Book review - The Splendour Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

In their words:
'Sylvie Davies is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but what broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage. Still reeling, Sylvie is shipped off to stay with relatives in the back of beyond. Or so she thinks, in fact she ends up in a town rich with her family’s history ... and as it turns out her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, is the expected choice. But handsome, mysterious Rhys has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand. Then Sylvie starts seeing things – a girl by the lake and a man with dark unseeing eyes peering in through the window ... Sylvie’s lost nearly everything – is she starting to lose her mind as well?'

In other words:
Ex-ballerina is sent to the country, where she finds out that her dad has buried a long family history. Paranormal adventures ensue.

I’m not usually one for ghost stories, but for The Splendour Falls I have to make an exception. It’s creepy without being scary and more importantly, the creepiness comes without a sacrifice of the plot. The supernatural aspect seems to take a backseat to the characters – it’s very present throughout the story, but the characters are just as, if not more, interesting.

While a little predictable in some places, and sporting a couple of characters who seem to have come straight out of a formula machine, The Splendour Falls still manages to be original. I loved the idea that the supernatural can be BAD. Many books nowadays like to give characters supernatural powers, but this one explored the idea of the balance of nature.

The Splendour Falls is a compulsive read, an entertaining, almost Gothic novel, with an interesting cast of characters and an exciting mystery element. I really enjoyed it, though I’m not enamoured of the cover.

Pages: 528
Category: Modern-day Paranormal

Thank you to Random House for providing me with a review copy.