Serafina is a young woman who is living secretly with her father in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate. She must always stay hidden and she spends her time sleeping by day and creeping by night. There is something unusual about Serafina, which turns out to be her saving grace when fighting against the Man in the Black Cloak, a mysterious creature who roams the corridors of Biltmore in the dark, kidnapping a child each night. No one knows what happens to these children, and Serafina takes it upon herself to save the children. Her secret is revealed, paving the way for a sequel!
The plot of this story intrigued me from the start. Adult readers and keen younger readers will likely figure out Serafina's secret early on, but that doesn't detract from the excitement of the story. This book makes me want to learn more about the history of Biltmore Estate and I'm sure I'll eagerly read the sequel(s?).
The one thing that truly bothered me about this book is the inconsistency with vocabulary and style in regard to the time period and region in the characters' dialogue. The elegant Mrs. Vanderbilt states in a very contemporary fashion: "That's not the norm." Serafina started the book using a country vernacular, coming across as an uneducated street urchin "Gotcha, ya nasty varmints!" to speaking more elegantly in the middle of the book, and back again. Consistency in the flow and style of the characters' speech would have improved the reading immensely for me.
All of that aside, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it for the 12-15 year old set. There are some frightening moments and descriptions of violence that may be disturbing to younger readers. I would advise parents to use caution when introducing this book to their younger children.
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