The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag

This is the story of a magical place to escape to when real life gets to be a bit too much set in Cambridge. I didn’t LOVE it, but I enjoyed it.

Good points: 

The story was whimsical and fun.
I enjoyed the references to the literary greats in the book as well as other famous women in history and I want to go and read some of the other novels referenced in the book such as Rebecca. Middlemarch and A Room with a view.

Bad points:

Plot development was rather slow.

The narrative was sometimes confusing by the constant changing point of view.

It was predictable - unfortunately too cheesy and perfect.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

This is an adult fairy tale', with sex, deaths, and  swearing.

  The book contains wonder, enchantment and mystery.
  It contains medieval times, fairies, unicorns, witches, castles and a quest.
  It is full of details and a fast-moving plot.

 However, it lacks thrills and any sense of real danger.