About the Book:
The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.
Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful Winter family, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for riches and ruthless magic. Soren is the boy her family banished to the underworld. Their fates intertwine when Cicely’s loathsome Uncle Dorian winds up dead at a masquerade ball.
Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family’s only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.
Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren–and gets to know him–the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both…
*Review Contributed by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer*
What worked: Knives Out meets the paranormal with twists and turns in solving a murder that leaves everyone guessing. This novel also gives off The Umbrella Academy vibes with a dysfunctional, toxic family whose matriarch will go to any lengths to protect the Winters’ name.
Nineteen-year-old Cicely is the black sheep of the wealthy Winters family. Though the rest of her family tolerates her presence, Allegra, her mother, shows her disdain daily. Allegra also has a book of spells, one that has been passed down, that she uses to keep their gifts. Seems making a deal with the devil has long-reaching consequences in the Winters family. Then Allegra’s brother is found dead in a cruel twist to his hobby of adding trophies of animals he’s hunted in their home. Cicely uses her gift of going to the Ruins-a paranormal in-between world to find out who is behind the killing before it kills more of her family.
At first, Cicely is mousey and tries so hard to make Allegra show a little of the same love she directs toward her older brother Felix. Felix is set to be next to run the Winters’ dynasty. He’s charming, funny, and drop-dead model gorgeous. He also has a secret that might be the clue behind the mystery happening in the family.
Add to all this Soren, the former best friend of Felix, who the family murdered, pops up, warning Cicely that he will make sure the Winters are destroyed. At first, Cicely is curious about this ghostly presence, and little by little things turn. More secrets pop up among a trail of dead.
I have to say this family isn’t that likable. They’re wealthy, privileged, and have paranormal gifts that they use to benefit themselves. But their antics are unbelievable and even hilarious more than a few times.
Through all of this, Cicely has to choose who to be loyal to. Her family with their deadly secrets or herself. Cicely’s gift of finding the truth behind secrets leads her to question everything she thought she knew about not only her family but herself.
The Ruins has a twisted Gothic vibe with paintings of her dead ancestors speaking to her. Plus, a supernatural, bubbling forbidden romance kept me glued to this intriguing and dark fantasy.
Great pacing and hilarious at times dialogue set in a dark, twisted Gothic estate.
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