Cordelia Beecher is on the run. In search of her missing brother Edward, she has fled the oppressive charity school she was raised in, desperate to find the only family she knows. Using clues from his past letters, she sets off for the sleepy town of Farrow but everyone there claims to have never heard of Edward—not even the man he was supposedly working for as an apprentice.
With nowhere to go, Cordi turns to Lady Evangeline, a local botanist who owns the magnificent Edenfield estate. The benevolent lady of the manor has made it her mission to take young, often traumatized, women into her employ and protect them from man’s world of wicked desires and deceits. Hired as a maid and companion to her enigmatic daughters, Prim and Briar, Cordi quickly settles into Edenfield. Even as her relationship with Briar blossoms, Cordi can’t help but suspect that there are secrets in the estate…and when she stumbles across evidence that Edward was once there, she’s determined to find answers.
I feel like I’m sorely lacking when it comes to gothic horror. Maybe I’ve read more than I can remember, or maybe I’m a bit fuzzy on what makes something truly “gothic”….the “women running away from houses” genre.
For real, look up how many gothic horror paperbacks from the 60’s-80’s feature a woman running away from a house on the cover, it is a STAGGERING amount of them!
In any event, while Tanya Pell’s HER WICKED ROOTS doesn’t feature a woman running away from a house on the cover (it does have a really gorgeous cover though, and I believe the finished hardcover has sprayed edges!), this is a book that is outrageously well written & dripping with atmosphere. If you’re looking for a horticulturally-focused gothic horror with untold amounts of sapphic longing, this is well worth a look.
This is apparently a retelling of a Nathaniel Hawthorne story called “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” which I had literally never heard of (this is probably very unsurprising to the handful of people reading this), so no worries if you’re unfamiliar with the story that inspired the book.
This is the first book by Tanya Pell that I’ve read (I’ve also been wanting to check out her entry in the Killer VHS series, CICADA!) but I did get to see her moderate a really fun panel at the Spooktastic Book Fair in September!
It’s been awhile since I finished HER WICKED ROOTS so this review could be a little iffy, but I really enjoyed it! There’s something so moody & atmospheric about it all, and the writing is gorgeous.
The story follows Cordelia Beecher, a young woman in Victorian-era England (I don’t believe a year is ever mentioned, but I could be wrong). Cordelia and her brother Edward were raised in an abusive charity school, which Edward has recently aged out of. Edward escapes to a town called Farrow, making his way as an apprentice. He writes letters to Cordelia, until one day she can no longer take it & she flees from the school to go find her brother.
She follows Edward’s trail to Farrow, only to be quite mysteriously told by the family he is supposedly living with that…there is no Edward. Never has been.
Stymied but more determined than ever to find her brother, Cordi makes her way Edenfield, a sprawling estate with stunning gardens. She is hired on as a maid by Lady Evangeline, the reclusive botanist who owns the estate. In addition to her duties as a maid, Cordi is also assigned to be a companion to Evangeline’s daughters, Prim and Briar.
Prim and Briar who are sequestered in a separate, locked wing of the main house. A locked wing of the main house where all visitors must wear a mask.
Things get really strange as Cordi attempts to unravel multiple mysteries at once, all while developing some Very Special Feelings for Briar. And while also dealing with the rather prickly Prim. And also while following a very strict, somewhat peculiar list of rules.
HER WICKED ROOTS is lush & kinda sexy & weird & mysterious. Tanya Pell’s prose is fucking gorgeous without ever being difficult to read. And Cordi is a really awesome protagonist. She’s coming from a place where she’s been mistreated her whole life, and trying to keep pushing ahead through some serious trauma. Her love for her brother sustains her & kind of centers her in a way.
While I had a physical ARC for this, I also grabbed myself a copy of the audiobook and was totally captivated by Fiona Hardingham’s narration. Her voice/accent couldn’t have matched the story any better, so if you’re an audiobook listener, this is definitely one to check out on audio!
This was great! Really excited to check out more from Tanya Pell going forward! Big thanks to Gallery Books for sending the ARC my way!
Grimdark Dad 