The Pure Heart

When teen Iseabail of Hebridean Island is summoned to the house of a wealthy merchant to be a companion for his daughter, her life takes a chilling turn. Here, Iseabail recognizes a sinister vibe and she knows there is something not quite right with the house. As Iseabail discovers more and more unnerving secrets, she wonders if she will make it back home to her beloved Hebridean Island, before it is too late.

I enjoyed the storyline of this book which I thought was very original. I was astonished by the ending which I liked as I hadn’t been expecting it. To me, the story of this novel reminded me very much of ‘Jane Eyre’ and I think that this is a worthy option for those who feel they are too young to read ‘Jane Eyre’. 

As a fourteen-year-old, I found this style of writing a little too basic and think that it is perhaps wrongly marked as ‘young adult’.  I think this book would be better suited for readers around the ages of nine to twelve.

Rebecca Downey, teen reviewer