The Widow of Pale Harbor Published by Graydon House on September 2019
Genres: Thriller
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of witchcraft. Who can save Pale Harbor from itself?
Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.
But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband.
As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales
A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of witchcraft. Who can save Pale Harbor from itself?
Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.
But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband.
As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales
This book is both out of my usual reading genre and totally in my reading genre! Let me explain.
While I’m obsessed with Poe, I’m not usually one to grab a historical novel. But seeing as how this is a dark and twisty town with some Poe inspired incidents, I couldn’t help snagging this ARC at BookCon.
I’m glad I did.
Hester Fox does a wonderful job submerging the reader into this misty gothic tale. Gabriel Stone is the newcomer, who arrives in Pearl Harbor with the clothes on his back and a job to do. The townspeople all warn him over Sophronia Carver, the reclusive widow. Of course, he can’t help but be curious.
I really liked Sophronia and her companion Helen. Sophronia was sympathetic without being pathetic, torn between who she really was and who the townspeople thought she was. I wasn’t as keen on Gabriel, finding him to be a little soggy. He got marginally better as the book went on.
My favorite part of the book is the setting and the mystery of these unexplained Poe-esque type of incidents. Ravens and fires and death plague the town and while the people think it’s Sophronia, she herself is being haunted by the phantom or person doing these things. Their motives are unclear.
This is my first Hester Fox book and what really came through for me was the slow world building and suspenseful writing. It took me over a week to finish it because I was reading the book slowly, not wanting to miss anything. The plot moves slowly too, but that isn’t a bad thing. I liked all the character development which truly added a lot of urgency to the dangers.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction (even just a little) and who loves a good spooky Poe reference.
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
I enjoyed this one so much too! Great review!