Enchantée meets Downton Abbey in this atmospheric YA historical fantasy set in nineteenth-century Denmark, where secrets can kill and magic is a deadly gift.“Emily Bain Murphy weaves an exquisite tale of mystery, enchantment and valor. I loved this spellbinding book!” – Rebecca Ross, author of THE QUEEN’S RISING For Marit Olsen, magic is all about strategy: it flows freely through her blood, but … strategy: it flows freely through her blood, but every use leaves behind a deadly, ice-like build-up within her veins called the Firn. Marit knows how dangerous it is to let too much Firn build up—after all, it killed her sister—and she has vowed never to use her thread magic. But when Eve, a fellow orphan whom Marit views like a little sister, is adopted by the wealthy Helene Vestergaard, Marit will do anything to stay by Eve’s side. She decides to risk the Firn and uses magic to secure a job as a seamstress in the Vestergaard household.
But Marit has a second, hidden agenda: her father died while working in the Vestergaards’ jewel mines—and it might not have been an accident. The closer Marit gets to the truth about the Vestergaard family, the more she realizes she and everyone she’s come to love are in danger. When she finds herself in the middle of a treacherous deception that goes all the way up to the king of Denmark, magic may be the only thing that can save her—if it doesn’t kill her first.
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Stitches of Scarlet is a YA alternate-history fantasy.
Marit has magic. It’s deadly to the user, and so she keeps it a secret and doesn’t use it. But when her mom-biological sister Eve is adopted by a wealthy woman, Marit has a chance to go with her as a magic-wielding servant. She would risk dying by magic for Eve and for the chance to uncover the reason behind her father’s death.
This book was very good and left me with a bit of a book hangover I enjoyed it so much. Too bad it’s a standalone.
There were a lot of things going on in this book. Like the back cover says, the story is a little like Downton Abbey in the way the classes of the upstairs and downstairs of the grand estate functioned. While Eve is raised as a daughter to the great family, enjoying all the jewels and privileges, Marit is stuck downstairs working for a living and trying to make friends with servants who don’t want her there. The two sisters barley interact in their new lives, in spite of growing up as orphans together. Such distinct class differences.
This book takes place in the 1860s in Denmark, featuring real people and places. However, there is magic in this story. That adds many intriguing twists to the plot and heightens the danger because the mere use of the magic brings each person closer and closer to premature death. But what happens if you are using magic to save someone else’s life? What do you choose? Some of the characters begin wondering if there’s a cure to death-by-magic.
The plot in this book was complex, weaving relevant subplots together into a fascinating whole. The major plot centers around Marit’s search for justice for her father’s death in the very mines her sister’s adoptive family owns. Working in their house, she’s in the best place to research what happened, but the easiest place to be discovered if there was anything other than an accident involved in his death. I loved how the story unfolded.
Relationships between characters were one of the most important parts of the story — building good friendships to survive, functioning well with co-workers and employers, falling in love, telling the truth, keeping older relationships strong in spite of new circumstances. The relationships were very important in his story, as they are in real life, and I loved how well the author brought all of those relationships to life in the story.
The one and only thing that I thought could have been done better was the details of Marit’s particular magic: sewing. I, personally, love sewing and embroidery. For my own sake (would it bore someone else?), I would love to have seen a couple more details about the sewing Marit did. The actual doing of it, the creating, the details, the styles, and whether or not Marit even loved the sewing itself rather than the magic — seemed more of an afterthought in the story and not well-researched. But maybe that’s just me, the bookish sew-aholic.
I really love this book and could go on and on about it. The characters, the development, the settings, the details about the dancing, the class differences, the magic … all of it wove together into a beautiful story. I highly recommend it.
Content: there is some violence, a little gore, and some kissing.
I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher. All of the opinions expressed are my own, and I was not compensated or pressured in any way.
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.”
Murphy you have a new fan. I have to admit that the cover is what drew me in. Didn’t even look at the synopsis just saw the magical words “YA Historical fiction” and knew I wanted to read this beauty.
This was everything I needed it to be. In Denmark in the 19th century magic is seen as an infliction. As magic is used it leaves behind an ice-like build-up in the veins called the Firn. After the loss of her father and sister, Marit befriends Eve at the orphanage who becomes like a sister to her. Hiding her abilities from Eve she does everything in her power to find Eve a forever home until one day the Vestergaard family adopts little Eve. There’s only one problem, her family is dead because of the Vestergaards.
This was such an intoxicating read. There is mystery, history, magic and connection that sucks you in and when you finally come up to breathe you just want to relive it all over again. Marit has a tragic past like most orphans we meet in YA reads. I liked how her past is what drives the mystery behind the Vestergaards. She has a well-crafted MC mold with a flawed and closed off persona that blossoms as she finds her place in life. Murphy did a wonderful job fleshing out each of the characters (even the miniscule ones) to the point you feel as if you have known them all for eternity.
The world building is set in 19th century Denmark and you can easily imagine yourself walking the dilapidated streets of the poor and the avenues for the wealthy. The magic system ties in to the location and war wrought era. It’s a simple magic that is easy to follow. Only towards the end did I question a few things but it all still fits.
I highly recommend this read to individuals who enjoy young adult novels with a bit of magic and mystery tied into historical fiction. Thank you Emily Bain Murphy and HMH Books for Young Readers for the ability to read and review this novel for an honest and unbiased opinion.