Book Review: Velvet by Mary Hooper

Velvet is an orphan. She struggles to make ends meet by working in a steam laundry, where the work is back breaking and exhausting. So when she attracts the attention of the glamorous clairvoyant Madame Savoya, she cannot believe her good fortune.
Raised to the status of lady's maid, Velvet is given elegant clothes to wear and is brought to love in a grand house in London. But the longer she works for Madame Savoya, the more she discovers about the mysterious world of a spiritual medium.  Velvet soon realises that her employer is not quite what she seems and this knowledge could put her very life in danger...

I was so happy to receive Mary Hooper's latest book as I really enjoyed her last book Fallen Grace, you can read my review here.
Velvet is set in 1900, Velvet is an orphan, she is working in a steam laundry but she is always only a few steps away from the dreaded workhouse. She begins to look after the laundry of one of the special customers, Madame Savoya, one of the most famous clairvoyants in London. When Madame Savoya offers Velvet a position as a lady's maid, she jumps at the opportunity. She leaves the exhausting steam laundry for Darkling Villa, the home that Madame Savoya shares with her assistant George.
Velvet cannot believe her luck, suddenly she has her own room, beautiful clothes and a job that she actually enjoys. She is fascinated by Madame Savoya's job as a clairvoyant and wants to do everything she can to help her new mistress.
As the book progresses, Madame Savoya has to keep up with what the other famous mediums are doing. She asks more and more of Velvet in order to maintain her reputation and livelihood. Madame Savoya's desperation begins to make Velvet suspicious. Madame Savoya talks about giving the spirits a helping hand but when does this cross over to duplicity? Velvet's suspicions place her in incredible danger as Madame Savoya will not have her work questioned by anyone.
Velvet, like Fallen Grace is mesmerising. I love how Mary Hooper has the ability to immerse her readers into Victorian England. Her descriptions are so vivid and her attention to details shines throughout the book.
I loved reading about Victorian spiritualism, it was such a big part of the Victorian era and so many people from all walks of life were drawn into it, just as Velvet is completely taken with Madame Savoya.
I found Velvet's naivety a little annoying at times but it was understandable in some ways. Madame Savoya is the first person to offer her a real opportunity and some much needed comforts in life. It is not hard to understand why Velvet places her on a pedestal, it just makes it so much harder when she has to question Madame Savoya's motives.
Mary Hooper has once again written a brilliant YA story. Velvet is a very captivating story and it will be interesting to see what Mary Hooper has to offer next.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is out now!

Book Review: Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

London, 1861. Grace Parkes, a pale but determined figure, clutches a precious bundle closely to her as she travels on the train to the famed Blackwood Cemetery. Grace has a heartbreaking duty to carry out.
Each day Grace must find a new way of earning enough money to pay the rent for the bleak, cold room that she and her sister live in, and to buy them enough-just-to-eat.
But there is a different danger threatening Grace, a danger linked to an event in her past that she is desperate to forget. Grace has caught the eye of the Unwins, an unscrupulous family whose shady business dealings are those of death and mourning, and who will stop at nothing to defraud two young women of what is rightfully theirs...

I found the story created by Mary Hooper in Fallen Grace to be completely mesmerising. We are drawn into Grace's life immediately and we follow her as she encounters one obstacle after another.
Death was a large feature of Victorian England and Mary Hooper explored so many different aspects of this fascinating subject. All of the characters and events in Grace's life are linked to death in some way. She meets both her biggest enemy and her most loyal ally at Brookwood Cemetery. Mourning was such a prominent part of Victorian life, especially when Prince Albert died which is an event included in this story.
The Unwins are a brilliant creation, there is something deliciously sinister about them. Their business is to make as much money as possible out of someones death. Whilst presenting themselves as respectable undertakers, their business dealings are extremely devious and devoid of morals.
I think that Grace's character embodied what it must have been like to have been one of the Victorian poor. Grace is placed in so many desperate situations in order to provide enough for her and her sister Lily, however, she remains dignified throughout.
I don't want to give anything away about the plot in this review as it would spoil the book for others. It is extremely good though and the author has you on the edge of your seat on several occasions in the book.
If you like historical fiction then I would definitely give this one a go. I read it in one sitting and I am looking forward to catching up with some of Mary Hooper's previous books.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review, the book is published today.

New to Dot Scribbles Shelves

It has been a bit of a YA fiction week here at Dot Scribbles! I have bought two more of the Morganville Vampire series books as I loved the first one and I know I will want to read them all:

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine- Morganville Vampire Series 3 (Allison and Busby)- When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy. Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire's past and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine- Morganville Vampire Series 4 (Allison and Busby)- In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans have learned to live in relative peace.  Still, Claire Danvers knows that after dark, her homework can take a back seat to staying alive. But this tenuous harmony is really turned on it's head with the arrival of Mr Bishop.
Bad to the bone, the ancient old-school vampire cares nothing about keeping the peace. Staying at the top of the food chain is enough. What he wants from the town's living and dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball attended by vampires and their human dates that Claire realises Bishop's plan- and the elaborately evil trap he's set for the warm-blooded souls of Morganville.

Books sent for review this week:

Girl 16: Five Star Fiasco by Sue Limb (Bloomsbury)- The Jess Jordan story continues...with some comically disastrous dates and a very special romance careering towards the rocks.
Jess and Fred are an item! Finally! Now they can spend every moment perfecting their comedy routines together. But the path of true romance is a rocky one. Fred is becoming increasingly distant... in fact, so distant that he and Jess are no longer on speaking terms. What on earth is going on? Can Jess and Fred stop a fab, five-star friendship turning into a five-star fiasco?

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper (Bloomsbury)- London, 1861. Grace Parkes, a pale but determined figure, clutches a precious bundle closely to her as she travels on the train to the famed Brookwood Cemetery. Grace has a heartbreaking duty to carry out.
Each day Grace must find a new way of earning enough money to pay the rent for the bleak, cold room that she and her sister live in, and to buy them enough, just to eat.
But there is a different danger threatening Grace, a danger linked to an event in her past that she is desperate to forget. Grace has caught the eye of the Unwins, an unscrupulous family whose shady business dealings are those of death and mourning, and who will stop at nothing to defraud two young women of what is rightfully theirs...

If you have read any of these then let me know what you thought!