Circle of Pearls

This was a book I picked up at a book fair. It looked like a good, casual read as I love historical fiction. What I didn't anticipate is how the characters would become so dear to me. It took me a bit to get into it and I thought it was a fairly enjoyable book up until a certain character dies. Upon reading about their demise I was filled with a sudden (and surprising) surge of schadenfreude and happiness that they had received their just desserts. This book quietly took up space in my heart and I was hooked without realising it. This is one of those books where I was genuinely sad to have to close the last page. I loved most of the characters and had grown attached to them. The epilogue was perfectly executed for wrapping up a few loose ends but I selfishly wanted more just to stay in that world a bit longer.

TLDR: no notes, beautiful story, engaging characters, highly recommend if you like historical fiction