by
Published by: Random House Children's Books
Released: March 12, 2013
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Goodreads Summary:
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
My thoughts:
This book was wonderfully written. Kudos to Jane Nickerson on her debut!
Strands of Bronze and Gold was both creepy and intriguing. Bernard scared the crap out of me and gave me the heebie jeebies. He was a very strong character. Probably the strongest I've ever read. But I felt like he had nothing but hate inside him. Sophia, on the other hand, was full of emotion, maybe to a fault? She was very weak and there were times I just wanted to smack some sense into her. I know the slavery bit is somewhat controversial, but that's the way it was. That's not to say that it wasn't hard reading about it.
The ending of this book was great. I don't know how else it should have ended. Like I said before, the whole book was beautifully written.
