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The Caged Graves Dianne K Salerni Books

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The Caged Graves Dianne K Salerni Books

4.5 Surprising Stars.
This book wasn’t anywhere close to on my radar and I don’t think I would have given it a second look if a friend of mine Khanh hadn’t given it high marks it would have passed me by. That would have been a shame as it was a great YA historical mystery and romance.

Verity has lived with extended family for the last fifteen years ever since her mother died. Now at seventeen she has agreed to an arranged marriage and is coming back to the home and the father she left so many years ago. Verity has only corresponded in letters to the man she agreed to marry. She is so excited by the idea of Nate from the letters he sent and the gifts that came along with him that the actual man might not live up to the idea of the man.

“I’m not always a bumbling idiot,” he told her. “You make me nervous.”
Verity sucked in her breath, partly indignant, partly hurt, “I realize people may consider me outspoken and some may take offense. But I was taught that a woman has a right to express her opinions, and---“
“You’re beautiful,” he said bluntly, “and I didn’t expect you to be.”

Verity is seventeen and once meeting Nate she is having second thoughts about marrying him. He doesn’t seem like the same person she felt she knew in the letters. It seems as though Nate’s sisters and mother have had their hands in it and perhaps she has no idea who the man she is supposed to marry is. Her second thoughts are tested even further when the assistant to the town Doctor makes it clear that he also has an interesting in her.

“I think it is. It’s a land deal.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “That’s an unkind thing to say.”
He frowned. “Seeing this ring on your finger makes me feel unkind, Verity.”

Verity has notions of what love is but she struggles with the way each man makes her feel, uncertain what to do and feeling as though she has no one to confide in. Should she marry a man that might be interested in her father’s land and not as interested in her?

I normally despise love triangles, I hate them with a passion because quite simply they are normally wishy washy and I get mad at all parties involved. Sometimes I think it is a cop out by the author to not have a stronger plot for the story or they don’t know how to slowly build romantic tension without the addition of a third party. This is not the case in instance. This seemed like genuine concerns a girl in the early Nineteenth Century would face. Verity explores her feelings, she is honest and true with everyone in question and yes there are some speed bumps along the way but in the end she truly is able to discover what ‘love’ really is. As love triangles go it is minor and necessary to the development of the story.

You might think from my review that the romance is the majority of the story but actually there is so much more going on. Verity’s mother died of a strange sickness some considered a curse and is buried outside the cemetery with a cage around the grave. There is a stigma that follows Verity around and no one will give her a straight answer as to why the grave has been treated like that, all she knows is that it has something to do with her aunt who also died and possibly witchcraft or a lost revolutionary war treasure. The more she searches for answers the more weird events take placing including a someone messing with her mother’s diary and the pages right before her untimely death. I was engulfed in the mystery of the graves and the treasure. The ending of the mystery held enough surprises for me that I held on until that last second trying to work it out for myself before the big reveal.

Your enjoyment of the book will undoubtedly hinge on if you like Verity. I found her great as a heroine, she wasn’t perfect she made mistakes and owned them when they happened. She was incredibly likable for me as she struggled through trying to reconnect with the father she barely knows and town that she left behind so long ago. She was strong willed but still very real to the people around her.

Great if you like Historical Fiction, Mysteries, YA and a little bit of Romance.


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The Caged Graves Dianne K Salerni Books Reviews

When young Verity comes back home to Catawissa, her appearance sets off not one, but three mysteries for the reader Were her long-deceased mother and aunt witches? Is she now being haunted by a ghost? And will she give her heart to the workmanlike farmer, Nate, or the charismatic physician’s assistant, Hadley?

The teenage love triangle may not appeal to all readers, but it is sure to echo in the hearts of the young women who are the target audience. And for the rest of us, the book has enough twists to keep the pages turning. There are enough clues scattered about to keep the reader guessing and wanting to know if she or he got it right.

Most importantly, Dianne Salerni has an excellent writing style that keeps things smoothly flowing for the reader. Her characters are realistic and relatable, and she has an ability to draw the audience into a different place and time.
Verity is forced to leave the family she loves to marry a man she has never met, and live with a father she barely knows. What is a girl to do when she is the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons? Not only is she snatching up the most eligible bachelor in Catawissa, she is related to two women who were believed to partake in the devil’s work, and who were buried outside the graveyard, on unconsecrated ground. Bow her head and take it, I suppose? Not Verity Boone. Verity is determined to be in love with the man she marries, but she is even more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding her mother and aunt’s deaths, and Hell hath no fury like a woman who is told to “just let it go.”

The characters in The Caged Graves were wonderfully layered and personable, I found them all to be rather spirited and above all, believable. Verity is strong willed and brave, she has mastered that southern charm and when the ladies in town disrespect her she gives them an “oh bless your heart” right back. She’s not a fainter and it’s pointed out on quite a few occasions that she is “not a boy,” meaning, she doesn’t act properly all of the time and that means that she is a girl right after my own heart. Verity’s intended, Nate, is the man of the town, every lady had their sights set on him before Verity showed up, thus being the reason she needs to school quite a few of them in manners. In a nutshell, Nate is dark haired, devoted, sweet, and protective in a very tender manner. Where the ahem, other gentleman in Verity’s life, Hadley is a light eyed, ginger haired doctor who won’t hesitate to tell you what he wants and when he wants it. I’ll be honest, I didn’t like Nate at first, but I don’t think we are meant to. In fact, the first few meetings of Nate in comparison to the first few meetings of Hadley really show their differences and I wasn’t sure where my heart was headed for a while.

You may have heard a little something about a love triangle going on in The Caged Graves and readers, I can’t lie to you, it’s there. I can’t tell you how incredibly scared I was while reading (no seriously, ask my friends, it’s all I kept talking about) because I was so worried that this possible love triangle would turn into a SERIOUS PROBLEM, and my feelings would become conflicted with Verity’s and then at the conclusion I would be completely messed up wondering if I she made the right choice. Let me tell you, there were a few close calls, a few times I was wavering in my loyalties, but in the end I am thrilled with my Verity’s decision. So yes, there is a love triangle of sorts, but no, I don’t think that it controls the story at all. In fact, I think the relationships in the novel sit side by side with the mystery and they weave together quite nicely.

Ms. Salerni definitely has a knack for writing relationships of all kinds. I enjoyed the way Verity got to know Nate’s sisters, and her relationship with Beulah was rather fun and endearing. One thing I have to say is that I love, love, LOVE the way the author portrays the relationship between Verity and her father. The best thing about it is how much it grows through the novel, though her father seems a bit awkward and standoffish at first, the reader is really able to glimpse how much he loves his daughter under his hard exterior. It honestly reminded me a bit of my own father and melted my heart quite a bit.

The setting and plot of The Caged Graves was completely enthralling. As we gain glimpses into the past through Verity’s mother’s diaries we are able to work out the mystery as Verity does, little by little. The action was continuous and intriguing and though I may have figured out small bits of the mystery as we’re meant to, the ending really caught me off guard. I love when that happens.

On the whole, this novel was just right. It had just enough history that I didn’t feel overwhelmed by incessant facts, just enough paranormal elements that made it still completely believable, just enough mystery that had my mind constantly working trying to figure out what was going to happen next, and most importantly, it contained the perfect amount of stolen glances, tender kisses, and undeniable swoons.

The Caged Graves is a different novel than I am used to reading, and it is hard to place it in one category as it encompasses so many wonderful elements. If you’re looking for an immensely atmospheric, mysterious, and romantic read, I highly recommend that you pick this one up immediately.
A compelling gothic mystery story set in the 1800s. There is something about how the atmosphere of the novel that interest me most. It can be dragging at times (I misconstrued it as a paranormal story), but I love how authentic and well-written the characters are. The traditions and beliefs were there, the interactions of the people were so on-point in that era. I also enjoyed the love triangle so much, as it gives more depth to the characters especially to Verity Boone, who is trying to solve the mystery of why her mother’s grave was caged along with another tombstone. The grand gesture of Verity in the end made up for the moments I thought that this could have been a failed attempt at inserting a romance subplot to attract readers.
4.5 Surprising Stars.
This book wasn’t anywhere close to on my radar and I don’t think I would have given it a second look if a friend of mine Khanh hadn’t given it high marks it would have passed me by. That would have been a shame as it was a great YA historical mystery and romance.

Verity has lived with extended family for the last fifteen years ever since her mother died. Now at seventeen she has agreed to an arranged marriage and is coming back to the home and the father she left so many years ago. Verity has only corresponded in letters to the man she agreed to marry. She is so excited by the idea of Nate from the letters he sent and the gifts that came along with him that the actual man might not live up to the idea of the man.

“I’m not always a bumbling idiot,” he told her. “You make me nervous.”
Verity sucked in her breath, partly indignant, partly hurt, “I realize people may consider me outspoken and some may take offense. But I was taught that a woman has a right to express her opinions, and---“
“You’re beautiful,” he said bluntly, “and I didn’t expect you to be.”

Verity is seventeen and once meeting Nate she is having second thoughts about marrying him. He doesn’t seem like the same person she felt she knew in the letters. It seems as though Nate’s sisters and mother have had their hands in it and perhaps she has no idea who the man she is supposed to marry is. Her second thoughts are tested even further when the assistant to the town Doctor makes it clear that he also has an interesting in her.

“I think it is. It’s a land deal.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “That’s an unkind thing to say.”
He frowned. “Seeing this ring on your finger makes me feel unkind, Verity.”

Verity has notions of what love is but she struggles with the way each man makes her feel, uncertain what to do and feeling as though she has no one to confide in. Should she marry a man that might be interested in her father’s land and not as interested in her?

I normally despise love triangles, I hate them with a passion because quite simply they are normally wishy washy and I get mad at all parties involved. Sometimes I think it is a cop out by the author to not have a stronger plot for the story or they don’t know how to slowly build romantic tension without the addition of a third party. This is not the case in instance. This seemed like genuine concerns a girl in the early Nineteenth Century would face. Verity explores her feelings, she is honest and true with everyone in question and yes there are some speed bumps along the way but in the end she truly is able to discover what ‘love’ really is. As love triangles go it is minor and necessary to the development of the story.

You might think from my review that the romance is the majority of the story but actually there is so much more going on. Verity’s mother died of a strange sickness some considered a curse and is buried outside the cemetery with a cage around the grave. There is a stigma that follows Verity around and no one will give her a straight answer as to why the grave has been treated like that, all she knows is that it has something to do with her aunt who also died and possibly witchcraft or a lost revolutionary war treasure. The more she searches for answers the more weird events take placing including a someone messing with her mother’s diary and the pages right before her untimely death. I was engulfed in the mystery of the graves and the treasure. The ending of the mystery held enough surprises for me that I held on until that last second trying to work it out for myself before the big reveal.

Your enjoyment of the book will undoubtedly hinge on if you like Verity. I found her great as a heroine, she wasn’t perfect she made mistakes and owned them when they happened. She was incredibly likable for me as she struggled through trying to reconnect with the father she barely knows and town that she left behind so long ago. She was strong willed but still very real to the people around her.

Great if you like Historical Fiction, Mysteries, YA and a little bit of Romance.