I received a copy of this book for my stop on the blog tour atDonnie Darko Girl.
The Violet Hour's synopsis caught my eye because I thought it sounded like a unique and mysterious read. I don't get into historical fiction a lot, but that aspect of the novel has much to do with what drew me into reading it.
I'm drawn to reading about characters who have lost a parent. I know that sounds macabre, but I've been through it myself and can relate. While The Violet Hour's main character, Allegra, lost her mom to suicide, I lost my mom to cancer. Throughout the novel, I always had this hope that maybe Allegra's mom wasn't really dead. Maybe it was all a mistake or some sort of twisted misunderstanding. I think my feelings about wishing my own mom was still alive bled into The Violet Hour. I really do.
Allegra is a bright, intelligent young woman, and for her time, well, she's ahead of it. It was incredibly brave of her to leave behind the comfort her father's wealth afforded her and go out into the world to live her own way. I couldn't have done it, and I admired that about her. Her father sounds like a horrible man, and it's no wonder she was determined to get away.
I definitely found Brighton interesting, and of course I wanted to know if everything the musicians whispered about him was true or not. I wouldn't say that Allegra and Brighton were victims of insta-love, but they were attracted to each other right away and I loved it! While Allegra was determined to try to spend as much time with him as possible, he was fighting his attraction to her. So they weren't instantly in a relationship, but one developed over time naturally.
The mood of the story was a bit spooky and mysterious, which I loved. Each layer of mysterious happenings was revealed at a good pace - not too fast, not too slow - and I was left wanting to find out more. I was right about The Violet Hour - this is a unique and well written story. The time period, right before the Civil War, made for an interesting setting.
The Violet Hour could very well make you want to grab as much historical fiction as you can if you aren't already a fan of the genre. Plus the spooky mood with hints of danger throughout makes for an engrossing read. I recommend The Violet Hour to anyone who can't resist finding out secrets and Allegra and Brighton are characters you're definitely going to want to get to know well.
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