Book Impressions - Followed by Sara Kjeldsen

Followed is a gothic horrror novella about a young girl who is living with her wealthy and elderly aunt. She is being tutored a by an aspiring novelist and to start with it all seems reasonably normal, if a little dysfunctional. After a secret in the house is discovered things change rapidly and a nightmare chase ensues.

The pacing is pretty good, it takes a while to build, but when it does it really get's going. I enjoyed the writing style, it really evoked the period in which it is set in. There's some varied characters to keep it interesting, although they do edge a little to being a bit stereotypical for the era. The governess come novelist was the most interesting character for me.

The story managed to surprise me as the ending headed in a direction I wasn't expecting. It follows a formula I'm not a big fan off, but the author does it in such a way that I wasn't put off.

My only real complaint is that I would have liked to learn a little more about what was going on. This is the first in the series so I'm sure more will be revealed and there is enough in this story to make me want to read the next book. All in all a good read and a strong start to a new series.

Adeline assumes that her life is on track when she befriends her spirited governess, Julia, followed by her ex-midshipman cousin, Gabriel. But when her great aunt passes away after revealing a terrible secret, she is torn away from Julia by her new guardians.

After their home in Bath is set aflame, Adeline and Gabriel flee to the woods. Separated from Gabriel after being chased down by a strange horseman, Adeline is then approached by a madman and is given an ultimatum to follow him - or to die alone in the forest.

Followed is available from Amazon (and well worth picking up)