An atmospheric, haunting, romantasy inspired by Jane Austens Sense and Sensibility, set in Regency era England about two sisters fighting to hold on to their manor while deadly monsters prowl along its perimetersperfect for fans of House of Salt and Sorrows and Anatomy: A Love Story.
Merrick Darlings life as daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex is better than most. Unlike the commoners, she is immune to the toxic fog that encroached on England generations earlier. She will never become a Phantomone of the monstrous creatures that stalk her provinces bordersand as long as the fires burn to hold them back, her safety is ensured. She wants for nothing, yet she will never inherit her familys Manor. She must marry smartly or live at the kindness of her elder sister, Essie.
Everything is turned on its head, though, when Merricks father dies suddenly. Torn from her New London society life of ball gowns and parties, Merrick must travel back to her childhood home, the Darling estate of Norland House, and what she finds there is bewildering. Once strong and capable, Essie is withdrawn and frightenedand with good cause. A recent string of attacks along the provinces borders has turned their formerly bucolic countryside into a terrifying and unpredictable landscape. The fog is closing in and the fires arent holding, which makes Merrick and Essie vulnerable in more ways than one. Because the Phantoms are far from the only monsters in Merricks world, and the other eleven Manor Lords are always watching for weakness.
Revealing her and her sisters current state to the rest of the Manors is out of the question, but when Essie goes missing, its clear that Merrick needs help. Only, who can she trust when everyone seems to be scheming, and when all she holds true feels like its slipping right out of her grasp?
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Merrick Darlings life as daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex is better than most. Unlike the commoners, she is immune to the toxic fog that encroached on England generations earlier. She will never become a Phantomone of the monstrous creatures that stalk her provinces bordersand as long as the fires burn to hold them back, her safety is ensured. She wants for nothing, yet she will never inherit her familys Manor. She must marry smartly or live at the kindness of her elder sister, Essie.
Everything is turned on its head, though, when Merricks father dies suddenly. Torn from her New London society life of ball gowns and parties, Merrick must travel back to her childhood home, the Darling estate of Norland House, and what she finds there is bewildering. Once strong and capable, Essie is withdrawn and frightenedand with good cause. A recent string of attacks along the provinces borders has turned their formerly bucolic countryside into a terrifying and unpredictable landscape. The fog is closing in and the fires arent holding, which makes Merrick and Essie vulnerable in more ways than one. Because the Phantoms are far from the only monsters in Merricks world, and the other eleven Manor Lords are always watching for weakness.
Revealing her and her sisters current state to the rest of the Manors is out of the question, but when Essie goes missing, its clear that Merrick needs help. Only, who can she trust when everyone seems to be scheming, and when all she holds true feels like its slipping right out of her grasp?
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
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Used availability for Lydia Gregovic's The Monstrous Kind