Thank you to HarperFiction and NetGalley for this ebook advance copy.

In this regency era set YA novel we follow our main character, Camille who, after a scandal, is sent away by her wealthy family to live with her godmother in the middle of the woods, isolated from civilization.

There she finds out her godmother’s daughter, Lucy, is plagued with a mysterious illness that is triggered by different events and settings. A friend, the last of those in the house, helps treat her with herbal concoctions and experimental treatments to help keep her illness away.

The story, as it unfolds, is quite predictable from the very beginning but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of reading. It is a fast paced read that quickly pulls you in. There is barely any romance, so if you are looking for that this isn’t the book for you. In a way I wish the relationship that is briefly touched on was better developed. However, the relationship between mother and daughter was really nice to read.

Some chapters had flash forwards at the beginning of the chapter that were confusing as they weren’t expected after finishing the previous chapter which slightly pulled you out of the reading as you are trying to figure out where and when you are.

Overall this read was good and I would recommend to YA. Some older readers will not enjoy because of the predictability but I know pre-teen/teenagers will love it.

Purcell’s YA debut, Moonstone is atmospheric, gothic, and intriguing. The prose really immerses readers into the setting and storyline. I think the romantic subplot could have been expanded upon and would have benefitted from more introduction before suddenly being introduced. The main character is infuriating at times in her constant confusion and I found myself wishing that she would just cop on to what was happening faster, but I suppose that is the point as it certainly kept me reading! Overall, I enjoyed the books and would recommend it to those who enjoy YA fantasy.

This is probably more around a 2.75 ⭐️ but I don’t feel like rounding it up.

This is one of those books where the entire plot would be avoided if the characters just sat down and had one honest conversation. My god, I don’t even know what this trope is called. It’s not exactly the miscommunication trope, it’s more so the anti-communication trope?!

I think this novel started off well. There’s scandal, there’s drama, there’s a mysterious cottage in the woods with a trio of strange women…the plot was set up wonderfully.

I really did hate on how this book relied on keeping Camille in the dark for the whole story to be able to unfold. What I hate even more is how I wish keeping Camille in the dark made sense. Camille was brought there to be a friend and offer companionship to Lucy, yet this is something she cannot do as she’s always been kept away due to not knowing what Lucy’s illness in. And she can’t know because it will put her in danger. But not knowing puts her in danger as she doesn’t know the risks and therefore, many times, walks quite gleefully in to the risks. Sometimes with ignorance, sometimes with purpose (she wants the truth, dammit!).

Ultimately I didn’t really like how this story executed its plot and how things ended up happening. I did not like the twists and turns and often wished the story would take itself in a different direction.

Ultimately, despite the easy and sometimes atmospheric writing, this book was a massive miss for me. It just did not meet my expectations and then kept disappointing them.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | Magpie for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

4.25/5.0

> ARC review: Thank you to HarperFiction and Netgalley for the ebook advanced copy.

In this story we follow Camille, member of a wealthy family, who after a scandal in the gardens of Vauxhall, is sent away by her family, to her godmother's old humble home in the middle of the woods, isolated from civilization.

Her godmother's daugher, Lucy, is affliced by a mysterious sickness that seems to be consuming her as time passes by. It seems to be triggered by certain events as well.

With them is another woman, whose knowledge in plants and remedies help them keep Lucy's illness under control, for the most part. But after some week passes, Camille isn't so sure if the remedies are healing the daughter or poisoning her. Strange noises at night, brutal attacks near the village and a forbidden building near the farm, all those elements only raise Camille's suspicions as she tries to unfold the secrets, all three women are bluntly keeping from her.

Laura Purcell's YA debut is, not so surprisingly, very good. I was afraid going into this it would feel too childish compared to her other brilliant works, but it is narrated in a beautiful way with enough descriptions and an interesting introspection into the protagonist's mind. From the start you can easily guess what is going on, but building suspense and plot twists is clearly not the main aim of this story.

I enjoyed this book a lot, the wonderful writing made it really easy to flow. The romance part is not a primary element of the book, nor even a secondary one. Not being a huge fan of romance, it doesn't bother me that it was in the background, but if you are looking for a big love story, this might not please you. It was sweet enough, though, simply not super present.

In the atmospheric setting of the regency era, "The Silence of Camille" unfolds the tale of a young protagonist, Camille, whose life takes a sharp turn after a scandal forces her into the care of her reclusive godmother and her enigmatic daughter, Lucy.

Immersed in Purcell's captivating prose, readers are drawn into the eerie ambiance of the narrative. The strict rules enforced by Camille's godmother heighten the tension, while the budding relationship between Camille and Lucy sets the stage for strange and unsettling occurrences.

Purcell's meticulous attention to detail shines through, seamlessly blending elements of gothic romance with a twist of horror. "The Silence of Camille" stands as a testament to her skill in crafting a compelling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Moonstone is Laura Purcell's first YA novel, despite knowing of her adult work this is my first read by the author.

With gothic undertones and an atmospheric setting, Moonstone starts with our MC being sent away to the woods to stay with her Godmother after getting caught up in a scandal. Upon arriving Camille realises everything is not as it seems, her Godmother seems to be hiding things and Lucy's (her godmothers daughter) illness is stranger than it seems. At first Camille finds the reality of living at a farm after her past experiences within polite society strange and below her, but she starts to realise the freedom in being away from wider society and the role in which she is expected to belong.

The slow burn romance took me by surprise (Tbh I think it took those involved by surprise too), I do wish that the focus had remained on sisterhood and friendship however the romance was super light and didn't take away from the narrative and its explorations of society and desire.

"Moonstone" is a ya fantasy novel, with gothic overtones, written by Laura Purcell. A dark, bewitching and enchanting tale, characterized by an eerie and evocative setting, elegant and evocative writing and an intriguing and sinister story. Although some elements did not fully convince me, the book still bewitched me!

The story takes place in nineteenth-century England, mainly in an old farmhouse lost in the Yorkshire woods, connected to civilization through a small village on the edge of the forest. A simple and wild place, far from the comforts of the city and the rules of society, but at the same time full of wonders and freedom. An insidious environment, where chilling sounds echo among the vegetation, whispers of a huge and brutal beast glide among the people, and large claw marks mark buildings and grounds. A mystery that finds its core in the family that inhabits the farmhouse: young Lucy, afflicted with an unknown and aggressive disease; her mother, a reclusive and reserved woman; and their equally ambiguous and quirky helper. A nebulous context into which Camille, protagonist with her only first person pov, joins. A girl from a wealthy family, from a distant city, who after a scandal is sent to live for a year with her unknown godmother and her daughter.

The ending seemed to me a bit rushed, the plot twists predictable, but this did not affect my high liking. Camille is a convincing protagonist, a girl oppressed by the burden of society, of family, who surprisingly finds her freedom in Yorkshire. The other characters, including Lucy, seem nebulous, fitting the mysterious atmosphere of the novel! The romance, on the other hand, seemed to me cute in idea, but poorly developed and too hasty.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the regency era, we follow the story of Camille, a young girl who in the aftermath of a scandal is forced to leave the comforts of society and live with her reclusive godmother and her peculiar daughter, Lucy.

The writing is captivating, and I found myself completely immersed in the eerie atmosphere of the story. Camille’s godmother’s strict rules add to the tension, and as Camille and Lucy grow closer, strange occurrences begin to happen.

Purcell’s attention to detail and her ability to weave a gothic romance with a twist of horror is truly commendable!

Loved the regency setting in this book. The writing style was lovely with great descriptions. But I do think this was a little juvenile and predictable. It was an okay story and if you haven’t read much from this genre you’d enjoy it more.

After a public indiscretion at Vauxhall Gardens Camille is sent to live in the country with her godmother and her ailing daughter, Lucy. Before you know it there are animal attacks in the area, mysterious scratch marks are found on doors and otherworldly howling is heard. Yes, you can probably guess what's going on and you wouldn't be far wrong

Moonstone is Laura Purcell's first YA offering, and it shows. The narrative is predictable with few surprises, the romance which is such a big selling point is almost non-existent and the characters are all a bit insipid, but that's coming from an older reader.

The YA audience Moonstone is clearly aimed at will probably find a lot to enjoy within its pages and many may ultimately find it a gateway to Laura Purcell's adult fiction.

Thanks to Magpie Books, HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advance copy.

This was the first book I read by this author and I enjoyed it!
The regency setting was very well done, but the entire world that was created just felt really eerie and magical, which I loved! The description was beautiful and vivid, while the characters were just very well written!
I will say I found this story very predictable. I anticipated every part of this story, which made it somewhat less entertaining. Also, I didn't really feel a connection with some of the characters, which also made the story harder to read.
It was a quick read, though, and well-written!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read this ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Moonstone is a great gothic fantasy, It is gorgeously written, I definitely got the promise of a future with the two leads, but, personally, I could have done with a bit more romance between them. The twist is skilfully done and the last few chapters had me hooked. I definitely would like a follow up because this was a brilliant read.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for giving me this free arc in turn for an honest review.

For the first 30% I didn’t really have a clue what was happening the flash forwards without announcing them was really annoying.

After the 30% mark I started to get a hunch what the plot was. But in a way I think this book is not a romance book at the core plot. There is a tiny little dwindle of it in it. But nothing more.

The book reads quite young so I probably would recommend it to max 15 years old but anything older I think the nothing really happening will be quite boring. It’s cool that there is some lgbt representation but that could have done broader. Or explain it a bit more if the book is made for a younger audience.

For me is 2.5 starts because I didn’t find it that interesting.

4 stars - a slow burn YA gothic horror set in the regency era.

After a small scandal, Camille is sent to live with her godmother Rowena and her daughter Lucy in the country, both of whom she has never met.
Lucy is plagued by a mysterious illness and tells Camille to return home as it’s not safe for her to stay.

I loved the setting of the story and found it creepy and foreboding. The way the author writes the story is very compelling and mysterious. I loved Camille as a character and felt her loneliness as Lucy continued to shut her out and Rowena and Bridget kept their secrets.

I found it hard to connect to Lucy as she was so closed off and thought the romance wasn’t built upon enough to be believable. I felt the pacing could have been better as it’s starts off quite slow and only quickens right at the end which I felt was too rushed.

The overall mystery of the book I found was easy to guess - maybe too easy? - but overall I enjoyed it would recommend especially as an autumnal read.

Laura Purcell is such a magnificent writer so I was very excited to receive this arc
The atmosphere, story and characters were all very rich, I was totally immersed in this story from start to finish and flew through it in a couple of days
Even though it was YA it didn’t feel too young for me and thankfully for my tastes there wasn’t too much romance
If you enjoy gothic, fantasy and mystery this would be a great choice

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this eARC.

This was an intriguing read that kept me captivated from start to finish. Camille is sent away from her family home to stay with her godmother after a “scandalous” event. However, not all is as it seems, and her godmother’s daughter has a secret illness.

Camille’s attitude was a little bit irritating to start with, but it was understandable given her upbringing. Watching Camille develop during a relatively short period of time was very enjoyable, and I also loved Lucy.

I guessed the main plot line fairly early, but there were still some things that took me by surprise, and even when I was proved correct in my guess of what was happening, the events kept me intrigued. The writing was also easy enough to read that I flew through it.

I’ll definitely be checking out other books by this author!

Laura Purcell is now an auto buy author for me. I just know I will love anything she writes. This was her YA debut and it was so good! Once I got a bit into it, I guessed where it was going in terms of Lucy's condition but I couldn't have predicted anything else!
Camille and Lucy have my heart.

I will pick up anything Purcell writes, she is definitely a guaranteed good read.
This is her first YA, and it's pretty great too.
There was that feeling of "I know what's coming" as clues slotted neatly into place.
The relationship between Lucy and Camille built up nicely.
Builds to a epic ending.
Another book I'll by this author I'll be buying for others.