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The Vanished Days
by Susanna Kearsley
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.
The Vanished Days is a companion and prequel novel to The Winter Sea. I'm a fan of The Winter Sea and I even listened to audiobook to refresh my memory. I don't think it's absolutely necessary to read The Winter Sea before, but I am glad I did. I caught all the little Easter eggs.
There are three timelines but it's easy to keep track of because the chapters are dated. There's an undisclosed present day, the early 1700s (that coincides with The Winter Sea story), and flashbacks to the 1600s.
There are also many characters and I did have to make a list to keep track. I really felt sympathy for some of the characters and suspicious of others. I loved the mystery and it kept me guessing with each turn of the page. I was totally unprepared for the outcome and want to read it again soon to catch all the details I missed.
I also love the historical aspect with the Jacobites and the failed Scottish colony. There are so many little unknown parts of history I learn about from historical fiction.
Even though I have only read two of Kearsley's books, I am an instant fan. I really love her writing style. She does a great job of weaving the timelines and the connections between her books. She does her research and knows how to pull you in and make you care about the characters and their lives while wishing for the bad guys to get what's coming to them.
5 out of 5 Marriage Certificates.
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