Apart from that, all the gothic trappings are there, and it worked! It’s one of those borderline fantasy or magical realism books, and magical realism isn’t my cup of tea. However, there are elements of this, particularly with Appalachian lore and mountain lions and the like, that I found difficult to swallow. This was certainly frightening (I definitely wouldn’t recommend reading outside late at night (still not sure why I did that!)), especially in the first chapter.
Gothic literature is meant to frighten, to raise your emotions and suspend belief. As the visitors to Biltmore Estate realize none of the children are safe, it’s up to Serafina and her uncanny senses to solve the terrifying mystery of this demon man, the forest surrounding the estate, and the stolen children before it’s too late. On one particular night of rat catching, she witnesses a frightening man in a black cloak kidnapping a child - and vanishing into thin air. She and her mechanic father live in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, and it’s her job to catch the rats. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past. There she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic that is bound to her own identity. Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity before all of the children vanish one by one. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of Biltmore’s owners. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.īut when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. There’s plenty to explore in the shadowed corridors of her vast home, but she must take care to never be seen. Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of Biltmore Estate. Genre: middle grade, gothic, historical fiction
Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
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