“Did you hear the sad old tale of the Bradburys slain in their house of ale?“
Sophie Parkes, Out of Human Sight
Title: Out of Human Sight
Author: Sophie Parkes
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 370 (Kindle)
Publish Date: January 26th, 2023
My Rating: ★★★★
Read: 1/20/2023 – 1/24/2023
Happy publication day!
Review:
Wonderfully atmospheric and written with both strong and delicate writing, Out of Human Sight is a dark and terrific historical read.
The story centers on Mille Bradbury who begins the book with the shock of her life — the discovery of two dead bodies. News travels fast in a small town and soon enough, travels across the country making Millie and her family accidental celebrities. Here to take Millie away from this unwanted fame is Johnny Barkwell. What she didn’t anticipate was being taken across the ocean to a new country.
The historical voice of the narration feels authentic to the 1800s give or take a bit of the content. The characters also felt true to the time, especially once Millie enters marriage. And while the plot has a strong and mysterious start, I’d say this quickly becomes a character-driven book (which I always love). It’s both charming and full of grit. And though I didn’t get as much into the mystery as I anticipated, it’s always nice to find a strong protagonist.
A huge thanks to the publisher, Northodox Press, for sending me a free digital ARC to read and review!
Likes & Dislikes:
What I liked:
- The richness of the characters.
- The atmospheric writing.
What I didn’t like:
- Though ‘mystery’ is on the cover, it felt fairly minor to the story. Or maybe I just got too invested in the characters.
- There were some minor pacing issues.
Afterthoughts:
I love books with the capability of transporting me to another time. I don’t read 1800s historical fiction too often and it’s books like this one that make me question why I don’t gravitate to this time period.