EYE OF THE SERPENT by Joanna Challis
Publisher: Robert Hale UK
Leaving the safety of Victorian England, Cristabel accepts a post in far-off Austria. Once she arrives at the fairy-tale schloss, she is immediately intrigued by the inhabitants: her charge, the spoiled and willful Liesel Von Holstein; handsome widower Count Max Von Holstein, eccentric Aunt Gisela, the charming cousins Karl and Sibylla and a host of resentful servants… But there is a dark side to the castle on the mountain. As Cristabel establishes herself in her new role, she can’t help being drawn to the unsolved mysteries of the past. Moving from beautiful lake-side country to the bustle of 1873 Vienna, Cristabel moves closer to her fate, never suspecting her family heirloom of a rare serpent bracelet is somehow connected with the Von Holsteins…and to a secret, dangerous past…
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: ******
“...At last, a real gothic novel! Governesses, sinister Counts, castles, murders and madness galore. We are in Jane Eyre territory here, or perhaps Victoria Holt or Virginia Coffman; this is guaranteed to please all lovers of real classic-style gothics who have been missing them since they vanished in the 1980s. Christabel tells the tale which works well, giving it an immediacy that this sort of thing needs. She is no shrinking violet either, determined to get her man and take on all comers and even a bit conceited, well aware of her charms. This gives her a sassy modern appeal at times, but she still retains an essentially Victorian outlook in other areas. Ms Challis also has a nice hand for descriptions, ranging from the isolation of the "Castle of Dreams" to a lightning sketch of Vienna with its coffee houses. This is great fun and I hope it starts a retro trend for this sort of thing... gothics for the 2000s!” ~ Rachel A Hyde of My Shelf Reviews and selected as Rachel’s Top Ten Books for 2006!
EYE OF THE SERPENT
Joanna Challis, Hale, 2006, £18.99, hb, 224pp, 9780709081302
1870: Christabel Brown leaves England, becoming governess to the teenage daughter of an Austrian count. Liesel von Holstein is a difficult charge; her last governess came to an untimely end. Max von Holstein, handsome, widowed, rich, with a mysterious past and an impossibly beautiful castle, is the kind of man romantic dreams are made of. Christabel, beautiful, brave, forthright and honourable, is both entranced by her new employer and bewildered by the secrecy surrounding him. Before Christabel left England, her Grandma entrusted her with the safekeeping of a precious family heirloom, an unusual bracelet in the form of serpents entwined. When Christabel realises this same serpent is the insignia of the Von Holstein family, she wonders about the history of her bracelet. Can it truly be hers? Or was it stolen? Before long, death occurs. Dark forces are gathering, and Christabel is plunged into danger, along with the Count. A not unusual pattern of events, the Von Holstein family history is littered with tragedies. Is history about to repeat itself? Or is Christabel strong enough to claim what is rightfully hers? An achingly beautiful tale, incurably romantic in every sense. Perfect from start to finish, deliciously pleasurable, and highly recommended. -- Fiona Lowe
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