In 1573, Countess Erzsébet Báthory gave birth to an illegitimate child. The infant, a girl, was swiftly bundled up and handed to a local peasant family to be brought up in one of the hamlets surrounding the Castle. Many years later, 15-year-old Boróka reluctantly leaves the safety of the only home she has ever known in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Trusted members of the countess’s household have been sent out to gather new serving girls, and the kindly old man who has taken care of Boróka for almost all her life knows that it is dangerous to turn them away.

Boróka struggles to find her place at Cachtice Castle: she is frightened of the countess’s reputation as an alleged murderer of young girls, and the women who run the castle are terrifyingly cruel. When plague comes into the heart of the castle, a tentative bond begins to form between Boróka and the Countess Báthory. But powerful forces are moving against a woman whose wealth poses such a threat to the king: can the countess really trust the women who are so close to her? And when the show trial begins against the infamous ‘Blood Countess’ where will Boróka’s loyalties lie?

My Thoughts:
This is not my usual type of read but I wanted to give it a go as I want to open my eyes up to different genres I wouldn’t necessarily read. This is the story about Erzebet and how she fought for her survival in 1573 and how she tried to be heard. The things she was accused of were truly horrific and she tried to get her side of the story across and prove to people that she was a legitimate person. Sonia the author must have done tons of research in to this book which makes it more special. I found the story quite fascinating at times but creepy at other times. I didn’t know how the story would end and it is one of those stories I will never forget. I feel as though I learnt a great deal from reading this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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