Book Review: Serafina and the Black Cloak

A new Disney book my amazing boss, Ms. Beth, got for me to read! Pretty stoked about this. I'm glad to have a job and feel like I have a task to do everyday! I even had a chit chat with her when I went back to Wichita last week. It was good to know I was doing an okey-dokey job!

  The rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the vines weigh heavily upon the branches of the old trees, creating a canopy of darkness, withholding all light from the paths through the woods, there lies the rumors of creatures who walk the night. The rumors also say an abandoned  village is hidden among the crawling vines, moss, lichens, trees; the villagers would disappear without a trace and without any hope of discovery--dead or alive.

Not too far down the road from this isolated village is the beautiful estate of the Edith and George Vanderbilt, Biltmore Estate. In the basement of this mansion, hidden for as long as she can remember, is Serafina, a young girl whose soul longs to walk amongst the beautiful and exquisite ladies above her. Her Pa, the mechanic of Biltmore Estates, has made a secret home for them in the boiler room. Until recently Serafina was content with her life in the basement being the C.R.C--Chief Rat Catcher--of Biltmore Estates, but one night, while out hunting for rats, she hears the cries of a young lady visitor crying for help. A man answers her calmly stating he will not hurt the child. Serafina follows the sounds only to witness the girl being strangled by the black cloak and within a blink discovers the girl has disappeared. To her horror the man in the black cloak hears her and comes after her. Clawing, biting and kicking for her life, Serafina wins the first round, barely escaping the death of the black cloak, but knows the next encounter might not find her so lucky!

Serafina must tell her Pa about what she has witnessed, but he does not believe her. She finds courage to go upstairs to find someone who will listen to her and discovers Braeden Vanderbilt, a young man who has the ability to speak to animals, but doesn't have any human friends. As Serafina knows in her heart she is something other than human, a fast bond is formed between these two and they know they must solve this mystery! Each night a child is taken; they are afraid they will be next.

Mystery, magic, murder....this coming of age book is a page turner from the very beginning. 

You can see the full review at Books & What Not [DOT]com

The really cool part about this book was the setting! It really is a place in our American history. After finishing the book I went and checked out the website. I think I would like to visit this wonderful place: Biltmore Estates.