On a poor farm surrounded by marshlands, six sisters - Grace, Willa, Freya, and triplets Deedee, Darcy, and Dolly - live in fear of their father. Their beloved grandmother tries to protect them, but the future seems bleak.
When the Full Moon Fayre makes a rare visit to Hollow-in-the-Marsh, the girls slip out to see the famous Shadow Man, an enigmatic puppeteer. Afterwards, oldest sister Grace is missing. Can Willa save her sister from one fate, and yet outrun her own?
My Thoughts
I absolutely love Lucy Strange's novels, all of which can be found on The Bookshelf, and so was super excited when Sisters of the Lost Marsh came out last month. I have waited until now to post this review as before the end of the first chapter I knew I wanted this to be my Book of the Month for December.
As the title suggests, Sisters of the Lost Marsh is a spooky, gothic tale mired in mist and mystery. Listed by The Times as one of the best children's books of 2021, it is dark and intriguing, with lots of surprising twists and turns along the way. The setting, a farm surrounded by deadly marshland, is superbly cinematic and I could feel the bitey flies buzzing around me as I read. The characters are beautifully drawn and the dynamics between the six sisters never failed to delight me. There is a curse (always love one of them), a creepy puppeteer who reminded me of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's dreaded Child Catcher, and a magical Full Moon Fayre into which any child reader would be thrilled to escape.
Another gem from the fabulous Lucy Strange whose other books are The Secret of Nightingale Wood, Our Castle by the Sea and The Ghost of Gosswater.