Friday 24 June 2016

Victorian by Jordan Elizabeth


Victorian by Jordan Elizabeth
Published by CHBB today, 24th June 2016

Where to buy this book:
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Search for this author on Alibris

How I got this book:
Author offered a review copy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

'Celeste struggles with finding her way from a dark past until she gets a summer volunteer gig at the local historical fair. Enter outrageous actors, dominating psychics, and ghosts stirred by a medium’s presence. With the help of the psychic’s son, who isn’t at all what her dream date would look like, but rather endearing all the same, Celeste uncovers secrets about the village left hidden among the dilapidated buildings. Searching deeper will mean opening her heart, a part of her she’s locked up tight and been petrified of freeing.'

I have enjoyed several Jordan Elizabeth books before so was pleased to be offered a pre-publication copy of Victorian. The story is told from the points of view of two young women, Celeste and Weronika, both of whom have traumatic events in their childhoods. They meet at a Counseling Circle and despite the differences in their outlooks, they swiftly become friends. I liked the realistic way their relationship was portrayed and how Elizabeth gave us time to get to know them before we really ventured into the supernatural element of the story. Other characters weren't so clearly defined so I was still muddling a few names even towards the end, but I felt I understood Celeste and Weronika and could sympathise with their journeys towards emotional healing.

The historical Victorian fair is a complete farce of inaccuracies, much like similar ventures over here. Some people go to great lengths to get everything perfect for the period, others don't even seem to have grasped the right century and the whole effect is great fun. I can imagine the exasperation of the organisers and the eventual triumph as it all begins to come together. I am relieved that Elizabeth didn't dwell on the British accents! The fair provides an unusual and interesting backdrop for the ghostly mystery and that is a satisfying tale in itself. Celeste does seem to spend most of her time not actually working for the fair though which I thought someone might have noticed!

I thought Victorian was a good mystery story with varied cross-genre elements. The potential romance is chaste enough for younger readers although I thought the traumas ultimately revealed by Weronika and Celeste were surprisingly dark for a young adult novel.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Jordan Elizabeth / Young adult / Books from America

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