A Curse of Ash and Iron by Christine Norris – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.

A Curse of Ash and Iron by Christine Norris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Benjamin Grimm is a young man with a big dream, but the day he was dragged away from his best friend was the worst of his life, but time has passed and he still thinks of her, but between his working multiple jobs, including in his fathers theatre, he knows that the upper echelons of society are full of masks, just like the trade he works in. Eleanor Banneker is a young lady in the prime of life and someone who should be living the high society life in Philadelphia to which her name gives her access, however, she has an evil stepmother who will do anything to keep her below her station while raising her own and this is slowly crushing her spirit and that of her father.

One day, Benjamin is working behind the scenes at the theatre when he spots someone familiar in the audience and when he realises that it is his best friend, he throws most of his caution to the wind and tries to catch her eye, so when he does, it brings back all the familiarity of their past relationship. When Eleanor realises that Ben has seen through her invisibility, she makes an excuse to speak to him, this is when her hopes reignite and she can finally see the end of the tunnel, but when Ben agrees to meet her, she hopes that he will help her.

A couple of days later, they meet and this is where Benjamin learns of the spell which has been enacted upon Eleanor and her father, he believes that it is all an illusion and that magic can’t be real, but nevertheless, he agrees to help her in any way that he can, but when they find out that they have a limited time to break this bewitchment, they have to come up with a plan. Seven years ago, Benjamin made a promise to and he never forgot that promise, or to whom it was made, but can he overcome his misgivings and save someone who is desperate to be free from the secrets and lies surrounding them? This is a fantastical tale with a fairy tale like twist as secrets, lies, magic and theatre combine to create an enchanting race against time set on the streets of Philadelphia where nothing is as it seems behind the masks of high society.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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