The Path of Thorns

Ghosts, murder, witches, werewolves, magic, and more make up this gothic fantasy story set sometime in the 19th century in rural England. We follow Asher Todd, a young lady who has been hired to be the governess to three young children, despite the fact she has never been a governess and the mother of the children did not want to hire her.

Todd comes with many skills and talents that would see her burned at the stake if they were ever found out in rural England, but she does well fitting in, providing knowledge about herbal medicines for afflictions. But things begin to take a turn as the real reasons for Todd being at the house slowly come to light, reasons which led to the death of her mother and why she never knew her father.

This is a fairly enjoyable gothic fantasy set in the older days when people believed in magic and magic potions. There are times where the book just drags; it could have been a bit shorter as the reader really does not get into the meat of the story until almost a hundred pages in.