Eleven-year-old Tabby Akroyd is a young maid, hired out as a nursemaid to a young Master at the dark, dreary Seldom House. Her charge, a wild, young boy, is only referred to as “Himself.” It doesn’t take Tabby long to discover that something is amiss at Seldom House. Himself isn’t related to the “old master” and the other staff are tight-lipped about where he’d come from and how he became master. A ghostly girl with black pits for eyes keeps appearing in the night, a young girl that seems strangely familiar to Tabby.
Once Tabby realizes the fate of Himself and hers as well, is it too late? Can she withstand the evil that is hanging over Seldom House?
The House of Dead Maids is advertised as “a chilling prelude to Wuthering Heights.” I can’t deny I was a tad bit skeptical when I read this claim. Ultimately, I was suprised when this book exceeded my expectations!
Dunkle paints very dark, cold, & gothic setting. The prose suits the period for which it was written. I was, particular, worried that text would be too modern for the setting but this clearly was not the case. While technically considered a young adult novel, this book would be of interest to adults as well. My personal hope is that young adults pick up this book and get intrigued by the story, rushing out to buy Wuthering Heights to learn more about the fate of “Himself!”
I’d be remiss not to mention the haunting images that appear at the start of each chapter, illustrated by Patrick Arrasmith:
My only complaint about this book is the length; at just under 150 pages I was aching for more! All in all, though, I found this to be an extremely well-crafted book. This time of year is the perfect time for reading it, the cool air exacerbates the chills already running down your spine as you read…
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