Wednesday 24 August 2016

The Venetian (This Haunted World 1) by Shani Struthers

Synopsis from Goodreads:

2015

Their troubled past behind them, married couple, Rob and Louise, visit Venice for the first time together, looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Not just a romantic destination, it’s also the ‘most haunted city in the world’ and soon, Louise finds herself the focus of an entity she can’t quite get to grips with – a ‘veiled lady’ who stalks her.

1938
After marrying young Venetian doctor, Enrico Sanuto, Charlotte moves from England to Venice, full of hope for the future. Home though is not in the city; it’s on Poveglia, in the Venetian lagoon, where she is set to work in an asylum, tending to those that society shuns. As the true horror of her surroundings reveals itself, hope turns to dust.

From the labyrinthine alleys of Venice to the twisting, turning corridors of Poveglia, their fates intertwine. Vengeance only waits for so long…
 


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My review:

The Venetian is set in the beautiful city of Venice and I applaud the author for the great knowledge which lends itself to the lovely description of Venice life and architecture. It sets the atmosphere of this book perfectly.

Rob and Louise seem to be at a crossroad in their married life, having to carry a heavy luggage of infertility on their backs, both trying to pretend they can go on as it is. Once they arrive in Venice, Louise experiences changes within herself - passion, anger and of course the scary sightings of the veiled lady. 

After meeting a friendly Venetian couple in a backstreet restaurant, they are offered a trip to the island of Poveglia - the most haunted and forbidden place to visit in Venice. A home to the ghosts of plague victims, who were shipped off to the island during the epidemic and also the ghosts of mental health patients who suffered some grisly experiments in the hands of so called break through doctors of the first half of the twentieth century.

The two-time style of this story flowed very well and I found myself engrossed in the novel right from the first page. Both present time Louise and 1930s Charlotte made for great characters. Passionate women - perhaps too clever and human for their own good. The novel is dark and eerie and just what you expect from a good ghost story. But it's also more than that thanks to the authors attention to details and brilliant story telling. It's a captivating story of hidden history, secrets, sufferings and love. 

Thank you to the author and TBC for access to this book in exchange for this honest review.

My rating: 5/5

Published 09 August 2016 and available from:

Amazon UK
Amazon UK

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