Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin) by Jordan L. Hawk
I did wonder why the author chose to set her story in an alternative world, since, as far as historical details go, this novel is 100% an accurate early XIX century America setting. At first, knowing it was a fantasy, I was expecting for some steampunk element to make its appearance, but nope, the setting remained true to its chosen period. Nevertheless, this is a fantasy/horror romance, and so there are paranormal elements, but the feeling was more of some gothic horror novel of the same period of the chosen setting, like the author wanted to maintain “coherence” even when introducing the paranormal twist.
I liked both characters, they seemed destined from the beginning to become one of those notorious pairs, like Sherlock and Holmes to give you the idea. Professor Percival Whyborne, who knows 13 language and is an expert of Ancient Egypt, but has never left his New England small town of Widdershins, is for sure the perfect epitome of someone who will become the skilled detective; on the other hand ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty would be perfect on the role of the cynic man of world, who has seen too much and too soon, but instead the author managed to make him a brooding character, with shadows in his past, but still able to feel and love, to be tender and to almost vow Percival out of his shell.
Aside from the characters what makes this novel good was also the setting, the fantastical city of Widdershins, perfect gothic setting for the novel, but also alive in a way that made me want to do some research to understand if it was really all from the imagination of the author; it felt so true and well planned that I did wonder if the author took inspiration from an existing New England town.
Just this month, the second installment in the series is out, and I’m sure this will become a favorite appointment with the historical/paranormal romance lovers.
Amazon: Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin) (Volume 1)
Amazon Kindle: Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin) (Volume 1)
Paperback: 226 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 15, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1482528150
ISBN-13: 978-1482528152
Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle
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