‘The Knowing’ is a pretty masterful, gothic, debut.

Set in 1866, partly in New York and partly in Manchester, England, we follow Flora, a girl who grew up in the slums of Five Points, who’s been taken in by Jordan, a tattoo artist. She’s unusual in these times, as she’s a fully tattooed woman, from both Jordan’s hand and her own.

However, Jordan is abusive (there is a note at the start of the book noting that the book contains themes of sexual violence - do read the trigger warnings and take that in mind) and so when she meets Minnie, an alluring half woman, she doesn’t hesitate to flee uptown with her…however, this comes with a myriad of its own issues.

Flora also has to juggle ‘the knowing’ - she has the ability to see ghosts, and a true gift when it comes to reading tarot cards, but there’s a disembodied voice from her childhood urging her to keep these things secret - after all, this isn’t a time period that treated women kindly.

Plus, the ghosts are genuinely scary - they’re described as greedy, wanting to claw through and enact their revenge, always looming in Floras peripheral.

This book does not shy away from the realities of living in the slums, the gang culture present in both Lower Manhattan and Manchester, nor the ever present gritty underbelly of these characters lives. It’s incredibly tense at times, invoking a holding of breath while I read on, wondering what would happen next.

The writing was beautiful - sometimes I simply couldn’t help myself from reading the same paragraph multiple times. The sentence structure just flowed so well, bringing forth the authors vision brilliantly, wether it was detailing the intimacy between two lovers, the horror of both the shadowy world of ghosts and the awful realities of abuse, or the constant fight for survival. It’s incredibly well done.

Thank you to the publisher, and Netgalley, for the early copy to revie

The description was very intriguing to me and it's why I requested the book, but this wasn't what I expected. Not getting what I expected is not the issue, it just didn't work for me. I didn't connect with the characters and disliked them all to varying degrees. I wasn't rooting for anyone, didn't care about anyone, and didn't understand anyone.

One of the things the description says is that this is a story about love, obsession, and betrayal. It missed the mark if I was supposed to get love from any of the relationships between these characters. Or maybe it's just me. Now, obsession and betrayal? Yes, that's accurate, and it's why I kept reading. More out of a need for finality than out of enjoyment of the story.

Overall, this wasn't for me. Sometimes, that's just how it goes. Now, just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean this is a bad book or it won't work for someone else. If this intrigues you, I think it's worth giving it a chance.

All I can say is: WOW!

The Knowing is beautiful from start to finish. It deals with many dark topics and themes, but it is also a story of survival.

I found myself picking up this book at every chance I got to read, and when it ended, I wished I could pick it up and start all over again. I enjoyed the bi rep in this book and the way the climax was written completely blew me away. The Knowing may very well be my favourite read of 2023.

If you have an interest in the occult, tarot, ghosts, and feminine rage, this is absolutely the book for you.

A beautiful but occasionally visceral tale. Truly immersive. I loved this book. I can see myself rereading this sometime soon. Includes scenes of domestic abuse.

This is an immersive and intriguing novel that encompasses a lot of difficult themes. Parts of it are quite difficult to read. It is excellently written and the setting is well developed. However, I couldn't fully connect with this story or the characters. I flew through the first 30% and then my interest and focus began to wane and I struggled to stay invested in the story. Also, too many of the characters were just intolerable (and yes, some were very much meant to be infuriating, but there were a few I should have liked that just rubbed me the wrong way).

Overall this is a solid and well-thought-out book, it just didn't work perfectly for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Here is my review of The Knowing by Emma Hinds- historical fiction with a touch of fantasy.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
The author’s writing is descriptive and atmospheric, the slums and underworld of New York are brought to life in all its grittiness. The reality of life as woman with no family or money to fall back is also well described- Flora moves from one abusive situation to another.
Unfortunately, I was expecting a book with fantasy and magic being the main story, but this is secondary to the complicated love story between Flora and Minnie. There were perhaps a little too many descriptions of abuse for my liking ( although I can understand why this is part of the story).
I really wanted to like this book so much, the blurb sounded so much like the kind of books I love but unfortunately the book wasn’t what I was hoping it would be. But I’m sure this book will appeal to anyone who loves well-written, gritty historical fiction with a touch of magic.
Content Warning
References to sexual abuse and assault, coercive control, possible sexual abuse of underage minors, domestic violence, pregnancy loss.

‘They told me I had the Knowing. Things people didn’t want anyone to know were whispers I heard or pictures I saw’

Flora is a living canvas for an abusive tattoo artist, living in the slums of 19th century New York. She meets Minnie who offers her love and refuge in the house of her lover Chester Merton. But it is out of the frying pan and into the fire, for in this home she has to work as a mystic, reading the tarot cards, whilst struggling to contain her gift. The Knowing is her ability to see and speak to, and for the dead. In this dark love triangle she begins to unravel secrets and then when she exposes a killer through the use of the Knowing she has to fight to survive.

‘Wilhelmina the Magnificent Armless Wonder marched ahead.’

This is a stunning debut, dark gothic and suspenseful. I got into this book so quickly, it moves fast and I was enthralled by Flora’s story. It is dark and full of a brooding malevolence that will keep your attention throughout.
I liked Minnie but felt mistrustful of everyone’s motives, except perhaps Abernathy who just seemed a sweetheart really.

‘The wheel of fortune was always turning and there was nothing to do but face it. ‘

I was interested to find that the story was inspired by real historical characters including Maud Wagner, one of the first known female tattoo artists, New York gang the Dead Rabbits, and characters from PT Barnum's circus in the 1800s. It sent me off down a few rabbit holes!

As the story progresses it gets very dark, there is terror, violence and abuse, murder stalks the pages and there is a fear of The Knowing that curdles your blood as you read.
The plot moves at pace, at times disturbing, creating confusion so you feel you are in the mind of Flora, laudanum soaked and disjointed. It’s really well done and keeps you on your toes.

A really excellent, dark debut, rolling, twisting and totally enthralling!

This has the basis of a pretty good book. But it could be better.

The narrative could be tighter - as it stands, it wanders around a bit. I'd like more of an arc in it, especially in the second section.

It also veers *very* badly into stylistic anachronism, which the editor if nobody else should have got to grips with. Notably, terms like 'hassled' and (shudder) 'ballistic' - they jar very badly with the reader.

But overall, I had quite a whale of a time reading it.

The Knowing is a truly unique novel, that has been inspired by the lives of real historical figures such as Maud Wagner, one of the original female tattoo artists, the fearsome crime gang the Dead Rabbits, among others. The storyline is full of captivating characters and I soon found myself emersed in the tale of Florence.
Florence, is a young tattoo artist and mystic. She manages to escape Jordan, with the help of Minnie, but soon realises that she may have simply exchanged one relationship for another. And all the time, she must be watchful to escape the attentions of the gangs.
Moving from New York, to Dublin to London, the imagery and descriptions are vivid, if very brutal at times. And this story is not always an easy read, but it is compelling and I couldn't put it down.

We meet 18 year old Flora being tattooed against her will in a controlling and violent relationship with Jordan, tattooist to a local violent gang. Flora, a Roma, grew up an orphan in a slum in New York and apart from her elusive memory of a fellow orphan caring for her, Flora has only experienced violence and abuse in her short life. and it is when Minnie comes into her life, with the protective and mysterious Abernathy that Flora chooses to escape to what she hopes will be safety. But can Minnie keep her safe? This complex and dark novel explores human kindness and survival. Flora's gift or curse is her ability to read the cards and summon ghosts (The Knowing) and this supernatural element is woven in, like a metaphor for absence and behaviour when in extreme distress. The cast of characters are all 'outsiders' and it is refreshing to read descriptions that celebrate their physical beauty. Apart from Abe, the men in the book are depraved, violent and cruel, often puzzlingly so. And the women are in their thrall, trying to escape but hemmed in on all sides by threat and malice. This often dark and gruelling story is a page turner, a little slower and less plot driven when the characters sail to England. But I wanted to 'know what happened ' and the ending was satisfying.

A absolutely amazing debut novel from Emma Hinds.

The story is sent in the slums of 19th century New York and takes place around Florence, a young tattoo artist with a special gift called the knowing, which enables her to communicate with the spirits of the dead.
Unfortunately she is trapped in a relationship with a man who doesn't love her and treats like his property. Then a girl called Minnie enters her life and everything changes.

From the first page to the last I was catched by a story of hope, tragedy, love and the will power of one woman to survive in a world where men make the decisions and women do as they told. At times it made me cry however it also made it smile.

Highly recommended



.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A dark, mystical story of love, obsession and possession (both senses of the word). This was definitely my kind of book set in the criminal underworld of turn of the 20th century New York and Manchester. It was dark and gritty and often violent which helped add a realness to the story to juxtapose the mystical elements.

The story follows Flora from her escape from an abusive relationship into a love triangle of sorts with Minnie and Charles Merton. We also see her embrace her mystical power of The Knowing which has tragic consequences. I liked Flora a character, she was strong and courageous and determined to do what was right but I often found it confusing when she was possessed by the ghosts and it was difficult to follow what was happening.

Highly recommend.

The Knowing is an evocative, beautifully written historical fiction novel about two marginalized women (one is disabled and the other is Roma) trying to survive in a harsh man's world. Flora and Minnie seem like opposites in looks, personality, and upbringing, but really they're both victims who use their bodies to survive. Yes, there's a quirky gothic aspect: tattoos, tarot cards, ghosts, gangsters, and circus "freaks". Yes, there is a sapphic romance. But this is basically historical fiction at its core.

This book is also really, really dark. The female protagonists have been assaulted by men many times. In fact, none of their romantic relationships with men are truly consensual or loving; they're all abusive. Frankly, every male character in the book is awful and I hated them.

In comparison, the romance between the two women moves really, really fast. And it's not even a situation wherein they discover they're actually lesbians all along — they just fall in love immediately? I understand Minnie was the first person to show Flora kindness since she was a child, but Minnie herself shows a series of red flags and the power imbalance between them is pretty serious. I could analyze this book and say that in itself is sad; maybe it's proof that Flora is so used to abusive relationships that she falls for sketchy people. But Minnie too is a mystery... She's a confident, closed off, self-entrepreneurial woman who's been through A LOT... What did she see in Flora, when she herself admits the girl knows nothing? Really, Flora is beautiful and a tool for her to use...

But of course the novel plays their romance straightforwardly and doesn't explore this.

Anyway, I kept wanting more from this book. The author is clearly talented but maybe I wasn't the right audience. Regardless, if the summary interests you then give it a shot. It's a wonderful historical.

Thank you to the publicist for providing me with a free ARC.

Contains Minor Character Spoilers

They weren't kidding when they said this was a serious book; it is full-on and unapologetic from the very start to the very end.

As a woman with tattoos (23 and current count), I find it fascinating to read - be it fictional or not - about a relatively recent time where tattooed women was seen as a fantastical thing, something to belong in a "freak show".

These strong women in an age where they were owned and controlled by men is fascinating to read. They really draw you in, and whilst it may not always be the best life, you find yourself wanting to be part of their cool gang.

It doesn't matter how many times I read about "women's fever" or "hysteria", it angers me still. If it was only contained in a novel, that would be fine, but this happened not that long ago. That a woman clearly had to be insane if she was anything but subservient. And I think Emma has depicted it brutally and wonderfully.

There's many, many characters, but I'd say you've got four main players:

Your protagonist is Flora. She is a tattooed woman, controlled by men, living at the very bottom of society. Bizarrely, considering she was the main character, I wasn't all that fond of her to start with. I couldn't decide if she was the victim or a master manipulator, or if she'd brought everything on herself. Buts he soon captured my attention and I really willed her on on her journey.

You then have Minnie. She comes in as the saviour but for me, she wasn't all she appears to be. She feels very controlling, very manipulative, in the guise of offering a better life, but too wrapped up in her own dark to really offer Flora the light.

Then in comes Chester, who has an unusual relationship with Minnie. He is who she rescues Flora for, but he's no better than what she had, really. He's playing them both, and they're playing him. He's a despicable character but a wonderful creation to work off the two women.

And then my favourite: Abernathy. He's the ambiguous man. He's silent and scarred, always in the background, and you wonder whether he is on their side or not. He's the most interesting for me as he's a closed book, and there's so much to unravel with him.

I can't say whether it was what I was expecting or not, because I'm not completely sure what I was expecting. I suppose I was expecting magic, the supernatural, and a bit of fun, like the circus (although I don't particularly like the circus). But it has so much more. It's rude and crude and explicit, violent and angry, hungry and uncomfortable, friendly and hatred, realistic and fantastical and thrilling, it's show and fast, quiet and loud. It's got everything one may want from a good book. It's a completely different reading experience than I thought I'd get but that's not a bad thing.

I will admit it took me a little while to lose myself in it, but I think that's because it was so full on so quickly, that I had to get my head into it. But once you've found your space in the story, you're not allowed to leave. It's disturbing, but you're unable to tear yourself away.

Don't read it if you're after a fun, light-hearted, warming, easy-to-read, comforting book for a cold winter's night. This is a book to focus on, to steal your anger and your emotions. It's a book you'll hate and love at the same time.

How to explain the ending without spoilers...as it went on, as we got closer to the endgame, the last quarter maybe, it took a shift in tone. I can't fully explain it without spoiling it, and I obviously don't want to do that. But it felt really different, opposite and yet clearly of the same hand. It's a shift in feeling, in emotion, and desire. It felt like a sudden change but at the same time, obvious, like you've been aware of its gradual appearance the whole time.

My one tiny little critique if I had one was that I couldn't fit it into a genre. I like my books to be able to fit neatly in a box; I like to be able to tell someone whether it's a fantasy or a thriller or a romance (I know this isn't an issue for everyone). But this has a lot. It's supernatural, and it's a thriller, and it's historical, and there's romance. So for me, I'd have liked it to be a little neater in that sense, but it didn't have a negative effect on the story itself, that was well formed, well written, well executed, and really rather fabulous.

I have read a lot of fantastic debuts over the last couple of years and this is one to add to the 2024 list already.

There is beauty everywhere you look in this book. Even in the darkest passages, Emma has found wonder.

I'm not sure I should give a review as I couldn't finish this book. It just seemed so absurd and very much a poor shadow of other excellent historical novels that have been published recently. Maybe if I read it at a different time I would find I could engage with the characters but they seemed simply caricatures to me and the plot was crammed with everything the author could think of. I read a lot of historical and literary fiction but sadly this wasn't up to the mark. Others may well enjoy it though.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 3*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 3*
Characters: 4*
Emotiveness: 3*

This was a good solid 3star read for me. Hats off to the author for writing such a unique debut novel.
I’m not a massive historical fiction fan, having only started reading it over the past few years. However I felt transported to the era with ease. I did look to see where the author was from after finishing as I found the descriptiveness of the locations and scenery in the second half a lot clearer and I see she from the north of England so that’s was quite apparent.
If you’re a HF fan, who likes a bit of magic this should tick your boxes.

Early days, but I think this a stunning novel to start 2024. It’s a horror novel that is scary where it needs to be scary, a romance novel where the romance tale several turns and where our hero finds happiness in a different way from the average romance and a book on feminine survival in the face of male violence.

In 19th century New York, Flora is rescued from a life of sexual violence and virtual slavery in Jordan’s tattoo parlour. Her benefactors are Chester and Minnie and she becomes a member of ‘polite’ society where her skills to read tarot are an amusement to those who are both rich and bored. But Flora also has the skills to raise the dead and that is something that is a powerful, double edged-weapon.

Emma Hinds is skilled at the grit, smoke and violence of both a resurgent New York and an industrial Manchester. She is also skilled at keeping the slow burning of question of whether the eponymous knowing is real or imagined. But this is a novel about escaping your past and becoming the purest version of yourself, scars and all. Readers of Sarah Waters will love it, but for me it’s the scariest thing I’ve read since Lauren Owen’s Small Angels.

This was so good I read it twice!

Emma Hinds has written a dark powerful novel and if you're going to read any book in January 2024 this needs to be top of you're list!

Flora is a girl of about 18 who moves from one bad situation to another.
I read a third before I gave up. In this mystical magical world there is still loads of SA and brutality.
The author uses a fair amount of terms and words used in that period like “I am one and eight” denoting 18.
but then uses the word f*ck a crazy amount. There was an unnecessary amount of repetition. I a world that is so dark already, this book wasn’t for me.

Thank you net galley for the arc. DNF @60% and should've done it earlier. The blurb of this book sounded appealing, a mixture of fantasy, mystery, and romance. It didn't deliver. TW: rape, SA, abusive relationships, paedophilia (I think), murder, among others.

There is a lot of abuse in this book. It very quickly starts you off in one abusive relationship and sweeps you into another (with rape scenes, references, and other SA featured heavily throughout). The blurb describes a love triangle between Florence, Minnie, and Chester. Whilst Florence is 'saved' from her first abuser by Minnie, her fate doesn’t seem much better. Minnie is the lesser of two evils, but both Minnie and Chester try to force themselves on Florence at least once, and it's all very icky with power imbalances and all kinds of abuse. Chester is also sexually abusive to Polly, who I think is a minor, but she's only described as 'young' so I'm not sure of her age. I didn't really like anyone and reading it was a chore. This combined with so many abusive relationships (I don't think I could ever root for Florence and Minnie with how things started, idk how it ends) solidified that I need to DNF. I'm very reluctant to DNF books in general, but I'm learning more and more that I need to stop wasting my energy on things I don't enjoy.