Description of the book
'The secret of shadows' by Tabetha Waite is a historical fiction that revolves around two people. The Duke of Blackburn, Davien Elwood is a man with a twist that shadows swirl around him. Twenty years ago he was cursed with the powers of an aswang, a beast that he fought his whole life to be in control. He belongs to the Order of the Friars of St. Francis, a cult where men of high standing perform any number of rituals and nefarious perversions. With their activities, they make sure to keep all their secrets are kept private even if it means killing one of their members for the cause.
Cosette du Bouir is a poor, French orphan who left France for England for a fresh start in life and ends up as a seamstress in a workhouse. The only valuable possession she had is a key to her past which is a plain, silver locket with a magical inscription, "To Mine... Be Mine". On a fateful evening she meets the Duke looking like the devil himself. However their encounter sparks the return of her mysterious blackouts she usually has where a phantom voice calls out to her to take control of her.
Together, they were thrown amidst magic curse and secrets which resulted in romance, chaos and struggle, but did they survive till the end?
My opinion of the book
This book is a fantastic one. I was mind blown throughout the entire story. The suspense, Mystery and romance.
There are two characters in the story that are my favorite; Davien (Duke of Blackburn) and Charlotte (Cosette's best friend). Davien is my favorite because his character endured years of suffering searching for the way to end his curse, how he fiercely loved Cosette, how he fought to defend her and how he protected her at all cost. Charlotte is the bravest character. Her character was portrayed as a typical Scottish 'no-nonsense' lady who has always fought for what she wants, didn't judge Davien and Cosette for the murderous atrocities but instead looked for a way to help them break their curse. One thing I learnt from her character was that, 'always fight for what you want and never sit back like a princess waiting to be served'.
There was a scene in the book that was real and at the same time made me laugh when Cosette had her first encounter with the Duke. She was almost run over by the Duke's carriage. There is fear, anxiety, intimidation, and a raw connection between the both of them in the scene.
Each page of this book was enticing and made me always look forward to turning to the next page to see what happens next. When you pick up this book, you wouldn't want to keep it down because with each page you turn, there is mystery and suspense.
I recommend this book to lovers of Gothic, historical fiction, historical romance and paranormal. For the rating, it is definitely a 4.5 star book. Highly recommended.
Brief opinion about the Author
Tabetha Waite is a historical fiction writer who has written about more than twenty works. This is my first time of reading her book and I find myself exploring the rest of her works. Her narrative style is amazing, easy to read and makes use of simple words.
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