What a phenomenal tale of paranormal skills, necromancy and a girl struggling to find her place in the world.
Delores and her sister live alone and both have abilities beyond this world. Delores is constantly keeping company, both wanted and unwanted, with “over-stayers”. People who have passed but are holding on for some reason. When it gets dangerous, she is sent to study with the Uncles at Tolbooth Book Store in Edinburgh. A dinstinctly brilliant city for this style of book- a city filled with history and ghosts.
Delores is not given a full welcome by the other students and is warned to keep her guard up around one in particular, Prudence. She is an illusionist and makes all of a Delores’s meals look and taste awful.
Gabriel is more welcoming but he still holds back.
When Delores is approached by a young ghost, she believes it to be their former student, Maud. Maud is in danger and as the pieces all fall together, Delores and her friends are dragged into a dangerous game where they are pawns to Angel Barguest, a demon intent on reclaiming her life and ticking items off her unfinished life. She was a danger in life and even more so in death.
Delores and Prudence will need to break rules, laws and their own dislike of each other to make things right…but can they do it?
Phenomenal storytelling. I was gripped entirely and truly liked Delores and her Victorian Urchin Chic style.
My Shelves Are Full 