Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Goodreads
352 pages, YA Fairytale Retellings
Strands of Bronze and Gold #1
My rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

My 2 cents

I have not ever read the "Bluebeard" fairy tale, but I know the general gist of it, and it is definitely one of the creepier fairy tales I have heard!  I expected this book to kind of match that, but it took awhile before the real creepiness happened.  

It starts of with the arrival of Sophia to her Godfather's house.  Our estate, I should say!  He is a charming, good looking man who lavishes Sophia with all kinds of presents.  She loves the attention and makes herself at home fairy quickly.  Things start off very well, but shes' smart and realizes he wants her to stay forever.

Slowly, Sophia starts unraveling the mystery of de Cressac, and realizes he's not a perfect man--but she doesn't truly feel alarmed in his presence until almost the very end.  She was able to delude herself very well, because her family really did need his money.

I have to say I was a little bored for the first half of the story.  What kept me engaged was I knew that this was an evil man, and I wanted to see how it would all come about.  Sophia also meets a young preacher whom she starts to fall in love with, so there is a hint of romance for awhile.  But if you are looking for a story with lots of romance, this one isn't it.  I would classify this as more historical suspense. It was a good read for me, but  I was expecting a bit more!