A Touch of Magic and Mystery











The Hecate Cavendish Series
Ghost Fiction; Historical Fantasy; Paranormal Fiction
St. Martin's Press
July 23, 2024
Ebook, Audiobook, Hardcover
368

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts. England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding long forgotten souls in its stony embrace. Hecate Cavendish speeds through the cobbled streets on her bicycle, skirts hitched daringly high, heading for her new life as Assistant Librarian. But this is no ordinary collection of books. The cathedral houses an ancient chained library, wisdom guarded for centuries, mysteries and stories locked onto its worn, humble shelves. The most prized artifact, however, is the medieval world map which hangs next to Hecate’s desk. Little does she know how much the curious people and mythical creatures depicted on it will come to mean to her. Nor does she suspect that there are lost souls waiting for her in the haunted cathedral. Some will become her dearest friends. Some will seek her help in finding peace. Others will put her in great peril, and, as she quickly learns, threaten the lives of everyone she loves.
A young woman with the gift of communing with the dead
The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish features a strong, quirky, and sharp-witted protagonist named Hecate (pronounced Hek-atee), after the Greek goddess of witchcraft and the boundary between life and death. Hecate’s story begins on her first day as the assistant librarian to the renowned collection of ancient manuscripts located in the Hereford Cathedral. Within the cathedral’s walls, Hecate uncovers a surprising and extraordinary gift: she can see and communicate with ghosts.

“That is what we all think of ourselves here
at the cathedral; the lost souls.”
The group of ghosts she encounters in the cathedral, known as “lost souls,” are really endearing characters. There is the monk who worked in the library centuries before, a solider from the Napoleonic War who keeps vigil over the property, a housekeeper who is always polishing and tidying in preparation for a visit from King George III, and a delicate lady who flung herself from the bell tower in grief over a lost love. Hecate also has supernatural experiences with the cathedral’s ancient Mappa Mundi, a large map of the world displaying the mythical, the historical, and the mysterious across the globe. The creatures and people on the map come alive in Hecate’s presence (my favorite was the ghostly griffin who would perch on her shoulder like a pet).
Hecate quickly realizes there’s no place she’d rather be than the cathedral library. Surrounded by books and wandering spirits, she feels a sense of belonging. But when dark magic endangers the community, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery driven by an unknown evil presence.
How many lives might we ourselves live when transported through the words kept in that library, as if the very ghosts of those who wrote them are whispering in our ears as we read?
Brackston writes a whimsical story that certainly is unique. It is historical fantasy and paranormal mystery with a touch of romance. The author’s writing style is highly descriptive; Brackston takes time and care to set each scene. And in very Moira Rose-type fashion, the vocabulary is unparalleled. Words that I had to stop and look up included “gabbling,” “vertiginous,” “dilettante,” “ensorcelled”, and “pullulating.” I enjoyed the oddity and originality of such word choices.
While the writing style was enjoyable, it unfortunately distracted from the narrative flow and diminished the tension expected of a page-turning gothic mystery. This led to me setting the book aside multiple times before returning to it. Navigating through a significant part of the book was a struggle, and towards the end, I found myself skipping paragraphs just to see a change in the story’s events.
Am I glad that I met Hecate Cavendish? Absolutely. She’s a great character. Am I happy to have been introduced to Brackston as an author? You bet. This was a change of pace and voice from what I have been reading lately, and overall, I enjoyed the story. Will I be reading more of the Hecate Cavendish series? Hmm. Maybe. I think in the future I’ll reserve Hecate’s tale for the quiet of late fall and early winter, when I’m inclined to slow down, ponder life and the passage of time, and embrace the journey that Brackston’s writing promises.

Celeste is a woman who is unwavering about certain things in life; three of those being books, cats, and cold brew coffee. If she can enjoy all three at the same time, it’s going to be a good day. Her favorite genres are fantasy or sci-fi romance, historical romance, and historical fiction but every few books she likes to mix it up with contemporary fiction, a good psychological thriller, or an inspiring memoir. She has a busy schedule working full-time for an online university but she makes sure to unwind each day with stories, either by reading to her elementary school-aged daughter or tucking herself in bed with her Kindle or the latest book she picked up at a local book store.