Death at Peony House (Dark Descendants Book 1)

"Death at Peony House" is the first novel in the "Dark Descendants" (DD) series. There is a prequel novella, "The Invisible Entente," which sets up a number of characters, all with different supernatural abilities, including Daphne, the protagonist in this book. Daphne is a sorceress and a journalist who is investigating a death in an old house-turned-hospital that has sat empty for many years. Make that deaths, plural, because the ghosts of the derelict property hint that something sinister has been going on there for quite some time.

Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was wrong, so this book kept me on my toes. I hate when a story is formulaic, and this one is anything but. Not only was the action exciting, but the character development and relationships were engaging and deep. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Daphne, her mother, and her grandmother. They may be sorceresses, but her mother never stops worrying that Daphne is eating enough. It was a very mundane emotion that made the book even more charming. It's not all research and spells.

The other thing I liked is that Daphne comes in flawed. She's not a perfect, goody-two-shoes sorceress who never made any mistakes. She made some big ones, hurt people close to her, and now she's fixing herself and those relationships. It was a level to the story that really wasn't necessary but made her more real to me.

While this book is part of a series, you can read it on its own. You don't have to read the prequel novella to understand the characters and the plot of this book. However, you will have a deeper understanding of some of the background discussed if you do. And once you're done with "Death at Peony House," you'll appreciate the nuances in the next book, "Song of Wishrock Harbor," which features a different character from the prequel but with hints of events from this book.

I am really looking forward to each new installment in the DD series and hope you'll be reading along with me!