The Seventh Miss Hatfield

Seventh Miss Hatfield #1

by Anna Caltabiano

Cynthia, an 11-year-old American, isn't entirely happy with her life, comfortable though it is. Still, even she knows that she shouldn't talk to strangers. So when her mysterious neighbour Miss Hatfield asked her in for a chat and a drink, Cynthia wasn't entirely sure why she said yes. It was a decision that was to change everything.

For Miss Hatfield is immortal. And now, thanks to a drop of water from the Fountain of Youth, Cynthia is as well. But this gift might be more of a curse, and it comes with a price. Rebecca is beginning to lose her personality, to take on the aspects of her neighbour. She is becoming the next Miss Hatfield.

But before the process goes too far, Cynthia must travel back in time to turn-of-the-century New York and steal a painting, a picture which might provide a clue to the whereabouts of the source of immortality. A clue which must remain hidden from the world. In order to retrieve the painting, Cynthia must infiltrate a wealthy household, learn more about the head of the family, and find an opportunity to escape. Before her journey is through, she will also have - rather reluctantly - fallen in love. But how can she stay with the boy she cares for, when she must return to her own time before her time-travelling has a fatal effect on her body? And would she rather stay and die in love, or leave and live alone?

And who is the mysterious stranger who shadows her from place to place? A hunter for the secret of immortality - or someone who has already found it?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Time Travel, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 17, 2014

About the author

Anna Caltabiano is a child of the transnational cyber punk era. She was born in British colonial Hong Kong and educated in Mandarin Chinese schools before moving to Palo Alto, California; the mecca of futurism. She lives down the street from Facebook in the town where its founders reside, along with the pioneers of Google and Apple.Caltabiano's high school classmates are themselves an eclectic mix; the lost offspring of ultra-wealthy Silicon Valley magnates, aspirational internet entrepreneurs and Stanford philosophy professors. Her writing reflects her concerns for her own generation as it seeks out salvation, meaning, and companionship in online communities, with pop culture as its shared language.

Having grown up in privileged suburban America, Caltabiano has always felt bewildered by the intense personal pain of which her teenage peers would complain. To her, such anguish seemed like a betrayal of their good fortune. What exactly was driving these economically advantaged kids, lucky enough to be able to devote themselves entirely to self-fulfillment, to sabotage their lives? Anna Caltabiano's recent literary focus has been applied to the increasingly common practice of self-mutilation, which she sees as symbolizing a more universal urge among youth toward self destruction. All That Is Red is her striking effort to explore the ways in which the pressures and the banalities of modern adolescence combine, leading towards dangerous outbursts, designed to stimulate a physical response where an emotional one seems insufficient. All That Is Red is Anna Caltabiano's portrayal of two young souls searching for the intangible piece that is missing from their lives. Their responses to the challenging predicaments in which they find themselves are typically, youthfully untempered, but no less vital in their contemporary relevance.

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay story, about a girl who was first tricked into becoming immortal, and then had to infiltrate a family and try to steal a painting from them. The pace in this was really slow though, and it felt as if nothing was happening. I also didn’t love the romance, as there seemed to be very little of it, just a sudden ‘I love you’ towards the end of the book.



6 out of 10

[Suad Shamma · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was absolutely horrendous and I cannot begin to fathom HOW anyone could have given it more than one star. If I could, I'd give it no stars. I am serious when I say it is horrendous, in every way possible. No exaggeration, I promise.

What sold this to me was the premise of the story, which sounds absolutely brilliant and exciting. A chain of immortal Miss Hatfields, traveling in time, and carefully selecting their successors when their time is up, to take over their roles and responsibilities. A story filled with time travel, immortality, mystery and romance? What's there not to love? This book had it all.

Nope. This book had nothing. The author failed miserably with the execution. There was no depth, no character development, and no storyline. A plot with more holes in it than I can count that never moves forward or goes anywhere. How could you go so wrong with such an incredible premise?

It read like someone in High School wrote it, with concepts that are highly complex delivered with such naive simplicity taking everything away from the story and its characters. It doesn't explain anything that happens, and instead focuses entirely on an extremely silly love story. I picked this up hoping for adventure and mystery and fantasy, I ended up getting what was akin to a very badly written historical romance novel.

How can an 11 year old, Cynthia, be lured into a strange neighbor's house to be pretty much abducted, drugged and transformed into an immortal adult, without her consent or knowledge, be OK? Not only that though, what drove me mad, was how QUICKLY she got over it! I would have been traumatized. Hell, I would've locked myself up for days and weeks and months, crying and sobbing and going crazy. I mean, your whole LIFE just changed, everything you ever knew is gone. You can't see or speak to your parents, you can't see or speak to any of your friends or family, your life as you knew it is done. Your name is not even Cynthia anymore, but Miss Hatfield!! And you just wake up the next day and you're ready to tackle on this new persona? Just like that? I'm supposed to believe that this 11 year old girl in an adult body has just gotten over all of that with just a few hours of restless sleep?

And then the sixth Miss Hatfield, who was responsible for - basically - ruining Cynthia's life, asks her to go back in time and sneak into a stranger's house and steal a painting for her, and Cynthia just...agrees. No resistance whatsoever. She takes on this task, with no questions asked, trusting the former Miss Hatfield's very simple explanation, and just gets on with it? How is that even possible? Where's the doubt and suspicion? How do you create an entire story without any sort of emotion grounded in reality?

But wait, it's not over yet. Oh no no no. It gets worse. Yes, indeed, it does.

Cynthia, who fails at stealing the painting is caught at the old gentleman's house and his nephew, whom Cynthia's never met in her life decides to save her by telling his uncle that she's Rebecca - the cousin that was supposed to be visiting.

So 1. the uncle does not know how his niece looks like, that he believes Cynthia is Rebecca, and 2. Henley, the nephew, decides to help this stranger out for no other reason than....I don't even know. She's pretty? Love at first sight? Intrigue? Stupidity?

I would understand if he let her get away with it so he can deal with her later, and figure out what was happening and why she was at his uncle's house, but the fact is, he doesn't do any of that. He confronts her, and she refuses to tell him anything - including her real name - and he agrees. He just...AGREES. Everyone is so freaking silly in this book! He doesn't question her, he goes along with her secret identity and ends up FALLING for her and then we're just left with this cheesy, silly romance between her and Henley, which she knows is doomed from the start. And then when she DOES confess to him the reason she was at his uncle's house and how she needs that painting, but cannot tell him WHY she needs that painting, what do you think he does?

Does he get angry? Does he kick her out for being insane? Does he rat her out? Oh Lord, no. He tells her not to worry about it. He tells her he'll take care of it and get her the painting - no explanation needed. I mean, for crying out loud, put up SOME resistance will you? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous story.

Not taking into consideration all the grammar and spelling mistakes of course, or how poorly written this book is.

We never get into the history of immortality. We never get into any of the fantastic stuff that was mentioned on the back of the book. We never get an explanation about the whole time travel stuff, or the reason they're all called Miss Hatfield, or why they're immortal or why the former Miss Hatfield even wanted that painting. We never delve into that stuff. We're just presented with the silliest, most naive, romance ever.

Ridiculous.

[Emily - Reads Must · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5

**I received this book as an ARC from Gollancz to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

The Seventh Miss Hatfield is a romantic and bewitching tale that will break your heart, spark your imagination and have you dreaming of turn of the century America. It is wonderfully written by an incredible author that I can't wait to read more from. Taking the myth of The Fountain of Youth Anna creates a story that is exciting with so many twists and turns that it will have you turning the page well into the early hours of the morning.

The book itself is about destiny and impossible loves. It follows the newest Miss Hatfield as she comes to terms with her newfound immortality and the conditions that come with it. Endless life isn't all it's cracked up to be and finding somewhere to belong is next to impossible when you no longer fit into any one time. Cynthia has to be able to let go of who she was and embrace her new identity. But can she keep to the constrictions of her new life without it suffocating her? Can she be the seventh Miss Hatfield without loosing who she once was?

At the heart of this book is a love story to rival some of the greats. There wasn't a part of me that didn't want these two to find a way to make it work. Henley and Rebecca were unbelievably perfect for one another and they have this old school magic between them that is endearing and heart breaking all at the same time. On the back of the book it says "A spellbinding story of time-travel and unrequited love." But what it doesn't tell you is that the 'unrequited' love will turn you into an emotional wreck. I spent the whole last third of the book holding my breath with a knot in my stomach willing the two of them to find a way to be together.

The only issue I had with this book was at the very beginning. Everything happened so fast and as well written as it was I needed Cynthia to question what was going on around her more. She seemed to simply take everything in her stride and with the severity of her situation it didn't seem realistic. Honestly if it was me I would have thrown one hell of a tantrum!

Overall this is a great book. It had one or two moments towards the beginning where I wasn't so sure. However, it didn’t take long for this book to win me over with its rich characters and beautiful writing. I'm practically busting to get my hands on the second book in the series and will be waiting - rather impatiently - for the day I get to read more of Rebecca's story.

It's not out until the 17th of July but I highly recommend this one. I couldn't but it down and I know if you've enjoyed my other recommendations you'll adore this story.

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long ago, a woman found the key to immortality, one she passed on in a tiny vial. The vial has passed through six different women now, each of which lost their identities to the ever passing time to become Rebecca Hatfield

Now the Sixth Miss Hatfield has chosen a Seventh for the gift – and curse – of immortality. To never age, but to never belong in any time, to live untold centuries, but to never know family or home or sense of belonging, to even lose everything about yourself that made you other than Miss Hatfield.

She has a mission for the Seventh Miss Hatfield – to retrieve a painting that belongs to her. But as Miss Hatfield tries to infiltrate the household that owns the painting, she quickly becomes connected to the people there, especially Henley, the owner’s son. She risks developing the very thing that can make immortality unbearable – love.



I really liked the premise of this book - the idea of immortality and time travel together makes a wonderful kind of sense and has some really vast potential. The child who became an adult so quickly, the idea that they are all Miss. Hatfield because their original identities all become so meaningless is a really powerful one

I’ve also never seen a book that did so well in conveying the tragedy and loss of humanity. Oh the genre is full of immortal being angsting in corners and dealing out impressively overdramatic monologues about how terribly sad it is to live for ever, but few managed to convey the full grief and loss that comes with outliving everyone you love. The combination of being immortal and being lost in time is a beautiful and deeply sad tragedy. As we go along, we even see the slow loss of identity, exacerbated by her being a child until recently, we see how the Miss Hatfields are created as the 7th Miss Hatfield grows and learns – and forgets.

The book also does a really good job of establishing the connections between the characters, creating a sense of realness to them and the way they interact so the loss is all the more poignant.

But… yes, there’s a but… the whole premise feels completely irrelevant for most of the book. We begin with Miss Hatfield as a child and becoming Miss Hatfield. She’s then quickly dispatched on a mission to retrieve a painting and to do so she joins a family. The family accepts her quickly through some pretty damn huge coincidences and some rather odd behaviour

Then we have the rather nice and pleasant story of this family, of Miss Hatfield among the family, getting to know them, growing to like them, growing to love them

At this point and for a huge amount of the book the fact that Miss Hatfield is immortal, a time traveller or, chronologically, only a child just doesn’t seem to be relevant. She could be any young woman in a period romance rather than an immortal being in speculative fiction

It was a very nice romance. The characters were nicely realised, the relationships very real once we got past the convoluted beginnings. The emotion was strong and genuine. We had some lovely class issues that were addressed with the servants (including a beautiful moment when a servant questioned just how troubled and worried a wealthy lady can be considering how much peace and security she has in life) which was largely really well done and humanising (though it was shaky in places. Like one character is annoyed that they remember the names of their servants, including her personal maid and the butler. They may commonly be referred to by their surname, but it’s an absurdity that people in a house would not know the name of their butler or personal servant. Maybe the scullery maid, but not the upper servants).

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[Thomas Hale · Rating 1 out of 5]

A really disappointing book. A "time-travel romance" where the time travel involves an 11-year-old girl being essentially kidnapped and aged-up against her will or consent, suddenly becoming a gorgeous twenty-something, despite still being eleven. Transported back from the 50s to New York of the early 1900s, she falls in love with the son of a wealthy industrialist - a generic handsome guy with daddy issues. Yes, they kiss. Caltabiano barely goes five pages without reminding the author that the protagonist used to be a specific preteen girl but is now an overwhelmingly beautiful and kind and gifted and intelligent young woman.
Gross implications of age-gap romance aside, a line from Garth Marenghi's Darkplace kept running through my head as I read this: "I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards." Everything is explained and explained again, from basic literary tropes to metaphors to each minute pang of emotion the narrator herself experiences. At no point is the author's hand-holding deathgrip relaxed, except for brief moments in the third act, when mercifully things actually happen. Not surprising or interesting things, mind, but at least a change from the drudgery of the romantic costume drama that comprises the vast majority of the book.
If it seems like I'm being too harsh, I probably am, and mostly because the premise - a timeline of women forced to inhabit the same immortal role - could be really interesting. But Caltabiano misses every opportunity to be interesting.

[Karen Rye · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a great concept. A chain of immortal Miss Hatfields, each carefully selecting her successor, each able to travel in time, but condemned never to settle. What's not to love about that idea.

However, it's flawed in execution. It's so naively written and so simple when the concepts it could be playing with are so infinitely vast. And there are plot holes literally peppered throughout. It fails to exploit the time travelling potential of the main characters and instead becomes a teenage unrequited love story. Which is a shame. It could have had intrigue and a swagger that it just circumnavigates around!

It's an easy and certainly diverting read, but I want more Miss Hatfield and less Rebecca & Henley. Perhaps the imaginative teenage author can expand this further in future. A solid start though.

[Nicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

I didn’t know much about this book or author before I started the book — I’d seen the books around a bunch and ended up just getting it from the library on a whim. I’m really not impressed, and I’m actually giving up without finishing the book, so you should take that for its worth in considering the book itself!

The book opens with a mysterious little scene in which a young veiled woman is thwarted at an auction in obtaining a painting she wants. The first chapter then appears totally unconnected in time (and possibly in place as well), as a young girl called Cynthia plays on the front porch of her parents’ house and goes over to deliver a parcel to their mysterious new neighbour, a Miss Hatfield. Miss Hatfield invites her in for lemonade and cookies, and trying to be polite, Cynthia goes in. Very quickly, she’s aged up to being an adult (apparently gaining more vocabulary as she does so — anyone bothered explaining to Caltabiano that language is acquired by exposure, not simply age?) and given something that makes her immortal. She’s told that she’s the seventh Miss Hatfield, an immortal and unhappy group of women blessed with immortality, and cursed to leave behind their lives. Almost immediately after that, despite her resentment, Cynthia is sent out to retrieve — aha! — the painting mentioned in the prologue.

Although things happen quickly, it doesn’t feel fast-paced. Instead, it feels like the kind of story a child tells: this happened and then another thing and another thing and then this and then another thing and and and and… The explanations barely hang together, and what could be fascinating (for example, the clock) is skimmed over. Cynthia is shockingly accepting of her fate, and does things whether they make sense or not. For example, she’s mistaken for being someone’s granddaughter and just… plays along, feeling trapped because… I don’t understand why.

The story has very little internal logic and doesn’t hang together well, and then, worse, Cynthia ends up in a romance. This is an 11-year-old girl who has just been aged up using vague magic means, adding barely hours to her sum total experience of the world (for all that Caltabiano seems to think that will automatically improve her vocabulary and make her an adult). Romance is not at all appropriate, geez.

So here’s where I get off. This book and the sequels are being summarily handed back to the library without me bothering to read a single word more.

[Jasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2014...

Well first off something has to be noted here. The Seventh Miss Hatfield is written by seventeen year old year Anna Caltabiano. Yes that is correct seventeen years. I have read books written by young adults and I enjoyed most of them a lot there were a few where it clearly showed that there was only focus on the action, and those stories had some issues with characterization and general storyline, also self published adult authors sometimes have these troubles. When I was presented with The Seventh Miss Hatfield I actually didn't hesitate a moment and immediately said yes to reviewing this book, you should never judge a book by its cover nor should you judge the level of writing by the age of an author. With The Seventh Miss Hatfield Anna Caltabiano shows clearly that she has some great writing skill in the making. The Seventh Miss Hatfield has a unique creativity to it; both the idea and the enchanting writing style.


The Seventh Miss Hatfield picks up with an interesting prologue one that takes place in the 1887, with a strange auction where you see one women trying to outbid a wealthy gentlemen on a very specific painting. I had read the synopsis but could make heads nor tails from what this scene could actually mean. After this prologue you are switched to the current storyline, which takes place in 1954. Here you are introduced to Cynthia who is just playing with her dolls but soon finds her, by request of her mother, knocking on Miss Hatfield's door. No one really knows a lot about Miss Hatfield and find her a bit strange and not that socially gifted. Cynthia is asked to enter the home of Miss Hatfield and tough Cynthia acts reserved in everything, how can she resist a glass of "extra" sweetened lemonade? Or at least that is what Miss Hatfield said of what was in that vial. This soon proves to be something completely different, it wasn't a sweetener but drops of the fountain of youth, this extra transforms Cynthia into the new Miss Hatfield and is just the beginning of her adventures. After this transformation of Cynthia into the new Miss Hatfield, she is immidiately set with a task retrieve the painting that the sixth Miss Hatfield couldn't procure. Though this might seem a very straightforward task but you know, the painting was auctioned off in 1887 and now it's 1954... her comes in another gift of the Miss Hatfield's they are able to travel back in time... but this is far from unlimited fun, their are a set of rules and the first and foremost is never to fall in love with somebody - but what if you meet in your eyes Mr. Perfect? Well Cynthia, now Miss Hatfield soon finds out just how hard it is to deny your love to someone...


I was really pleased with the outcome of the story of The Seventh Miss Hatfield but I do have to mention that such a love story as is shown, is more written in the lines for a female audience. Anna Caltabiano has done a great job in building up her story, the prologue left a lot of questions and from the transformation point onwards you get a lot of information about how everything came to pass especially given with the idea of the fountain of life. Though this part was short and contained a wealth of information it didn't feel like an information dump at all, using the way of the sixth Miss Hatfield as a narrator to Cynthia it felt like a story within a story largely also because it contained some personal experiences. What made it truly sound was the writing style which is quite addicted.


In Cynthia, Anna Caltabiano has created a very strong protagonist. In the beginning Cynthia is just playing with her dolls but soon finds herself in a completely new position all grown up due to the elixer of life AND then she finds herself back in time with a task of retrieving a painting that holds key information that should be read by the general public. I would be confused when I would be given immortality and could travel back in time and luckily Cynthia is as well. This humane aspect is something that I always vouch for, such important transformations shouldn't go in the blink of an eye. Added to this comes the fact that since Cynthia was given the elixer of life she does loses her old memories and the struggle to recall who she was before becoming the seventh Miss Hatfield was nicely put together.

Besides the main character, Cynthia there are a few additional characters that have more focus on them like the sixth Miss Hatfield, she is passing on her knowledge of what means to be a Miss Hatfield and more importantly the rules and limitations set about being one. She does play the strict mother in this case and corrects Cynthia on more than one occasion. Another character that has a lot of focus is Henley, a young guy who lives with the man who has the painting that Cynthia has to retrieve. Cynthia says she is a cousin but Henley knows on the first that Cynthia isn't the one who she says she is and this is the start of an interesting yet complex relation, very flirtatious, and no one wants to give in as first. Henley because well he is a guy and Cynthia because she knows the rules... Love has to be none existent. I am normally not a fan of too heavy a romance in a book, but with the whole backdrop of the story this romance element doesn't feel heavy and is more transformed into a whole other element one of human passion and finding your true love. Nicely done and definitely a plus to the storyline.


Anna Caltabiano has done an amazing job with writing The Seventh Miss Hatfield. The book had a great promise with the synopsis and Anna Caltabiano makes all the elements work together very neatly. Granted some elements got caught up in the spur of the moment nearing the ending of the book like the time travel and aging of the main protagonist but you could see the enthusiasm of Anna Caltabiano just leap of the pages and this is something that I really liked. The ending shows a self contained story but I think this will be far from the last book featuring Miss Hatfield in the lead. I have to once again say that I am impressed with the story, and especially the level of it, the characterization and dialogues feel just as they would have to be in real-life, completely natural and not forced at all and since this is crucial in this story if draws a great strength from this. The Seventh Miss Hatfield is not something you will read everyday it readily standsout, make sure you read this book by one of the youngest new voices in fantasy!

[Maheen · Rating 2 out of 5]

While at a bookstore, my temptation towards a 75% discount and a decent back cover plot made me buy it. But boy was i disappointed. During the whole novel i was seeking the writer to set a seal on the story but end came incompleteness remained inclusive of plot holes. The story was entirely focused on a rather forced romance with very little focus on the mystery, science fiction or time travel aspect let alone the other ordeals of cynthias life with deserved more attention. The story based in year 1904 America i found interesting having previously read only 19th century british setting. Made me reminisce the classics; the remarakable way writers like charles dickens potrayed their scenarios; This felt like a cheap gimcrack version of theirs . The characters in some situations should’ve shown some resistance or other certain emotions but they didn’t. So the story felt flat and lacking. The sad ending also lost points on me. On another note, i quite liked henley’s character and Cynthia’s too in some ways, also some parts of the story were applaudable, also the lovestory itself was quite enjoyable; had the novel been a romance genre, i would’ve given it a higher rating. I just wish the writer to have revised her work once more, maybe that could’ve been helpful to the novel. But who am i to judge, there are two more parts and maybe they fill in the gaping hole this one left. Maybe im being too hard on it but be as it may, its the first impression that matters most🤷‍♀️

[Rashida · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last book I read was The Night Flower, and I enjoyed that far more than I expected to. With The Seventh Miss Hatfield, it was the opposite case, I actually was disappointed when I thought I would love it. I picked this up on account of the pretty cover, and the blurb seemed right up my street - time travel, magic, historical with a dash of romance - all things I enjoy in my light reading.
Besides that, the idea of there being a long line of the same person through means of immortality is actually a great one. It's just a shame it wasn't written very well, in terms of the actual grammar, and execution.

I felt that the main character was never engaging, and she seemed like a spectator in her own life. This could be down to the fact that a 12 year old girl, Cynthia, was transformed into an adult (teenager? young adult? It's never clear how old she is when she is 'Rebecca', unless I missed it). So her personality was in a state of flux, yes, but I found it hard to believe that she instantly knew how to act adult, and didn't retain any of her childishness.

Also, she just instantly went along with the idea that this other woman, the sixth Miss Hatfield, has ruined her life as she knew it, and she didn't much care!! She doesn't react, feel angry, in fact she didn't seem bothered at all, and there's no resistance when it comes to carrying out the task she is set! Are we honestly meant to believe that?? I mean, yes, it's a book with immortality and time travel, but the emotions should be grounded in humanity, regardless of the fantastical aspects.

Ugh, and then we come to the worst part for me... the romance. It was just boring!! After I got over the way that Rebecca just went along with Miss Hatfield, I tried to get into the time travel, and the task of stealing the painting back from the guy who bought it in the auction in the prologue. But instead of a gripping tale, we get dumped into this twee, sugary romantic plot between Rebecca and Henley, the son of the guy who owns the painting. He figures out that she's not who she says she is, but for some reason, doesn't rat her out. No, instead, he falls in love with her. What if Rebecca had been a girl who wasn't quite so pretty, but plain-looking? Would he have kept her secret then? I guess we'll never know.

What follows is just chapters and chapters of their will-they won't-they oh-no-i-can't-because-i'm-immortal romance, and it's so annoying. Rebecca was annoying. Henley seemed to be the most perfect boy in the history of all time without a single flaw. The servants were annoying and were like caricatures.

Throughout the book, I spotted several simple spelling mistakes, and the speech never felt natural to me, it was very... stilted. Another thing: the blurb mentions that there is someone following her as she time-travelled into the past, a shadowy stranger, but there wasn't anyone doing that?? Needless to say I was confused.

Now, as I came to review, I noticed a lot of people mentioning the age of the author. I didn't know that she had wrote this at such an age until literally a few minutes ago, but I'm not going to change my review. Yes, I do think it's a great achievement to have a novel published so young, and I this was definitely a great idea for a novel. It's just a shame that the writing wasn't there yet. I wanted to know more about the previous Miss Hatfields, because that was a genuinely interesting part of the book, and what drew me to the book in the first place. The Rebecca and Henley relationship is what let it down, and it didn't move the plot forward at a pace I liked.

So in future, if there are any books about the previous Miss Hatfields and their lives, I might be persuaded to look for those. If not, and it's just more books about the seventh Miss Hatfield, then it'll be a 'no thanks' from me. But then, after reading, I feel like, despite the cover and the description, this was never aimed at me in the first place.

[Juli Rahel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seemed to be everywhere I looked, constantly beckoning me with its intriguing storyline and beautiful cover. So eventually I gave in to the call and requested it on Netgalley. And I had a blast with this book. The synopsis below comes with a bit of a pre-scriptum, rather than a post-scriptum, since upon reading the novel I feel it's quite different from the synopsis, in a good way.

Rebecca, the seventh of that name that is, is a really interesting main character. Starting out relatively young, she matures throughout the novel.Unlike a lot of modern heroines she isn't rash or sarcastic, but very kind and funny. Caltbiano manages to strike a balance between allowing Rebecca her emotions while also maintaining her rationality. Despite the love and affection she feels for the people in her time, Rebecca knows she shouldn't be there and it creates some of the most interesting parts of the novel. Part of this is also the really good descriptions of grief that you find at places in the novel. Time-travel involves losing everyone you love and it isn't picked up enough by authors of the genre. Caltabiano describes it beautifully.

There were some amazing moments in this book in which Caltabiano addressed some really interesting issues such as class and religion. Although these moments could have been heavy on rhetoric and morality, Caltabiano makes them part of the plot and part of the characters. Rebecca's uneasiness about servants is natural when one remembers that she comes from a different time. But rather than demand change, Rebecca goes out of her way to respect not only the time she lives in but the people she lives with and it was great to see a character who is so aware and conscientious. Similarly, Caltabiano also managed to have a very religious character in her book without making her a nutjob, which I greatly thank her for. I even loved the romance. Although generally I tend to dislike the whole unrequited love/star-crossed lovers trope because, in my opinion, it often lacks originality. I think Caltabiano found a very good middle ground, both showing how grand their love is while also allowing Rebecca to be focused on her task. Henley is a great character who, just like Rebecca, is kind and caring. It is so refreshing to have a love interest who doesn't brood for a living.

The only thing I didn't like about this novel plot-wise was that the fact she was immortal and could travel in time hardly played a role for a large part of the novel. Although I've frequently stated that time-travel creates plotholes the size of Texas, I still would've liked to see more of it, especially since Caltabiano does a relatively good job at making time-travel sound reasonable. It would've been great to hear more about where she went and what she did and I would've loved to know more about the previous Miss Hatfields. But as it was the story flowed very easily, moving from one event to the next without throwing any major obstacles in the reader's way. Caltabiano's writing style is pleasant and uncomplicated. Although at times I wished there was a bit more depth to some passages, I got sucked into this novel and it is a great summer read.

The Seventh Miss Hatfield is a truly enjoyable read with some great twists and turns which I didn't see coming. The main characters and supporting cast are really interesting and a pleasure to read. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy time-travel and romance and I think there's even something for historical fiction fans in there.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The action opens with the auction of a painting in 1887 and then switches to 1954 as a girl sits on a doorstep. Cynthia is 11 and aware of her mother’s demands for good behaviour combined with initiative, knowing she is a disappointment. So when a parcel is wrongly delivered, she shows independence by taking it to the house opposite. There she meets a new neighbour, Rebecca Hatfield. Cynthia doesn’t go home again.
This is a tale of immortality and time travel. Where immortality means you can still die, of illness or accident, and time travel comes via a large mysterious clock owned by Miss Hatfield. Cynthia - and it is key that we are told her original name only a few times - drinks a glass of lemonade containing a drop of a mysterious substance and everything changes. “I felt as if I was slipping away into some strange dimension where I recognized nothing – not my surroundings, or my feelings, but most terrifyingly of all, not even myself.” Miss Hatfield has a task for Cynthia to do, a task which involves theft and time travel. The task, of course, does not go to plan.
The fine detail is excellent but I found the bigger picture lacking, as if the author was carried away by Cynthia/Margaret’s flirtation with Henley and lost sight of the where this fit into the flow of the narrative. I was impatient for the mystery to move on. Cynthia/Margaret is a girl things happen to, rather than her being a proactive heroine. She spends quite a lot of time waiting for the time to be right, waiting for things to settle down, before she can complete her task. I just wanted her to get on with it. She accepts her new life with minimal heartache or disbelief, demonstrates little longing for her parents and the life she left in 1954 and no cynicism about what Miss Hatfield tells her. She ages instantly from teenager to adult, but we are shown none of the insight this would bring as so ably demonstrated in the film Big.
Then I did a bit of Googling and found out that Anna Caltabiano is 17, and I understood. When I read a book for review, I read with a notebook and pen by my side and quite early on I wrote down ‘feels like a young author?’ Despite the ‘literary’ front cover, this is a book written by a teenager for teenagers about young love. If I had known, I would not have chosen to read it and I became a bit more forgiving of the writing style. Another example of a cover design being misleading.
That this novel was written by a 17-year old is admirable and explains the style: lots of explanation of the action of the ‘I understood Henley did this because…’ style. Lots of re-stating the obvious, which should have been edited out. It is clear that Caltabiano was in love with Henley.
This is the first novel of a trilogy. I think I’m too old to read the others, it’s a long time since I was a teenager. But if you know one who likes stories about puppy love combined with time travel, they’ll probably love this. Caltabiano is a talented writer and I will watch out for future novels, but in a few years’ time.

[Nayab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taken at face value The Seventh Miss Hatfield has all the makings of an entertaining historical romance… With time travel thrown in of course ;)… But that’s not what I signed up for – Literally.



Before I started typing up this review I went to find the synopsis for the book and colour me confused because the synopsis I read on Amazon/Goodreads isn’t the synopsis from Netgalley, The synopsis on Goodreads etc says Rebecca is 15 whereas in the ARC I read the main character is called Cynthia and is 11…

And this:



“And who is the mysterious stranger who shadows her from place to place? A hunter for the secret of immortality – or someone who has already found it?”



There was no sign of this mysterious stranger in the book.



It looks like some pretty major changes are happening or have happened to the book in the time that I requested and read it, so the new version or rather the published version maybe be different storyline-wise as opposed to what I read.



As much as I wanted to like this book (and enjoyed Cynthia/Rebecca’s adventures through time) I didn’t feel anything for the characters which is sad really because this book had so much potential. I was expecting so much more; intrigue, old-fashioned wooing, mystery – the lot and it just didn’t live up to those expectations.



The twist wasn’t really a shocker but if you’ve been following me for a while you know that’s just how it is with me. The author has done a great job trying to keep the twist under wraps and I don’t think it’s that easily guessable.



Had I not known Anna Caltabiano is seventeen years old I never would have guessed from her writing, I’m seriously impressed and even though this book didn’t manage to charm me, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Caltabiano’s career/future work.

[Andrew Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Seventh Miss Hatfield is a light as air romantic story that is by and for young teenage-ish girls.
I came to have it as it was a giveaway at the science fiction convention. It is published by a Sci-Fi publisher and talks about time travel and immortality I the blurb. But this is not a science fiction book.
It came to me free but I could conceivably have bought it because it claims to be about time travel and immortality and I like the cover design, although I'd have been more disappointed, and maybe a harsher critic, if I had paid for it.
One more thing before I get to the story. The blurb also mentions unrequited love, but whoever wrote that does not know what the phrase means.
This is a wish fulfilment story about rich houses and rich people and a grand era endlessly romanticised. It is about an ordinary, young and unremarkable girl being magically transformed into a beautiful young woman who is loved, indulged and forgiven by everyone around her. Everyone is a goody except the vain even more beautiful girl who is her rival who is forgiven nothing.
The author hardly seems to notice, or quickly forgets, the kidnapping and abuse that bring her heroine into the story. And she takes her heroine's privileges for granted in a stunning way. She created situations that would allow really interesting questions to be explored and then passes them by, making it clear that she is merely a tourist of these potentially fascinating areas.
Why do I give such a high rating to a book I am so critical of? It is easy to read. I wanted to know how certain things would develop (not that the book managed to answer those questions, but it engaged me to the extent that I wanted to know.) And I'm sure there is an audience for it. And there is every chance that Anna Caltabiano will go on to write better books. But this one was not for me.

[Curlyhair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway and for a change of genre cor me,I fancied reading it. Not a bad little romance and time travelling story. I liked the central characters and the story overall. The only part I didn't care for, was the beginning and how Cynthia became Miss Hatfield.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I first read the publicity for this book I was so enthusiastic that I ordered a signed copy. However the reviews & my own subsequent reading of this book delivered a very different scenario than that promised on pre publicity announcements.
I was given a free copy of this book & here is my review.
The initial premise of an 11 year old being enticed into a stranger’s house only to be drugged & dubiously abducted is an unusual and jarring premise to accept & the subject matter was uncomfortable to me from the start. The central character, initially called Cynthia, seems to have completely lost her moral compass lurching through this book whilst consistently telling herself not to do something to only carry out the requested action anyway simply because she has been asked.
The whole premise of the book seems to suspend reality in an unbelievable way never really convincing the reader of the validity of the story. The characters are sketchy & unlikeable and I was never engrossed or drawn into the premise of this book.
I understand the author is very young & whilst I don’t wish to be negative I cannot recommend this book. It was a relief to finally finish it.

[Robyn Koshel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Seventh Miss Hatfield” has a unique voice and distinctive style that you don’t come across everyday. I found the book to be very bitter-sweet. It reminded me of the point in a young persons life when they are required to take that step into adulthood and decide what they want to do with their life. It is an impossible situation when they don’t even know who they are or what they are capable of yet. To me the book was an allegory of losing ones childhood and Anna Caltabiano does it beautifully.
“The Seventh Miss Hatfield” is as enchanting as Harry Potter and has a rich adventure laden plot. It will make you laugh and cry, often at the same time. The book is written through the eyes of a 15 year old girl and it does a young adult tone to it but make no mistake, the emotional depth is one of maturity.
I can’t remember the last time I have read a book so innovative and remarkable. Once I started to read I could not put it down. I am a huge time-travelling fan and I completely enjoyed this book cover to cover. I can highly recommend it. If you are looking for something a bit different, then this is the book for you.

[Hollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise for this book was really intriguing and for me personally it was a little bit of a let down. When the book started off the plotline was engaging but as the story went on I just didn't really enjoy it as much. The main characters personality seemed to completely change and she didn't seem realistic in the way she reacted to things. She didn't even question the circumstances she was in and just went a long with it which I found unbelievable. To enjoy a book I need to relate to one of the characters and I just really couldn't connect to any of them.

Whilst the romance was sweet it fell slightly flat and the love interest just really annoyed me in certain parts of the book. The book just seemed to drag even though it was only a few hundred pages.

I wish the book had explores the immortality/time travel part of the story more rather than focusing on the romance as that was really interesting when it was talked about. The pace picked up towards the end and I enjoyed the ending which is why I gave this book 3 stars.

[Cretee · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating: 2.5 stars
I got this book through goodreads giveaway so many thanks!
Let me start by saying the cover of this book is gorgeous! Absolutely loved it.
I love a good time-travel related book with a side romance so this book had me interested from the get go. However I would say, this story couldn't reach it's full potential; it could have been so much more and so much better! There was less time-travel and a bit too much of romance for my liking. Don't get me wrong, it was cute at times but every time my brain kept reminding me that while Rebecca looked like an adult, she was actually 11 years old. For me that's not an age for a girl to time-travel with a mission to steal something and in the process fall in 'love' with a guy and kiss him. 11 years is too young for my liking. I will say it again, the potential was all there but the story lacked depth. Nice try though. Keep writing and improving!

[Elizabeth Grieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected much more given the synopsis. It seemed like a good idea, but there was far too much padding about the time the protagonist spent with the Beauford family, and not enough explanation about everything else. I read to the end, thinking that surely some explanations (time travel? immortality?), something exciting or interesting would come along ... but I'm afraid not. It was well written, with some interesting characters, but the 'immortality' hook played a very small part in the story, which was more like a historical romance for the greater part.

Reviewed in exchange for a preview Kindle copy.

[Tom Loock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note to self: Don't fall so easily for publisher's hype.

I could not justify it to all the great books I still haven't read to finish this one, and gave up after about a quarter.

This one reads like it was written by an over-romantic teenager. The characters are 2D-stereotypes and what I caught of the plot did not excite me either.

The Seventh Miss Hatfield is only something for (very) young girls.
Sorry.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book just didn't deliver. The story itself was pleasant enough but the whole premise of immortality and moving in time is kind of completely unnecessary. Especially since the explanations for it don't seem to be fully formed. I felt like it could have been so much more but the story was not about the immortality or moving in time. It was a much more generic love story set in the early 20th century. It wasn't a bad early 20th century love story but because of it being advertised as being more I didn't appreciate it as I felt something was missing. Shame really.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t normally read fantasy, but I really enjoyed this book. I found that it was not a fantasy novel, but a novel with elements of fantasy to develop the characters and drive the plot. I couldn’t put it down and read it nearly in one sitting. It was touching and absorbing.

[Jack Deighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1954 an eleven year old girl named Cynthia carries a wrongly delivered parcel to its correct destination across the road. There she meets Miss Hatfield, who has a collection of portraits and antiques plus a strange clock with unusual intervals marking its dial. Miss Hatfield gives Cynthia a glass of lemonade into which she has poured the last drop of liquid from a vial. Within a few pages - bare minutes of conversation, and no change of scene - Cynthia has become a fully grown woman. The physics of this transformation, the chemistry required, its energetics, are all not so much skimmed over or ignored as seemingly unconsidered. The process is only a means for Caltabiano to propel her narrator into the story she wishes to tell. It does of course also signal Cynthia’s altered reality.
Miss Hatfield tells Cynthia the fateful drop was the last remnant of a bottle filled from a mysterious lake stumbled upon by Juan Ponce de León on his first voyage to Florida. The liquid confers immortality on its drinkers. The Misses Hatfield have been employing it to recruit new versions of themselves ever since it came into their hands. Moreover they use the strange clock - which an early Miss Hatfield just happened upon - to navigate time. Miss Hatfield informs her new protégé time is not a river, but a lake; existing all at once. Quite why a clock would then be a suitable device to use to sail on it is odd. Moreover, how it actually manages to achieve this feat is never divulged. Again, it just happens.
Cynthia accepts the actions of Miss Hatfield, plus her subsequent demands to go to 1904 to steal a portrait, indeed begins to think of herself as Rebecca Hatfield, the seventh such, amazingly readily. In no time at all, corsetted and long-skirted, she is rushing off through carless streets to the house of Charles Beauford, who fortuitously takes her for his niece Margaret. There she meets his son Henley who, despite knowing she cannot be his cousin, plays along with the deception. The seventh Miss Hatfield has something of a charmed life, it seems.
This is fine as far as it goes but here the story gets bogged down as Caltabiano’s over-arching fantasy becomes somewhat lost amid the details of the burgeoning relationship between Henley and his “cousin.” True, every so often the new Miss Hatfield (she forgets her past life all too easily) remembers she is supposed to be stealing the painting and also experiences a growing sense of wrongness associated with being out of time but this is all diluted by the routines of daily life in a well-to-do Edwardian household and a preponderance of “playful” dialogue. Even the appearance of the Porter sisters, Christine and Eliza (the first of whom and Henley are effectively promised to each other, the second is by far the most interesting character in the book) does not give Rebecca a quick way back to her own time – or later. Cynthia/Rebecca/Margaret also has a very modern idea of servants’ individuality and sense of self but is annoyingly gauche. Her discovery of what the reader sees as links between the Misses Hatfield and the elder Mr Beauford does not give her pause about her sponsor’s motives.
The book is adorned with a cleverly designed Escheresque cover and the accompanying promotional blurb makes much of Caltabiano’s youth. That earns no free pass here; but Caltabiano can write - even if she occasionally employs awkward sentence constructions and lacks quite the necessary feel for the detail of late nineteenth/early twentieth century speech and mores. In their trip to the country, Henley drives the automobile himself. Families like his had chauffeurs for such tasks. And I doubt that, once the car had broken down, an unmarried man and woman at that time (cousins or not) would be allowed to sleep in the same space - even if it was a barn.
There are other details which niggled. Except in the most unusual circumstances would her assumed persona as Mr Beauford’s sister’s daughter still have his surname? The sixth Miss Hatfield refers to being shown a photo sometime in the early 1840s. So early? Eliza mentions that ever since reading Jules Verne she has wondered about the possibility of time travel. (Oh dear. Unless this is an altered universe in which Verne actually wrote any such stories.) The women take part at a burial. In 1904?
Caltabiano’s story of time-crossed love is never entirely convincing, the book’s resolution a touch rushed, the supposed poignancy of the epilogue not fully earned by the preceding pages and the speculative content comes down to trappings. There are two more novels to come, though.

[Kaila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through Goodreads.

The premise of this book sounds exciting and fun. Time travel, mystery, adventure, and a secret which must be protected. The actual story itself, not so much. Unfortunately the execution is rather lacking leading to lackluster read where the 'love story' is the main element and the promised excitement is almost non-existent. That isn't to say that this story is wholly bad, but Caltabiano has a lot to improve on (and no doubt she will).

This begins with the writing. Unfortunately my first impression was a poor one as the writing in this book begins stiffly and awkwardly, and while it improves a little as we get further into the book part of this is due to the reader becoming used to it. There's a lot of explanation in this style, a lot of "telling" that is unfortunately very easy to do in first person.

My second impression was how unbelievable certain events, decisions, and thinkings of the characters were, beginning with Cynthia, the protagonist, and moving on to Henley, the 'love interest'. This theme continues throughout the book until you accept the story for what it is: a love-at-first-sight-story with no grounding in reality. This isn't uncommon in some of the romance stories I've read however, it just *fingers twitch*. It was sort of flat for me, too.

Cynthia, as a character, simply takes everything in her stride far too easily. She accepts her new situation far too easily, and adapts far too quickly. She's so passive and meek and there's no depth to her at all. Some of this could be attributed to the fact that they are all Miss Hatfield and they lose who they were, but this is certainly not the case right near the beginning.

My major problem, also, is that this was an eleven year old girl - she might have been aged up, but she is, to all intents and purposes, still that eleven year old. I honestly feel we could have done with less romance and more action, more of the time-travel, history of Hatfield, and the mysterious stranger that the blurb promises is following her about but doesn't actually seem to appear.

And lastly there was no real sense of urgency or conflict in this story. Everything felt sort of shallow and bland, never really drawing me in.

So, that's the bad. The good is that the book is actually a light, quick read. A few snippets here and there made me smile once the two sisters arrived, and the ending was quite nice. I have a feeling that the target audience would enjoy this more than I did as it really does lend itself towards young teenage girls, despite the slow placing.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought: Any Amount of Books, 56 Charing Cross Rd, Covent Garden, London

*sigh*
I knew, I KNEW what I was getting myself into.
I mean I don’t usually read books that’s rated under 3 stars.
But I’ve found this book at the “Any Amount of Books”: a bookstore in Charing Cross Road, and I’ve been loving the cover design even before I found the actual book at the bookstore (then lost interest because of the reviews.) ...so. Yeah.

I had really REALLY low expectations for this book.
But the book was much much worse than I thought it would be.
And I don’t mean this book is one of those books that make you so angry that you want to burn or destroy your book. No this book is not even that.
This book is just boring. BORING.
Nothing happens and the protagonist does nothing but to lament that she’s immortal now and can’t spend the rest of her life with the guy she just met (and to think that she was only 10 before she was tricked into being what she is right now)
It was so MEH.

I love time travel stories.
I love period dramas.
I love love stories.
I love sad and beautiful stories.
This book had all of those ingredients but somehow made it so dull, boring, and shallow.

You know when you go to Wholefoods and smell the food and you think “mmm smells good! I might get some of the foods for dinner” and when you actually eat it, all the food tastes the same and it’s not BAD but just “meh”?
That’s what it felt like to read this book.

Boring characters, boring storyline.
Disappointing.

(while I was reading this book, I found out that:
1. She lives close to my parents' house
2. She was 17 when she wrote this
...and I admire the fact that she could publish her book at that age, but seriously, quality is important too. ... I wonder if this series gets better in 2nd and 3rd book.... neh. Not worth seeking the book.)

[Nic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review originally published in SFX magazine, 2014. 1.5 stars.

--

The headline news about The Seventh Miss Hatfield isn’t the book, but the author; perhaps inevitably, since Caltabiano is all of seventeen years old. Alas, the novelty of the author’s youth just isn’t enough to sustain interest through a pretty forgettable tale of true lurve thwarted by circumstances. Even when those circumstances include time travel.

After a creepy encounter with a mysterious, manipulative neighbour (easily the best sequence in the novel), eleven-year-old Cynthia finds herself trapped in the immortal body of a young woman. Now the seventh in a dynasty of unageing women sharing the name of Miss Rebecca Hatfield, she barely has chance to draw breath before she’s been catapulted back to turn-of-the-century New York. Before you can say lace and corsets, Cynthia has talked her way into a well-to-do household, and faces long, terrible weeks of horseriding and being bought piles of lovely dresses by the heir to the estate, who (naturally) develops a massive crush on her.

Readers around Cynthia’s age may imprint on the time-cross’d lovers; anyone older will be wincing at social commentary that confesses envy of servants because at least they know their place. With the smarter, sharper and more entertaining likes of Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness and Malorie Blackman lined up in competition, this is one young adult book that’s unlikely to cross over into the adult market.

[Anne Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seventh Miss Hatfield
by Anna Caltabiano

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars
Cynthia is a normal 11 year old, she still plays with dolls much to her mothers horror but she also has a friend she goes to Julia who lives down the street.

The thing bout Cynthia is the normal life is about to end, she is destined for something not normal but adventures that she never dreamed off.

Miss Hatfield has moved in to the neighbour hood and there is something strange about her but Cynthia is drawn to her door - and once inside she enters a very different world never to be seen in her world again.

Dressed in a corset and a dress from the early 20th century she has a mission given to her by miss Rebecca Hatfield. She must find a portrait and steal it from the man that has it.

How was this to be accomplished well that is something she need to work out.

Dropped into a period of history she does not know - into a family house where she does not belong the story unfolds and as small truths are reviled the story starts to make sense. Well written a clever story of love and honour.

[Linnea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so annoying! Partly because it started so well. The beginning felt weird and interesting. It started with several mysterious situations and it seemed like the whole book would be unpredictable and exciting, but it soon settled into a very predictable story that just dragged for most of the three hundred pages of the book. There were a few interesting ideas about time-travel and immortality, but the book resolutely stayed away from delving into anything that would have made things more fun. I couldn't wait to get to the end to see what happened to the immortal heroine, but, without spoiling things, the end turned out to be just as disappointing as the rest of the book. I can't believe there are more of these.

I will say, the binding was really nice. Good hand-feel.

[Ki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the ideas in this book, however I think the author may have had few too many ideas all in the one book, it would have been nice to read a little more on each of the ideas - rather than have them all crammed in one book.

The beginning of this book was awfully hard to follow, with the quick transition from one plot to another - and the author nearly skips over what could have been a riveting story about the 'hatfeild' origin. I feel like the start of the book with the waters of lake Ismelda and immortality was one idea - and then the whole plot about the relationship with the man in 1904 was another.

Yes, they do get more tied together - however, I believe that the link is a weak one - with the whole 'luke I am your father moment' never played out.