3.5 stars

This is an entertaining locked room mystery with a mix of Cornish legends and history. I enjoyed reading about the Cornish history and rituals and d seeing this woven into the story and the characters history.
Each of the characters appeared to have something to hide and as the outsider it was hard for Audrey to find who to trust. Her art and drawings sounded impressive but I must admit she annoyed me a little at the start moaning about everything.
Griffin and his family were the most interesting- their links to the countryside and Morwenna’s intuition put them right at the centre of village life and therefore the mystery. 2 s Kelly1,651 74

When I began reading this, I was interested in the relationship between the main characters, Noah and Audrey, and its apparent complexity. I sensed something ominous, or at least something that was not exactly as it appeared to be. As I read on, a mystery began to present itself, and this book had me quickly turning the pages, eager to know what might happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.1 Denis Wheller375 2

Isolated village; weird locals; strange midsummer rituals; wicker animals sacrificed to the river god. Classic Gothic novel? Not in this instance! When Noah arranges a weekend away to celebrate their first year as a couple, Audrey imagines a romantic trip to Paris. Unfortunately, Noah has booked an Airbnb in an all-glass house, outside a tiny village in Cornwall, sandwiched between the estuary of a river and a dense forest. Her disappointment is compounded by the fact that she hates the countryside, and a traumatic childhood means she can’t cope with dark and lonely places. Not the most propitious start to the holiday. How could Noah have failed to notice these features of her personality? And then, to cap it all, it turns out that the owner of the property will be in residence, so bang goes any chance of the romantic ambience. The owner is actually a well-known TV presenter of historical documentaries, and Noah appears to have fallen under her spell. Could still be a modern Gothic tale, except that next morning a body is found and we are suddenly in a standard locked room murder-mystery.
That switch could be a clever literary device, if the subsequent investigation is complex, twisty, with a bit of tension. However, it isn’t really any of these things. None of the characters appear to be very deep, starting with Audrey and Noah who never feel they were a couple. For example, she is a sketch artist and illustrator while he runs a Gallery and is just about to open an exhibition centred on drawings on paper, but they seem to have had no collaborative activity to such an extent that she was unaware that this was the nature of the exhibition. The plot is not very complicated, and it lacks pacing. It is quite well written and an easy read, if you want something which isn’t very demanding, but I can’t see it as more than 2.5 (rounded to 3).
I would to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
Milly ReynoldsAuthor 40 books52

Published 13 June 2024. This is a book that I sort of expected a little more from, but nevertheless found an ok read. From the premise and the cover, I thought it would be a little darker than it turned out to be. Audrey is in a relationship with Noah and when he suggests a weekend away for their anniversary, she expects/hopes that it is to Paris. Instead he takes her to a little Cornish village to see a Midsummer festival. Cue disappointment. Audrey has a back story that is not really explained, but she has a fear of the dark and this village with it's lack of wi-fi, lack of streetlights and its abundance of serpent models ready for the festival unnerves her. Add to this Noah's reaction when they arrive at their accommodation to find that rather than having the place to themselves, as she had thought, they are sharing it with the owner, a renowned TV presenter. Audrey feels that Noah knew all of this beforehand and has deceived her. Then there is a death and as for the police investigation, there were questions that didn't seem to be asked, as though the first explanation was the one they were going for. The village characters - some felt more real than others. I d the idea of this festival and seeing it through Audrey's eyes, it did feel atmospheric and quite creepy, but I was expecting more of a gothic feel. There was some revelations, a bit of romance and some tension at the end, but I picked this up expecting dark gothic - my fault, not the author's. Nevertheless it was an ok read and the festival does have a creepy vibe to it. Emma F94 1 follower

Audrey’s partner Noah has planned a trip for them. What Audrey dreams of being a romantic trip to Paris ends up being a very different break in a Cornish village. Cracks in their relationship appear pretty much on the journey down, a death on the first night, secrets in their respective pasts, and ancient midsummer rituals.

I was expecting a slightly more gothic horror novel than the book I got. More a creepy Whicker Man story than romance with a slight mystery lit turned out to be. It was still very readable. There were some interesting ideas, albeit not fully explored ( the upbringing of Audrey). Also I question the central romance, how had Audrey and Noah been together a year? And why had they? Overall it was an okay read. Isabel223

This story follows Audrey’s reactions to her partner Noah’s attempt to plan a holiday which doesn’t necessarily live up to her expectations. Whilst she dreams of a romantic getaway in Paris, Noah plans a trip out of the city down to Cornwall with a murder taking place shortly after. This is all set amongst the backdrop of ancient rituals and small town gossiping.

Whilst I did enjoy reading the book there were some aspects that I thought could have been more developed- Audrey’s dis of the dark. I also didn’t find the central relationship to be particularly believable which was slightly frustrating. Laura Potts484 18 Read

I had high hopes for The Serpent Dance, from the synopsis this sounded really interesting but sadly it just did not work. I felt a bit bored when I was reading this and I just didn't feel a build of tension or atmosphere that I expected. Maybe some people will enjoy this book but it really didn't work for me. Louise2,784 52

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