First up, I’d like to say that I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to read and kept me interested the whole time. It is a fantasy/ mystery with a nice underlying romance that doesn’t take over the plot. I particularly liked the eighteenth-century French Village setting and the descriptions and uses for different medicinal herbs throughout the book.PlotThe story follows Marie as she tries to protect her sister from the townspeople, finding out her sister’s secret — that she is the beast that roams the forests at night.Mysterious deaths in the village lead to suspicion, and Marie becomes desperate to find a cure to her sister’s curse. This leads her to the home of Lord Sebastien LeClaire. Marie is sure the secret to curing her sister lies within the walls of the mansion.It is an interesting plot that kept me hooked most of the time. There are some slow bits in pacing, but overall a really fun plot to follow with lots of mystery. There were a few good plot twists around the end which I had been hinted at throughout the book and made for a satisfying ending.SettingThis was my favourite part. I loved the setting of the quaint French Village with suspicious villagers. It made me think of Belle’s little town from Beauty and the Beast, but quite a lot darker. I liked the strong inclusion of the seasons into the story; I think most of it was set in winter, and this really came through strongly. It had a real feeling of cold and darkness about it. I also mentioned before that I liked the descriptions of herb use; I liked the detail with this and the descriptions of actually making the teas, perfumes, and preparing plants. This was a real highlight for me, as it’s something I’m quite interested in.CharactersThe main character, Marie, was a strong protagonist with lots of drive. She was constantly moving to get shit done and find solutions for her problems. I’m not sure I really liked her as a person, but I liked that she was so motivated and cared for everyone around her that this made me want her to succeed.I liked the build up of the relationship with Sebastian. It didn’t take over the plot, but was a nice subplot to have going on and made me want to read more.SummaryOverall, a good book and easy to keep reading. I would recommend it to anyone who likes that Gothic French village setting and wolf shifter stories. The vibe is kind of dark fairytale/ gothic fantasy, so if you’re into that, it could be the story for you!