystery. Using clues from her Aunt Frances’ diary and notes Annie looks into a family car crash in the 1960s. How to Seal Your Fate was a well written cozy mystery. Just a few too many characters that has you wondering who certain people are.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, but must suggest reading the first book, if you can, just to refresh yourself
within the characters and the general theme.
When Annie solved the murder of her Great Aunt Frances, she inherited the huge estate, Gravesdown Hall,
along with the surrounding forested land.
We now have ‘Peony Lane,’ formerly Ellen Jones, who could be responsible for one or more murders~ by
suggestion or prediction, Possibly her own death as well.
This is a fanciful murder, with more in the works, I’d surely think! I look forward to the next installment
along with the gang we are getting to know. Annie is becoming quite the sleuth and the Author does
a masterful job with the time periods and the rural setting.
My thanks to Quercus Publishing via NetGalley for the download copy of this book for review purposes.

***A big thank you to Penguin Press Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.***

The publisher has asked not to give details or descriptions of this book just yet. Once authorized, I will give my honest review of this book!

3.5 rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An enjoyable second installment in the series. I love the small-town British setting and the multiple timelines but had a bit of trouble keeping some characters straight. I’d read book number 3, as there are several storylines left unresolved.

I've read both books in this series now and I hope there are more. They're pretty quick reads and have just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. The dual timelines were annoying at first, but I soon came to look forward to the added information from the diaries. I will keep reading this series.

3.5 star rating

From the Publisher:

Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.

Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.

1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford’s family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?

My Review:

This is the second book in the Castle Knoll Series. I will start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this cozy mystery series. Although sometimes you can read a book in a series out of order, that is NOT the case here. There are many characters to keep track and there is also a duel timeline. As is always a risk for me, one timeline was more enjoyable in this book. I prefer the 1960’s story that looks back at a central incident that was also addressed in the first installment as well. This is especially true of the first half of the book. The modern day time line following Annie does pick up as the book goes on. I like that the author chose to zoom in on an incident that was sort of in the background of the first story and we get to know the characters, such as Archie and Aunt Francis better.

Unfortunately, I found much of the dialogue in the present day time line to be dull. Part of the issue seems to be the long, run on sentences. There is a specific time when Annie utters entire paragraph that is so unclear that I tried reading it sever times. I find nothing there that adds to the story.

There will be another installment and I am torn if I will I continue in the series. If the plot of the next installment catching my interest, I will probably give it a go!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.