Netherby Halls – Claudy Conn and Claudette Williams

My book review of “Netherby Halls” written by Claudy Conn and Claudette Williams

Title: Netherby Halls
Author: Claudy Conn / Claudette Williams
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Fiction / Light Thriller
ISBN: 9781301943999
Year 1st edition & read edition: 1977 & 2013
Year read: 2016
Original title & language: ‘Sassy’ [English]
Read language: English
Pages: 250
Places: Bristol / London / Netherby / Sutton / Tanderlay
Rating: 4 / 5 stars

I hope you like the book too. It is a quite good book! I am not telling about the story too much– never do in my book reviews – you have to read the book yourself and make your own opinion. 

In my view…

Reading a book of a genre I have never read before. Paranormal Romance. What should I expect? Love and magic? That prejudice is right: it is about love and magic! White and dark magic. But only that in a story that is fiction but not a fantasy or thriller sounds me as a prejudice a bit boring. The story has more in it than I expected and I would say for that: it is a light-read thriller too!

It took a little while before I got content with the book because it reads rather slow. The amount of pages (250) looks not that much, but it took me more than seven hours! (I believe even nine hours with some short pauses) reading on an e-reader. I read a book mostly quick from an e-reader than from the original papers. When I reached the end of chapter two (by far the longest chapter) I was getting more enthusiastic.

If you are planning to read this book – it is a nice one for its genre – take in account that you really have to get through the first chapters before the reading pace quickens and it gets more fun. Don’t underestimate the reading time!

The thoughts, the conspiracies, the strange things that happens and the spontaneous actions by the characters. A bit of love and a bit of magic but not too much of both. This all together makes the book just a good book. A nice read of this genre!

Writing style / spelling

The writing style is pleasant because the chapters are also divided into smaller parts. You read mostly what the main character is thinking and doing and just what is happening in a situation. And then a bit later you read what another character is thinking is doing and why that character is taking different actions. This is also the surprise part of the book. The writer lets you move from one character to another character and finally back to the main character.

Main characters explanation

The main character is Sassandra (Sassy) Winthrop. A vicar’s daughter of twenty-one years old. Well I guess nineteen or twenty years old at the moment the book starts. She makes new friends – and enemies – in life. Her most important friends are Justin Dartmour – Eight Marquis of the House of Dartmour – , his best friend Percival (Percy) Lutterel and their acquaintance Miss Sophia (Sophy – yes a little bit different as my name) Delleson. I will not explain the enemies because that’s where the thoughts in the story are about. Doubts, doubts and doubts.

Enjoy reading the book!

Greetings by Sophie