Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Title: Strands of Bronze and Gold
Author: Jane Nickerson
Series: Strands of Bronze and Gold, book #1
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

I was initially drawn to Strands of Bronze and Gold because of that gorgeous cover, but I also love fairy tales as much as the next girl.  Truth be told, I'd never actually heard of the Bluebeard fairy tale until I discovered this book.  Much like my experience with Entwined, I went into Strands with few expectations. My only hope was that it would be sufficiently creepy.

Alas, the end result was not quite what I had been hoping for.  The pacing of this novel was quite slow.  I was reading with a buddy, and we kept asking, "When is something going to happen?"  True, the lack of action does add to the suspense, but there is absolutely no mystery to this story.  It is what it sets out to be, but there is never any question that things are amiss at Wyndriven Abbey and Sophie should escape before she is well and truly in danger.

But that Sophie...she's not the sharpest crayon in the box.  Okay, that's not entirely true.  She is somewhat clever, but her naïveté only lends itself to inaction, making her one of the most frustrating heroines I've ever suffered through.  The rest of the characters weren't much to write home about either, with the exception of the enigmatic Monsieur de Cressac.  I wish the story had been told from his point-of-view...I really think it would have been much more interesting and a hundred times more fun to read.  (Someone should consider that...rewriting all the old fairy tales from the villain's point-of-view.  Unless, of course, that's already been done.  In which case, I need recs.)

As it stands, I enjoyed the story well enough, especially not knowing what to expect from the ending.  Though being a fairy tale retelling, I should have had some inclination toward the outcome, I suppose.  Unfortunately, I had discussed the original story with a friend beforehand and did expect more gore and creepiness from this book than what was actually delivered, based on that conversation.  Even so, I still have hope that the other books in this series will improve upon the original stories from which they are borrowed.

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Labels: dac 2013, fairy tales, historical fiction, jane nickerson, random house, retellings, reviews, strands of bronze and gold