The Devil's Promise

by Veronica Bennett

After the death of her father, Catriona goes to stay with long-lost relations in Drumwithie Castle. Handsome and witty 21-year-old Jamie calls Catriona Cat, for the faerie cat associated with the Other World who roams the Scottish hills. He believes that Cat was meant to come here so that all the castle's secrets would be revealed: the truth about his mother's incarceration and his father's and grandmother's reluctance to talk about the past - but most of all, what it is the ghost girl who visits the tower wants to tell them.

Genres: Fantasy

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Veronica Bennett is a children's novelist. Until recently, she worked part-time as an English Lecturer; she now writes fiction full-time. She graduated from University College, Cardiff in 1975 with an Honours degree in English. She began her writing career as a freelance journalist, but soon moved into fiction. Her first book, Monkey, was published in 1998 and was acclaimed by The Times Educational Supplement as "an impressively well-written and audacious debut". Veronica Bennett is married to a university professor and has two children, and currently resides in Middlesex.

Reviews

[Clare Snow · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 74%

This is so bad, I might throw myself off the castle tower if I don't Dnf. The character's actions and dialogue don't belong in 1910. They fell in love within a week of meeting each other. Incest. The ghost hasn't got a word in between their kisses. Incest. I like my paranormal without romance. Incest.

That is all.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1910. After the death of her father, Catriona goes to stay with her uncle and cousin Jamie at Drumwithie Castle. And when supernatural forces begin to stir it is Cat who has the power to reveal the castle's long hidden truths.

It started off very well but although a good story the characters were pretty unbelievable. I find it absolutely incredible that Catriona could fall in love with Jamie. <\spoiler>

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a rollercoaster. i found it extremely weird how catriona and Jamie not only fell in love after a week, but also continued their relationship even though they are cousins. Furthermore, there was a part of the book where Catriona was worried they were siblings, but not that they were cousins? i think that was fairly ridiculous. however, i felt a range of emotions reading this book and i thought it was an absolutely amazing read. i would definitely recommend

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1889 and in silence, a child is buried by grieving couple in an unmarked grave. Declaring that this place is "cursed" and though they have just buried their son, the woman says that "our son is not dead". We learn nothing more of this child or its parents as the story then switches and moves onto 1910.

Catriona is a young woman attending her father's funeral when she faints. She awakens in her carriage with her mother Rose and a strange doctor in attendance. He is Doctor Hamish Buchanan, a long estranged cousin who has come to pay his respects. He accompanies them home and speaks about his wish to make amends to his cousin's family. He refuses to reveal the reason for the estrangement but he does offer to take Caitriona back to Scotland to show her where her father lived. Catriona's accepts the offer and they leave the next day, as the Doctor has patients.

The tale moves to Drumwithie Castle in Scotland, the Doctor's family home. There she meets Jamie, his exuberant son and Jean McAllister, his mother-in-law. His wife Anne is indisposed but the doctor does not explain further. Jamie quickly rechristens her "Cat" after the Cat Sith or fairy cat. Worn out after her journey Catriona is led to the Tower Room and it is here that her presence seemingly triggers the appearance of a ghost. This supernatural visitation is a young girl who is an agony but she just disappears, leaving Catriona shaken.

Unsure of what to do she shares her experience with Jamie, who first regales her about Scottish folklore before convincing Cat to investigate further. He is sure that she has triggered "the winding of the spell" and that she has some connection to the spirit world or magic. Jamie decides that he should show her round more and he brings her to the caves beneath the castle, where we learn his mother tried to kill herself.

Jamie is a mercurial figure, whose moods change fast and is likened by some to a changeling or fairy child. Like Cat he is feeling trapped by what society and his family expects for his future. Slowly these two young people bond over the mystery they are investigating and begin a relationship. When the ghost reappears, she seems to direct them to search in a particular area.
As the author interjects with further memories that are every seven years, more mysteries surface and Jamie is convinced that Cat will reveal it all. However, Catriona grows ever more suspicious of her new family and what secrets they could be hiding. Will curiosity kill Cat's new found happiness or will she able to uncover the truth and secure her future? Is the spell that is winding to its conclusion one that will - as Jamie insists - save them or condemn them to pay another tithe to the devil?

This book is a wonderfully evocative gothic mystery. Bennett weaves the Scottish landscape, with the native folklore and a hidden family history together seamlessly. Catriona is an engaging character, who has to deal with a previously unknown family history and expectations of society of her. She struggles with what society expects, her feelings for Jamie, and what she can do with her life.

The various mysteries are well executed and will keep you to the end. The countdown of memories is particularly affecting and lends a sense of impending doom to the writing.
Bennett also manages to capture the restrained horror of Catriona as she faces the possiblity of further unexpected loss so soon after her father's death. A beautifully written, romantic mystery that will stay with you.

[carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

i don’t actually know how to feel about this book. it wasn’t bad or messy or boring, i enjoyed reading through the entire novel. the three parts of this book were consistent in style and pace, everything came together smoothly.

even though i more or less have aphantasia which deprives me of the ability to imagine, the descriptions of drumwithie castle made me feel as if i was there! good job, author. that writing trip really paid off!

the mystery was of an average standard, it didn’t have the most shocking reveal but it was still enough to keep me guessing. so you see, i did like the book.

and yet, i don’t like it enough. it just didn’t feel complete at the end, as if im just reading a short story compared to a novel.

i guess the devil’s promise’ isn’t spectacular but it was at the very least still good enough to keep me going till the end.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I sat down to read it and ended up finishing it in one sitting. It's easy to read and while the element of supernatural fantasy is present, it's not as overpowering to swallow up the entire plot. I felt so much empathy for the main character that I am upset that the book has ended.

[Fliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't quite get over the fact they were totally okay with falling in love, entirely in the romantic sense, when they thought they were second cousins. It turned out before they agreed to get married that they aren't actually blood-relatives at all but they seemed to be down for it even if they were :/

[Jazmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad. Not worth your time. It felt as if from the 1810s instead of the 1910s, the love interest felt Really uncomfortable and incesty, and the supernatural stuff didn't even get started until about halfway through, and even then it was paced so slow I found myself incredibly bored. I think the characters are supposed to be 20 and 17, but they acted like literal children, about 13ish.

[Francesca Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels like an original gothic people mention the incest but forget it was very common in those days and not actually the strangest thing to happen.

[Tahieuba Chaudhry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story consists of flashbacks from 1889 up to the present day in 1910. The story follows a young girl Catriona (Cat) Graham (in first person narrative), who after losing her father in death, now meets an estranged uncle, her father’s cousin Dr Hamish Buchanan. He came to make some amends and the reasons for his estrangement with her father are not clear. So Cat’s mother decides to send her only child to spend the summer in Drumwithie Castle in Scotland. There she meets Dr. Buchannan’s son Jaime and soon a young and innocent romance blossoms. But it’s not long till a ghost of a young girl haunts Cat in her bedroom tower and some deep family secrets which ought to have been remained hidden are now exposed; a secret involving Jaime’s mother and a young girl.

Bennett is a children’s writer with her first book ‘Monkey’ published in 1998 and acclaimed as “an impressively well written and audacious debut”. So it is no surprise that Bennett pursued her career to write for an older audience, the young adult. So far to say she has done a great job.

What I truly like about with story is the remarkable depiction of manners and norms in early 20th century Britain. It adds authenticity and I like reading novels that greatly touch upon how life was like in terms of social norms. How Cat hates wearing a corset and straw hat to her father’s funeral. How Cat is supposed to behave, as her mother states, “dignity, we may weep in private or with friends of our station. But people not of our station will come to pay their respects to your father today, and in front of them we must remain composed.” Even the act of grieving must be in private and put on a brave face amongst others. The climax was a bit predictable but it was a good one. I wasn’t too disappointed.

Although there have been great things said I do have a few matters I have to address. There is no element of surprise and seemed very predictable that Cat and Jaime would fall in love but the journey to that falling in love is so dull. I’m not anti-love at all, but if you are going to make two people fall in love, bring in that element. Cat praises his looks and eccentric charm and he seems to only like her because maybe she’s the first girl he’s met since he’s been homeschooled. When reading this book I couldn’t feel their love connection. Would the story have been better or worse if a romance didn’t occur? I leave that up to you to decide.

Would I recommend this book? Yes to a young adult who maybe wants to read a book about hidden family secrets. I believe that the whole romance element could have been left out because the storyline and secret were sufficient.

Rating 3.5/5
Publishers: Walker Books
Publication date: 2013
Genre: Paranormal/Thriller

[Vikas Datta · Rating 3 out of 5]

An outstanding depiction of manners and norms in early 20th century Britain, with a supernatural tinge...

[PageTurner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short, standalone novel built up atmosphere perfectly, creating a bit of a Gothic-romance setting which led to reading it way-past-bedtime! I came across this book by chance and wished it wasn't so underrated.
The only thing that makes me keep the final star is that there were some things that I thought were a little weak in the story. For instance, initially, I liked that Catriona came across as smart, logical and I especially liked it when she was straightforward with our young guy on the scene. The young guy on the scene, however, was an absolute joy to read. More on him later.
I felt she was less cool after falling in love. And her commentary on the final scene kind of made the book about if-only-we-didn't-have-these-social-attitudes rather than about fate and secret forces of magic which I felt was the main glue of the story.

Things I liked:

-the Gothic-romance castle setting and suspense
-the Changeling interpretation of a particular plotline. Overall, how the supernatural elements are suggested rather than made explicit...well, apart from the ghost!
-Jamie: The love interest, aka the young guy on the scene
* Is he a brooding, Gothic Romance hero? No. Is he a Manic Pixie Dream Boy? No. When we first meet him he is sunny and spontaneous. He's twenty-one and sounds like an intelligent young man but also has a convincing child-like quality. You just don't know what's gonna come out of this kid.

* But he has his issues with dad and makes some cutting retorts. I loved how he wants to be a poet but isn't cast as a saturnine character. He isn't distant and left to be 'figured out' by the heroine. He practically has a self-started therapy session with her at one point. : )

* Is his floppy, golden hair mentioned in every scene? Yes. Do we get sick of hearing about it even though it makes us visualise a cute blond lad? Yes. But is it used effectively to connect the past and present storylines and hint at the changeling idea? Yes!

* He seems to have no concept of propriety (you lie on a girl's bed to apologise for abandoning her in a cave...in 1910?). But he also seems very innocent at times which works very well to illustrate his sheltered life in the castle.

* Before they first kiss, he asks the heroine, hesitantly if she likes him.
A male lead in a YA who hesitates and is unsure of himself instead of just sweeping the girl off her feet? Awesome.

* And he gets offended at the thought that he's "dallying" with her:
"But I have been thinking ... this dalliance may not be-"
"Dalliance!" He was offended. He stood back. "What, do you think I am a philanderer? My intention is not to dally with you, Cat! What an awful word - it reminds me of those sentimental songs about maids and soldiers kissing at the garden gate."

And then he tells her:
"And you have decided that love is too precious to run at like a pole vaulter runs at the bar? You wish to cry 'Hold, hold!' like Lady Macbeth, in case our feelings carry us away? You think I am such a puppy, while you are the goddess of reason?"
It's high time male characters got offended at the idea of being considered promiscuous or loose.

And it's cute when they make up:
"Listen to the goddess of reason."
He smiled at me. The anger of a moment ago had evaporated. "I will not kiss you, though God knows I want to! The puppy has been admonished and will behave himself."


* He does have this one bad habit but at least he decides to quit it by the end
Well, that was the end of the Jamie-appreciation.

At one point, I genuinely felt devastated, when Catriona latched onto why her dad fell out with Jamie's dad and its consequence for her relationship. I also appreciated Jamie's dad's encouragement of women doctors in that time period.
For the most part, I liked the protagonist and liked how all the other characters were drawn.