The Formidable Miss Cassidy

The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 1 August 2024

Miss Cassidy is not your average governess. She possesses the ability to tame even the most unruly child, fluently narrate tales in various languages, and adeptly resolve any household crisis. However, her talents extend beyond the mundane; she confronts darker, more perilous challenges.

Set in 1890s Singapore, this formidable, fiery-haired Scotswoman finds herself tackling tasks that go beyond the ordinary. From banishing bloodthirsty demons to resurrecting spirits, Miss Cassidy fearlessly confronts the supernatural. But when she is engaged by the affluent Chinese widower, Mr. Kay, to aid his cursed family, Miss Cassidy must confront forces far older and more potent than any she has encountered before.

“The Formidable Miss Cassidy” throws you straight into the heart of the action and hooks you from the very beginning. As the story unfolds, details about the characters gradually emerge, seamlessly intertwined with the unfolding events. Each chapter feels like a standalone short story, with the indomitable Miss Cassidy at its core. The vividly depicted locations, along with the rich tapestry of folklore and myths, add an extra layer of intrigue to the narrative.

If you have a penchant for the dark and eerie, sprinkled with magic and whimsy, then this book is tailor-made for you. What truly captivates is the unique local flavour infused into the narrative, transforming it into a remarkable tribute to the rich history of Singapore.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Pushkin Press, and the author, Meihan Boey, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I breezed through this page-turner in three days! The story is lovely, fast-paced and full of humour. I had to stop to google some of the mentioned mythological creatures from Malaysia. The book is a perfect comfort read with a very sweet ending, that feelings satisfying. After finishing I found out there already is a second book out and a third planned.
If you like light-hearted historical fantasy with a dash of romance, this book is absolutely right for you.

This book was absolutely delightful. It had such a wonderful blend of Victorian Governess, exotic setting and Folklore.

We follow a Governess Leda Cassidy as she moves to Singapore to look after a teenage girl who has become extremely withdrawn. A tragedy recently befell the family, causing the death of the mother and all but one child in the family. Leda must not only teach and instruct the girl in her care, but also investigate the supernatural occurrences distressing the family. We follow Leda through her experiences in Singapore, helping families and solving supernatural puzzles.

Leda is an amazing character, adaptable, thoughtful, adventurous and compassionate. She uses her extensive knowledge to help others, often without them realising it. This was a beautiful blending of historical fiction and supernatural fantasy and it’s utterly fascinating. The writing was vivid and lovely, with bold, distinct characters. The setting was so rich. We have gothic themes but set in a vibrant setting, full of colour and flavour.

The supernatural elements and the inclusion of folklore were so skilfully interwoven, never feeling out of place or unbelievable. A wonderful merging of genres. I really enjoyed this book and I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

The Formidable Miss Cassidy of the title of this book is a feisty middle-aged Scotswoman who takes the job of Governess to the daughter of an English businessman in 1890's Singapore. Miss Cassidy soon realises why the family has been beset by tragedy and proves herself the match for malevolent forces with supernatural talents of her own.
Her next job is with Chinese widower Mr Kay and her next battle is with powerful,dark forces that have blighted his family for decades. If Neil Gaiman had written Mary Poppins the result would probably be something like this,as it is author Meihan Boey had the idea first and the result is a very entertaining book.
Miss Cassidy is a complex and beguiling character,as well as a doughty battler against the forces of evil she's also a warm and empathetic woman who's a lot more than first appears to be.
This is great fun, 19th century Singapore with it's Triads and diverse ethnic and cultural mix is a fantastic setting and it's magical in more ways than one.

Brilliant read! I LOVED the setting of 1890s Singapore and the seamless blend of creepy (almost gothic) happenings mixed in with the airy whimsy of cosy fantasy. Leda Cassidy was such a brilliant FMC, she was fiesty and fearless in equal measure! I enjoyed how she took charge of these crazy situations and faced anything she was confronted with head on - a total joy!

I'd recommend to anyone stepping into fun, supernatural adventure for the first time because you seriously won't be able to put this one down!

3.5* --> 4*

Miss Cassidy is slightly reminiscent of a Victorian Mary Poppins, in that way where she seems to have a solution for just about anything and anyone. But Miss Cassidy isn’t at all your regular governess. Mystery surrounds her origins, where she comes from, who she is, or maybe even what she is. The supernatural is strong in this one.

There didn’t seem to be much plot to the story though. We first meet Miss Cassidy when she takes a position with the Bendermeer family in Singapore, who need her help in more ways than one. But Miss Cassidy never seems to stay in one place for very long. The one thread that ties this magical tale together, apart from Miss Cassidy obviously, is Mister Kay: a wealthy widower whose family seems to be cursed. But the whole thing felt more like jumping from one episode to the next. First Miss Cassidy is here, and suddenly she's over there.

I thought the setting and backdrop of Singapore was done wonderfully. Sure there were some moments where non-English words threw me off, not quite understanding what they meant, but those just added to the atmosphere. However, I did wonder if maybe some things weren't lost in translation, and I have a feeling much of this story is inspired by actual myths that I obviously know nothing about. Even so, I very much enjoyed being immersed in the traditions and the culture of this foreign place, and Miss Cassidy is a formidable and incredibly likeable character who really stands out amongst the somewhat rigid rules of the society she finds herself in.

Overall, I found 'The Formidable Miss Cassidy' to be an enjoyable and entertaining paranormal tale. I feel it needed a bit more depth and more of a plot to keep me enthralled. That said, it is a fun combination of historical fiction, myth and magic and I had a good time with Miss Cassidy and her strange world of dark and dangerous creatures.

a fast paced historical tale full of adventure and the supernatural

The story based in the 1890's follows governess Leda Cassidy a formidable Scotswoman who travelled to Singapore to look after a young girl who had become increasingly withdrawn after tragically losing her family to illness. Not only does miss. Cassidy go above and beyond as governess she also has the strange ability to fearlessly confront the supernatural.

This book is very fast paced and isn't too long it's an overall easy read full of adventure and fun. The characters were diverse and interesting and the story line kept me hooked.
What I enjoyed the most about the book was all the lore behind the supernatural creatures that were involved in the story the author managed to combine culture and religious representations and reginal stories behind the paranormal.

This is an easy book to get into and I thoroughly enjoyed it .

The Formidable Miss Cassidy was excellent. Fans of Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library will love this.
@mei_the_force's Scottish Governess seems quite proper at first as she arrives in Malaysia to take up a position tutoring a young girl who has lost her mother and become very withdrawn. Meghan slowly drips the supernatural delights and hints about who Miss Cassidy truly is into a narrative that gently carries you along cozily even when madness and horrible monsters appear in the lives of those Miss Cassidy holds dear to cause chaos.
I absolutely ADORED it Leda Cassidy is calm in a crisis and despite her own abilities frequently has to call in a cast of fascinating people to help including her brilliant sister Anna. (Anna's real identity is having something of a literary renaissance ATM and I am LOVING it).
Her relationship with Mr. Tong is so fun, he's so charming and determined and manages to cut through Leda's defenses even as she tries to protect him from what she might bring on him.

I tore through this in a day and can't recommend it enough :)
Thank you to @pushkin_press for the eARC. It has not affected my opinion.

This story was so wonderfully unique. I loved reading about Leda and following along on her adventures and experiences. Add in the supernatural elements and it was just so much fun.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of The Formidable Miss Cassidy. All opinions of this ARC are honest, unfiltered, and solely my own.

This was a very quick read for me. I was immersed pretty much from page one. It truly has so many amazing elements woven together in a delightfully unexpected tapestry of tropes that really hit home. A little dark historic magical fiction, but with Mary Poppins and then weave in some folklore and then there's mystery, some political intrigue, some supernatural. I'm telling you there's something in here for everyone. From a writing perspective, I though the author's prose was really well done. The setting was interesting, well developed and unique.
I'm not sure I've ever read a book set in the the late 1800's in Singapore and I really enjoyed the experience. I also thought Boey did a great job with her character structures and plot pacing. It all flowed extremely easily and made the read feel effortless, which was so appreciated. All in all, would recommend to others.