Book Blurb
I'VE NEVER BEEN THAT GIRL.
Sixteen-year-old Ophelia Castellan will never be just another girl at Elsinore Academy. Seeing ghosts is not a skill prized in future society wives. Even when she takes her pills, the bean sidhe beckon, reminding her of a promise to her dead mother.
Now, in the wake of the Headmaster's sudden death, the whole academy is in turmoil, and Ophelia can no longer ignore the fae. Especially once she starts seeing the Headmaster's ghosts- two of them- on the school grounds.
At the center of her crumbling world is Dane, the Headmaster's grieving son. He, too, understands the power of a promise to a parent- even a dead one. To him, Ophelia is the only person not tainted by deceit and hypocrisy, a mirror of his own broken soul. And to Ophelia, Dane quickly becomes everything. Yet even as she gives more of herself to him, Dane slips away. Consumed by suspicion, rage, and madness, he spirals towards his tragic fate- dragging Ophelia, and the rest of Elsinore, with him.
YOU KNOW HOW THIS STORY ENDS.
Yet even in the face of certain death, Ophelia has a choice to make- and a promise to keep. She is not the girl others want her to be. But in Dot Hutchison's dark and sensuous debut novel, the name "Ophelia" is as deeply, painfully, tragically real as "Hamlet"
Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala
This book is a modern day Hamlet. The story takes place at a prestigious private school where the headmaster has just died. The reader is led through the story by Ophelia, daughter of the Dean of Curriculum, who can see the magical world beyond human sight. She can see faeries, morgens, the bean sidhe, and the Hunt as it moves through the forest. She gets this from her mother and her father fights this ‘madness’ in her at every turn.
Dane, the son of the Headmaster, is devastated and clings to Ophelia during this sad time. She promises to be there during this time of sadness and betrayal. As Dane’s mother marries his uncle six weeks after his father’s death. Ophelia knows the truth that the headmaster was murdered by his brother but is unable to prove it so there is nothing she can do, except to watch as the atrocity unfolds in front of her.
Dane finally finds out through the ghost of his father what needs to be done. He takes it upon himself and begins acting insane during the school days. His plan to exact revenge on his uncle is unknown to everyone but him. The question is who will break first, Dane or his uncle?
Ophelia is torn by her promise to Dane to stay beside him and her father whom she promised to stay away from Dane. She views herself as a bad daughter but is unable to keep her promises to her father. She is thrown into the middle between Dane, her father and the New Headmaster of the school. The plan is in full swing and Dane is claiming madness but Ophelia is not strong enough to assert herself. So she is trapped in the plans as they evolve.
This was difficult for me to read. I don’t care for Hamlet and I hate to read books where the main female character is weak. I realize that it follows closely with what occurred in Hamlet and I was curious as to how the author would accomplish such a feat. However I could not stand to read Ophelia’s character in the modern setting. It irritated me as to how weak and unable to defend herself against others.
I find the relationship between Dane and Ophelia fascinating and this is the reason I continued reading the book. It was a great undertaking for the author and I give her a tremendous amount of respect for doing it. I found it difficult to read in places with the language she used.
So I would give it a 3 out of 4
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