I really look forward to the latest book from Kate Mosse (see my previous blog) so thought her latest The taxidermist’s daughter would be perfect reading on the long flight to Australia in December. But I was a bit disappointed that for me it just didn’t live up to her previous books.

I think it was a combination of things. Taxidermy is a very different subject to educate your readers about, but not one that I found particularly interesting, and I didn’t really want to read the albeit brief descriptions of how to practice taxidermy on animals and so skipped over them.

I also didn’t warm to the main characters very much. Perhaps because we were plummeted into disaster so quickly and before we’d really got to know them. The main event the book revolves around is also horrible and whilst in theory of course I wanted the perpetrators to be brought to justice, in practice I didn’t enjoy being on the journey to get them there.

I think it was all just a bit too dark for me. Kate Mosse’s books are usually a great juxtaposition between darkness and light, but I found little light to grasp onto in this, and a budding romance between the main protagonists felt like a bit of a bolt on.

So, I wouldn’t recommend this actual book, but don’t let it put you off Kate Mosse whose other books are great.