The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson begins in 1730 with seven-year-old Red, daughter of a cunning man, as they travel the Cornish countryside telling fortunes. Red is knowledgeable of the mystical “Square of Sevens,” a type of tarot card fortune telling using playing cards. But when Red’s father dies and she is taken in by a good samartian, Mr. Antrobus of Bath, her life takes an unexpected turn. As the story unfolds, Red (now Rachel, ) begins to discover her true heritage–she is related to a powerful and wealthy family at the center of a heated inheritance court case.
Red/Rachel soon ingratiates herself with this family, traveling to their country home to tell fortunes–specifically the woman Red/Rachel believes to be her grandmother. Intrigue and mystery abounds as Red digs into the family’s sordid past using manipulations and tricks from her past, like lock picking, to discover documents holding the truths of the past. Meanwhile, her adversary, Mr. Lazarus Darke, tries to stay one step ahead of her to prove her presumed lies wrong.
I don’t want to give much away in this review as this book is filled with surprises, twists, and bombshells (especially toward the end!) What I will say, however, is that the story you think you’ve been reading the whole time isn’t actually the story. In fact, things turn quite meta toward the end (which is explained in the author’s note.) I think I’m fairly good at predicting story lines, and some things I did guess correct in Square, but all the twists toward the end I could not have predicted. Laura Shepherd-Robinson has so cleverly constructed this narrative and tightly packed its intricacies. There were a few times I got confused by little hints or details as Red uncovered her family mystery that I had to go back and read them, which I believe just goes to show how thoughtful and detail-oriented Laura Shepherd-Robinson was in writing Square. Not many books can make me stay up until the wee hours finishing it because I so badly want to know what happens next! I also clearly envisioned Square of Sevens as a mini-series as I was reading (think Harlots meets Poldark,) so I would love to see this picked up by a network!
The Square of Sevens is currently out in the UK and will be released in the US on Sept. 5, 2023
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