How to Seal Your Own Fate
ISBN: 9781529430127
Description
t is autumn in Castle Knoll and Annie Adams is busy settling into her new home. She doesn't find Gravesdown Hall particularly cosy, especially since she found two dead bodies there over the summer. What's more, ever since she arrived in the village, Annie has had the creeping sense she's being watched. Lonely, and desperate for some company, Annie starts talking to a stranger she meets in the grounds of the estate. The striking old woman introduces herself as Peony Lane, the fortune-teller who predicted Great Aunt Frances' murder all those years ago. And now she has a fortune to tell Annie. Desperate not to fall into the same trap as Frances, Annie flees Peony Lane, refusing to hear any of her grim predictions. But she can't outrun Peony for long, as hours later she finds her, dead on the floor of Gravesdown Hall, a ruby-hilted dagger plunged into her back.
Reviewed on 8th November 2025
A super compelling sequel that I dived straight into and raced through - a refreshing change after the slow pace of what I was reading before.
We find ourselves back in Castle Knoll some time after the first novel ended, and learn that there's more to know - more prophecies to follow, more diaries to read, and more historical intrigue to uncover.
I find it hard to put my finger on what actually made this feel so compelling. It may have just been the distinct difference from the other book I had been reading, and that enabled me to rediscover something joyful and really appreciated.
I did feel like I maybe needed a bit of a refresher on the first book before getting caught up again - there are a lot of characters and they relate in different ways. I'm not entirely sure as a result whether the continuity is spot on, but that doesn't really matter.
An enjoyable mystery, although perhaps the first half stronger than the second. I'll be back for book three.
