The Curse in the Candlelight

Scarlet and Ivy #5

by Sophie Cleverly

There’s a new girl at Rookwood School, and new mystery for Scarlet and Ivy to solve.

It’s a brand-new term for Scarlet and Ivy, and the girls are intrigued by a fascinating new girl, Ebony. She’s as enchanting as she is mysterious, and she’s began to gather quite the following – in fact, most of the younger girls appear to be under her spell.

But rumours swirl like ghosts around Ebony, and not all of them are nice. And when a prank on All Hallow’s Eve goes horribly wrong, it’s Ebony who gets the blame.

Ivy and Scarlet aren’t so sure. There might be more to Ebony than meets the eye, but surely she’s not dangerous? But if it’s not Ebony, then who or what is to blame?

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Historical, Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Young Adult

379 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2017

About the author

Sophie Cleverly was born in Bath in 1989. She studied for a BA in Creative Writing and an MA in Writing For Young People. She is the author of the SCARLET AND IVY series and THE VIOLET VEIL MYSTERIES, which are published in English by HarperCollins worldwide and are being translated into many different languages.

Aside from writing, she can often be found blogging about symphonic metal, watching fantastical TV and struggling to find her way out of her ever-increasing pile of books.

Reviews

[bookworm ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

rtccc
preread 🕯️🏫
god i haven’t read this for so long. i was obsessed with this series in year 3-4 so taking a dive back into one of my favourite worlds- rook wood!!

[Gouri Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I CAN’T TELL HOW PUZZLED I WAS WHILST READING THE BOOK❤️❤️ The ending was SUPERBBB!!!!!!!

OK!!!! THIS WAS AS GOOD AS THE FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH BOOK!!! I LOVED IT SOOO MUCHH!!!!!! So in this book… we meet with two new characters…Ebony-The magical weird girl and Muriel-Ariadne’s previous bully….My favourite one was Ebony because she was interesting!!!

I loved every thing about this book…. Everything was so puzzling but the ending cleared everything❤️ I LOVED HOW BRAVE ARIADNE ACTED….AGAIN!!!!💕💕 She is probably my favourite character…after Scarlet and Ivy😂 I loved how she played an important role!!! Okay , I was surprised to see Penny changed…well..she didn’t interfere in people’s business much but she still kept on saying scary things too Scarlet😂

This book was really creepy to be honest😰 I loved all those magical vibes and charms!!!❤️ The ending was really gripping and was beyond my expectations….. though I almost guessed it😂 And I really love Mrs.Sophie Cleverly’s writing style!!💕
LOVED IT!!!❤️

[Sophia Luo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Oh my gosh this book is so scary.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! The series has never disappointed me! I love the plot and the characters, hopefully there will be another one!

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to boarding school! I'm a little sad that the series is almost over and that these are the last two books and that then there is no more. (Will there be more? I didn't check that, but since it's the last year at the academy, I assume there's not.) Even though those books are not masterpieces or must reads, they are amazingly well done boarding school books. They really remind me of the boarding school stories I love so much as a kid.

And this book might be my favorite of the series (so far, there's one more, so who knows!). The atmosphere and vibe in this book is amazingly well done. There's really the sense of magic in the air and even though at some point I started to piece the entire picture together, I was constantly on the edge of my seat to discover what would happen next. This book most certainly has the darkest vibe, mostly because Cleverly really wrote down the twins' experiences very well.

I really love how in this book all relationships and friendships are challenged. I love Ariadne and I love the twins and I love them working as a trio, but it's the personal issues they have, the distrust between them and the secrets they keep that really make this story extra suspenseful. We know what's at stake, we know how amazing these girls are as a team and we know what happens when they break up. It's a really thrilling ride this way.

I also love how Scarlet and Ivy keep on growing and learning. In this book Scarlet actually kind of learns that sometimes control is a good thing and that good things happen to those who wait. And it's Ivy who learns that some people are worth breaking rules for and are worth taking risks for. I still think their narratives are hard to tell apart, it's mostly their behavior that gives it away, but the story is too amazing to be bothered by that.

[Yalda · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/5⭐️
.
امروز صبح اسکارلت و آیوی تموم شد🙂
من کلا این مجموعه‌رو دوست دارم🙂
متنش خیلی روونه و راحت میشه یکی دو روزه تمومش کرد و خب خوندنش هم حس خوبی داره🙂🥲
اگر یه کتاب سبک می‌خواین که بین کتاباتون بخونین، یا سنتون کمتره میتونه انتخاب خوبی باشه🙂🤌🏻

[Seawood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a free ARC ebook via NetGalley. This does not affect my review.

I'm happily surprised by The Curse in the Candlelight - this is the first I've read in the series and my heart sank when I realised it was book five. However, at no point do you feel excluded from what's gone before - the exposition is handled deftly so that you get a feel for the girls' previous adventures, but are neither bogged down in detail nor left with questions which interfere with the plot.

Curse in the Candlelight builds the tension neatly - it's rather a Goldilocks of a book in terms of plotting. Not too fast and not too slow, leaving you with a book you're keen to continue without feeling rushed. The pacing is just right and develops all of the characters towards a satisfying conclusion. I liked Scarlet and Ivy immediately; their voices are distinct and complementary, and I look forward to reading more of their adventures (in any order!). I would also definitely put this series on my wishlist to buy for the school library as some of my Y5s have just discovered mystery as a genre and I think it would be ideal.

[Mollie Fredrickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great instalment. Yet again Cleverly has brought us a charismatic, intriguing, and emotional story. I have to admit though, the opening scene was extremely frustrating, and got me annoyed, the way Scarlet and Ivy’s step-mother treats them is quite infuriating. But apart from that, the story was mysterious and gripping. I can’t wait for the next story in January... like seriously... I can’t wait.

[Joey Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a new school year at Rookwood, which comes with new students and new students means new bullies, old bullies and a whole trail of new mysteries. Ariadne is forced to share a room with her nemesis and former bully Muriel, Ebony the new Scottish student enchants everyone believing she is a witch and can curse people. All whilst Scarlet and Ivy are on their last warning before expulsion.

One thing that shocked me was that the girls turned 14, they certainly don’t act that age nor in my imagination they were no more than between 10-12 years old. That was certainly a big shocker when I first started to read this fifth book in the series.

This was really great read, I liked that we were starting a whole new year, we got so many new students arriving which really made it fun. The fact that we got such an enchanting character arrive who took so much limelight at the school, captivating everyone made it so much fun. I was loving all the witchy stuff, it was mysterious and magical.

I felt so sad for Ariadne I wasn’t sure how she was falling for Muriel being nice to her honestly, she was very transparent to me that she hadn’t changed and even Scarlet and Ivy weren’t certain of her. It was just really sad seeing Ariadne have to go through so much pain through the story.

So much happened from all the spells and curses, to the trickery and bullying, to the fear of the girls being forced out of the school. It was honestly so gripping this one, I really enjoyed all the magic and witchiness included in it.

[Claire ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE CURSE IN THE CANDLELIGHT brings magic and mysticism to Rookwood. Coupled with a unique new character and a fun mystery, fans won't want to miss the penultimate instalment of SCARLET & IVY.

It's a new year at Rookwood – and with it brings Ebony McCloud, a mysterious new student who quickly enraptures the school. When Ebony curses another student to go missing, Scarlet and Ivy must unravel the mystery surrounding her, before their own time at Rookwood comes to an end...

I think the pause in reading did me some good, because I enjoyed this one much more than both DANCE and LIGHTS. THE CURSE IN THE CANDLELIGHT brings a pinch of much-needed mysticism to the series, with the girls involved in spooky séances, wondrous card tricks, and Halloween frights.

A lot of my previous qualms of the series remain, namely Scarlet and Ivy's identical POVs, but I've talked about it so much in previous reviews that I don't see the point doing so here. I liked the new students Ebony and Muriel, especially Ebony, with her otherworldly, ethereal attitude. The almost supernatural element to her character was portrayed really well. There's less Rose in this one, but her story was wrapped up so nicely in the last book that I'm not too mad.

I'm conflicted about the ending. The mystery is explained by a, frankly weird, bait-and-switch, but I liked the conclusion to it. Ariadne has a wonderful moment of growth that I loved.

A good book overall. Not as good as LOST TWIN, but at this point I don't think anything will top it.

WILL I READ ON? Yes. I can't believe it's the last book now!

LAST REVIEW || 1: THE LOST TWIN || 2: THE WHISPERS IN THE WALLS || 3: THE DANCE IN THE DARK || 4: THE LIGHTS UNDER THE LAKE || 6: THE LAST SECRET

[Olivia Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOSH. I actually cannot express how much I love this book it’s so so so so so good I literally cannot. Best book in the series by far.

This book hands down has the BEST CHARACTERS YET. It is the most different from the other books cause it introduces new themes and ideas that haven’t been discussed yet. It also seems so random at first but then it all clicks Into place as you keep reading.

ALSO THE PLOT TWIST AT THE END LITERALLY HAD ME SCREAMING 😱

Also Ebony is just ✨amazing✨ you will see who I’m talking about when you read it 😏

Ok I’m gonna stop raving about how good this is and just have u read it yourself. I hope you love it as much as I do ❤️

[The Teacher's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

This one got really dark! By the end, I'm pretty sure I understand what the author was trying to do.

Now anticipating the final book, I'm interested to see how it ends!

[16BlandfordI · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! An unexpected ending as always, and the mystery! I would recommend this book to anyone who has really enjoyed the other Scarlet and Ivy stories.

[Lois Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scarlet And Ivy is a brilliant series involving mystery and adventure. I recommend it to read. This book is great if you like books involving magic and trickery. It makes a great read. 👍

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good book with a great twist (completely took me by surprise), and a nice ending

[Raneem · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[palak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it

[Iyla]

Love it sooooooooooo much it’s
awesome 😀 i am on to the last book now!!!😀😀😜
I just adore 🥰 this series of books

[Isha Fathima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bro am not even kidding this book is so freaking nice i just absolutely loved it a book that made me excited, angry, excitement 😁 and much more.litrely at one point I almost cried I thought this was fantasy but no and am happy about it so so so ❣️ much 💗 I am surely gonna get jealous at any one who ca read it for the first time ⊂⁠(⁠◉⁠‿⁠◉⁠)⁠つ(⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つʕ⁠っ⁠•⁠ᴥ⁠•⁠ʔ⁠っ༼⁠ ⁠つ⁠ ⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠ ⁠༽⁠つ

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had originally been reading this series out loud to my little sisters, but one of them got old and went to university, so this book has been half read for an almost two full years. Because of this, this review will be brief.

The fifth book in the Scarlet and Ivy series doesn't fail to keep the dark atmosphere of Rookwood School that was prevalent in the first one. In Curse in the Candlelight, however, we get a spookier twist as Scarlet, Ivy, and Ariadne are faced with trying to uncover the secrets of the new girl at school, Ebony McCloud, who seems to have bewitched the students and teachers alike! The story is fun, exciting, and full of questions as to how Ebony has such power over Rookwood and what her true motive is for cursing students and manipulating staff.

One of the things I do love about Scarlet and Ivy is that often the solution reveals itself to be no more than smoke and mirrors. Ebony not being an actual witch, and Muriel still being a bully out for revenge fits with the consistent message of the series: sometimes the most difficult things we face in life are vengeful, hateful, and wicked people rather than supernatural events..

I really commend Sophie Cleverly for making the girls always so realistic to their ages and so enjoyable to read. When I finally picked the book up to finish it by myself, I couldn't put it down until I was done. Scarlet and Ivy are just too captivating! I also appreciated Cleverly for pushing the message that forgiveness is not for the person who hurt us; forgiveness is for us, to not let ourselves be trapped and consumed by the hurt. She never makes it out to be an easy thing, and sometimes characters (like Penny) don't change enough to be considered friends. However, forgiving them allows us and the characters to move on from that and go forward into the next adventure.

[Booklover221 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about ‘page-turner’!?? I could not put this book down, I’d finished this in just two days!! Partly because I was also tempted to read through the day. Usually I have a rule to only read at night or when I’m in bed, however, this was just such a great story!

This has a VERY satisfying ending, but with an ‘opening’ that makes you want to read on by CHOICE! (a different kind of thing altogether)

Ivy had a twin sister ‘Scarlet’, who dies mysteriously. Ivy is then, bizarrely, forced to take her place at the school where she was boarded – but it’s all cockeyed as to why she’s really there, and what actually happened to her sister. Instead she has to piece it together by locating portions of Scarlet’s diary from strange places. To say more would only serve to spoil the plot for those yet to read this riveting book, but it’s full of great characters that you won’t forget or get confused over, and they have substance so you always know who’s who – even those with smaller roles.

I LOVED this book, and unusual for me as l prefer romantic novels, will most definitely be reading the rest in the series.

Five stars from me!

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 5th in the Scarlet and Ivy series was as gothic and mysterious as ever, as new pupil Ebony McCloud arrives, and seems to have an unnatural influence over both pupils at Rookwood and the staff. I still loved both of the twins, but funny, feisty Scarlet is my favourite for sure, and I`m so glad we now have a dual narrative that includes both the twins so I can have both perspectives. Another interesting point of this was that the relationship between the twins and their friend Ariadne was further explored, and it felt like a realistic scenario of not knowing how to fit in with each other and the tensions that could cause, and also touched on the idea of giving people a second chance. The mystery itself was also rather creepy, and I had no idea what would happen till almost the very end (I am far too easy to fool with mystery books, even though I read loads of them!), which kept me hooked. If you want spooky and creepy MG mysteries with a hint of possible magic that still have a sense of humour, these are the books for you. 4.5/5

[Sophia Medler · Rating 5 out of 5]

⚠️SPOILER ALERT⚠️⚠️I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK ❤️👍👍 It was soo good. I was never going to expect the ending… ⚠️SPOILER ALERT⚠️ what really surprised me that Ebony was actually not as dark as you thought she was. She really likes pink and I thought her farther was cursing the school as well be he actually turned out tob be really nice. I was not expecting MURIEL to be the actual one behind this! Sophie Cleverly is just becoming a GREATER author ✍️ in every book she publishes. CANT Wait to read the final book 📖.I also loved the bit where They get captured but my favourite character had to be Ebony or Rose. Even though rose was rarely mentioned I still thought she was one of the best. I LOVED IT ON HALLOWS EVE WHEN ROSE GAS A CROWN MADE OUT OF ROSES!!!! I just think rose is sooo cute. Ofcorse I also love ❤️ Scarlett And Ivy and I like Ariadne as well. Hope this review find you well 😊👏 Have a good day.

[Rogerio · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter was very exciting and waiting for book 5 to come out. So I ended up reading it too. It is Cleverly written of course but I felt the story is now weaker than the first 3 books had set out to. It looks very much like an "episode" than a continuation. I also think she gives too much away in the beginning which makes you understand who is possibly behind the whole "witch" action, while previously you had to guess much harder how things were going to end.
It is also much darker than the previous books making it dissimilar to school kids day-to-day life (while previous books had better links). My daughter had to teach me that each book has the story focusing on a girl's past. This one was Ariadne's time, while the one by the Lake were Rose's and so on. It is clever of her to have noticed that and it makes it more understandable.

[Victoria B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another clever Scarlet & Ivy book with a plot twist. (As an adult, I saw the ending coming, but my kids didn't.) Great action, good dialogue - although we really could've gone without the swear words.

Notes:
- Editing: Several quotation marks were missing throughout the book.
- Character development: Scarlet seems to have toned down a LOT since series began. Idk if this is the character evolving/maturing or if this was to let Ebony's actions be more prominent. Same with Penny. Hoping that when I read next in series, they haven't just reverted back b/c I hate Inconsistency.
- Storyline: Each book in the series seems to get a little darker. But at least the antagonist isn't an evil adult this time - bad people can be anyone (however, the character in question *really* has issues and needs a therapist; this is practically mental illness).

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up on a whim as I searched for something to listen to while on hold for several other audiobooks. This book was absolutely delightful, and I'm a little shocked that I've never heard of this series before! Ideally I would have liked to start with book 1, but an audiobook is not an option for books 1 and 2 and I took what was available of the rest of the books in the series. There were references to previous books, but I got ahold of the characters and the plot no problem. Twins, Scarlet and Ivy, are so fun. I really liked their best friend, Ariadne, as well. Fun mysterious plot + great characters = an exciting book perfect for young girls. Sarah Ovens did a phenomenal job narrating!

[Holli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had so looked forward to this Halloween tale. Unfortunately, it was a big let down for me. It took me over a year to read it. I know the author suffers from an illness and had a child. Maybe this book was written then. No one can be expected to put out their best work while enduring such things.
Kids may like it. However, the scenes were not fleshed out and details would have worked so well here. Sights, sounds, smells, chills down our backs, foods, etc.
I am not sure if children will find this scary. I did not even find it to be eerie. It could be to certain children. It depends on whether or not they find the idea of a witch to be scary. Nothing too dramatic tho.
Looking forward to the last in the mirror twin series.

[Char_and_her_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll try not to have to many spoilers. Today i just finished reading the book 'The Curse In The Candle Light'. i really enjoyed this book, the way Cleverly crafted the book around the character Ebony was amazing. I loved how Cleverly brought in old characters from some of the characters past. The new characters are amazingly crafted and made to question who is really the victim in this. The book was well written and fun to read. We got an even better inside look on Ariadne past and a look at Scarlet and Ivy's home life. Cleverly gave us a look at the twins step-mother. In the next book i'm hoping to find out more about the step-mother and on who the twins mother is. Thank you for reading.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back at rookwood but with a more focussed storyline that really worked for me. No evil teachers, and no distractions, one storyline surrounding a couple of people. And it’s quite well handled too - nicely mysterious, but enough clues to be figuring things out.

And as much as I love the relationship between the twins and Ariadne, it was nice to see a little break in it, all friendships have their ups and downs after all.

Good old fashioned revenge plot. One of my least favourite tropes but handled well and for a reason that made sense for the person. 👍🏻

[Mohaddese · Rating 5 out of 5]

چقدر خوشحالم که دوباره به فضای مدرسه شبانه روزی برگشت...
دوباره محدودیت ها و عجیب بودن مدرسه و دوباره اتاق شماره ۱۳....خیلی خوب بود.
واقعا بینظیر بود.💕
بر خلاف کتاب قبل که داستان کاملا قابل پیش‌بینی بود، درمورد این جلد حتی به ذهنم خطور نمی‌کرد همچین اتفاقی بیوفته.
اوج کل ۶ جلد بنظرم این کتابه. شخصیت های جدید و اعتمادی که خواننده نمی‌تونه نسبت به‌ اونها داشته باشه...ابونی،موریل.... تا آخر داستان شخصیت ها شناخته نشده بودن و انسان رو تو دوراهی قرار میداد که به کی باید اعتماد کنه. تغییر پنی هم یکم برام عجیب بود (دوست داشتم هنوزم تو داستان و به عنوان نقش منفی باشه)
آخر کتاب هم خیلی خوب جمع شد.