The Curse of Misty Wayfair

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The Curse of Misty Wayfair
Jaime Jo Wright
Bethany House Publishers

Left at an orphanage as a child, Thea Reed vowed to find her mother someday. Now grown, her search takes her to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in 1908. When clues lead her to a mental asylum, Thea uses her experience as a post-mortem photographer to gain access and assist groundskeeper Simeon Coyle in photographing the patients and uncovering the secrets within. However, she never expected her personal quest would reawaken the legend of Misty Wayfair, a murdered woman who allegedly haunts the area and whose appearance portends death.

A century later, Heidi Lane receives a troubling letter from her mother--who is battling dementia--compelling her to travel to Pleasant Valley for answers to her own questions of identity. When she catches sight of a ghostly woman who haunts the asylum ruins in the woods, the long-standing story of Misty Wayfair returns--and with it, Heidi's fear for her own life.

As two women across time seek answers about their identities and heritage, can they overcome the threat of the mysterious curse that has them inextricably intertwined?

     It's been a very long time since I read a novel wherein I can honestly say I had NO IDEA what was going to happen next. The Curse of Misty Wayfair was downright addictive. Just when I thought I'd figured something out, new evidence would appear that would completely re-arrange my theories.

     One of the reasons I tend to enjoy historical fiction more than contemporary fiction is because the writing style is more appealing to me, but because this book is one with a duel timeline, it reached a happy medium in its prose: it wasn't so sparse as most contemporary, but not as flowery and descriptive as most historical fiction. In other words, I was able to enjoy both timelines equally well.

     However--and I'm going to have a really difficult time articulating this--there were some things in the book that just didn't sit well with me. It's tough because we only see things from Heidi's perspective (in her timeline, at least) but everyone just seems to treat her so horribly--especially her sister--and then judge her either on the basis of what they know of her from others, or for something that wasn't her fault. Heidi's open about the fact that she was rebellious and not the easiest person, but honestly? Her family just made me so irritated that she felt more like a victim than someone facing consequences of her actions. I thought this was maybe the way the novel was purposely portraying her, but then, at the end, when all is revealed...I guess there's supposed to be something of an understanding and reconciliation?...but it really just seemed more like sweeping all those years of hurt under the rug. (Maybe this wasn't supposed to be the case--one can always read something contrary to the author's intention--but overall I wasn't really feeling the ending) Also, I wasn't a fan of the romance in either of the timelines--I guess I was supposed to learn to like Rhett? But he struck as kind of boorish throughout the whole thing.

     Jaime Jo Wright is certainly a talented author, and can write a dang good plot twist. I certainly would be willing to read more by her! It's just that this book, for whatever reason, had a few issues that bothered me.


I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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