YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.

Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.

1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford’s family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?

Intriguing opening. Why did our mystery girl need to rename herself and get sent to prison? And why is she so focused on the purple Bentley?

First quarter. Like the two time frames and I’m curious to see how the earlier story impacts on our modern setting.

Second quarter. So, they’ve discovered the body of Peony and the subsequent events strongly suggest someone is stirring things up.

btw you can type < spoiler > with no space to hide spoilers😅

I'll start reading later today :)

Third quarter. No major developments but it does feel as though the strands between our respective timelines are coming together.

Didn’t bother to put a spoiler round the detail that’s given in the blurb. Don’t think I’ve inadvertently revealed anything new, but I’ll check when I get home and can make amendments if needed.

Oh ok :)

I really like this character. She gives me modern Miss Marple vibes.

Finished. Review on home page. Intrigued to see where this goes for book three.

18%
(view spoiler)[ So Archie will be involved in the murder somehow but probably not the murderer. Could it be Beth? (hide spoiler)]

Prisha wrote: "18%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Beth gives off very odd vibes in the opening stages. I was struck by how a number of the characters are depicted in a way that makes them seem suspicious. (hide spoiler)]

Karen wrote: "Prisha wrote: "18%
[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Yes, I suspected her because she was Archie's granddaughter and Archie is 'involved' however the mc is also thinking about it being Beth and that makes me more reluctant with the idea. (hide spoiler)]

Karen wrote: "I really like this character. She gives me modern Miss Marple vibes."

Is Miss Marple from an Agatha Christie book?

50%
(view spoiler)[
So Olivia was dead before, who could the 4th person be? Birdy perhaps? (hide spoiler)]

60%
(view spoiler)[ Archie and Francis were married? Before she married Ford? (hide spoiler)]

91%
(view spoiler)[ her dad's sudden appearance is very strange (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ So it was all Eric... Ended on a cliffhanger about her fortune. Kind of wish it hadn't. Now I'm desperate to read the third book.
The book was overall good, at times it lost my attention but it was well-crafted. I enjoyed the first book much more though. Also, why wasn't her dad mentioned again? I feel like he'll be a very big part in the next book. (hide spoiler)]