The Perilous Gard - Elizabeth Marie Pope

A careless letter vaunting Queen Mary’s ill treatment of her sister, Princess Elizabeth, results in unjust banishment. Kate Sutton is sent off to Elvenwood Hall, otherwise called the Perilous Gard, to be put in the care of Sir Geoffrey Heron. Elvenwood is dusty and musty, and the land around it is forgotten and – possibly – haunted?

Sir Geoffrey leaves the Hall almost as soon as he arrives with Kate, but she strikes up an odd relationship with his brother, Christopher Heron. He tells Kate that he is guilty of killing Sir Geoffrey’s only daughter. Really, no one, not even Christopher, knows what actually happened to her. Could ghosts be the only explanation?

Meanwhile, Kate’s teacher at Elvenwood plots to take over the castle while Sir Geoffrey is away. He needs a way to get rid of Kate, and he knows just how to do it.

The Perilous Gard, by Elizabeth Marie Pope is combined of mystic practices, spirits, interesting characters, and an air of mystery. This was a good story, but I found it a little hard to follow, partly because of the long, explanatory dialogue in some places. It also didn’t have enough action for me. But the plot is well thought out, and I enjoyed the ballad bits scattered throughout the text. Three stars is the rating that this book gets on my list.