Fyneshade is a very well-written gothic novel which held my attention from the first word to the very last. She was also downright cruel towards Grace at times, who was only allowed to go to the automaton if she did what Marta wanted. At times it reminded me of the film, Southern Comfort – you have no idea who the goodies or the baddies are, you simply have this horrible sense of dread. Separated from her lover and discarded by her family, Marta has no choice but to journey to Pritchard's ancient and crumbling house, Fyneshade, in the wilds of Derbyshire.

She has worked as an assistant to an antiques dealer, a journalist for local newspapers and now works for The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.Arrogant and selfish, she is quick to make enemies and instead of nurturing young Grace, she under-estimates and manipulates her to suit Marta’s scheming plans. I was drawn to this book by the brooding, Gothic cover and blurb, then realised whilst reading that it was inspired by Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw – I won’t give away how, but readers of that story will spot the link! After her grandmother dies and after an affair with a young gentleman ends badly, Martha has little choice but to become a governess. Beautiful Marta finds herself in a house full of very unlovely servants, a housekeeper who clearly has a few guilty secrets of her own, an ancient crone of a nanny, and a child who may possibly have Down Syndrome. Every year I save one or two books that I’m desperate to read – and keep them until I have a holiday.

It’s quickly clear that the staff at Fyneshade all love and care for Grace, that she’s a talented sketch artist, wilful, definitely not dumb, and possessed of a certain guile. Having had no idea of its connection to Fyneshade I can now say how much more enjoyable the ending was because of my familiarity with James’s ghost story. Still, the twists are well-delivered (even if I saw some of them coming) and fans of the abovementioned Gothic comparators will enjoy this clever new take on the genre. What I liked about this is Griffin's writing on the sentence level: this oozes lavish Gothic atmosphere with dark and baroque interiors and that ominous sense of corruption just out of sight. Actually, though, it was another classic that inspired this magnificently brooding little tale, one I’ve been meaning to read for ages and have now put at the top of my list: The Turn of the Screw.This historical gothic horror ticked all my boxes: creepy, involved a huge manor, held more secrets and shadows than sun and smiles. For the most part, I did like Marta, but she’s probably the least likeable protagonist I’ve ever encountered—with her fiendish, unfriendly demeanour on show to virtually everyone around her (barring the handsome and soon to be wealthy Vaughan) it was pretty difficult to decide whether to root for or against her at times, especially when considering her pretty abysmal treatment of Grace.

Although I felt strong Rebecca vibes, the book was inspired by The Turn of The Screw which is now high on my must read list. This is a novel that demonstrates the power of the grand house, of secrets and legacies and shame, and of the governess. What Marta expects before her arrival in Derbyshire and what she actually gets are two very different things indeed. So the reader is warned from the very beginning of this dark, Gothic tale, that nothing is as it seems. turns out she's Miss Jessell from The Turn of the Screw and this book ends as she's about to enter that second literary adventure!Our protagonist, Marta, was raised as an orphan by her grandmother, a cunning woman versed in ancient and secretive occult knowledge. The Brönte sisters were one of the reasons I went to study English, and to this day Jane Eyre is among one of my favourite books. Here the author has cleverly reversed many Gothic mystery tropes, so that the ‘innocent young governess’ arriving at the creepy big house full of dark family secrets appears to be more predator than prey… but you know what they say about appearances and this story is FULL of deception! However, Marta is not easily cowed and is determined to make an opportunity for herself at Fyneshade at any cost.