Historical fiction set in the 1800s with a dark back story? BIG YEP to The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby.

The plot:

Birmingham, 1885:

Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.

Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment.

But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora?

You are teased with information

A challenging protagonist and a journey which at times will make your skin crawl, and at others make you cry, I found this book so very interesting and well done.

I predicted what was going to happen, but I have read a lot of other reviews for this book, and people are saying that a lot of the aspects did come as a shocker, and I can totally understand why. These aspects are great, and I LOVED one part, even though I guessed it. Soooooo clever.

Kirby’s writing is immaculate. It’s so detailed and I loved how the tone changed and included quarterly articles; it made the book so gripping whilst also letting the reader ponder on their own thoughts and adds an extra depth to the book itself.

You can really tell the attitude towards females in the 1800s, and I tell ya, it is not good. It’s so interesting to read about it from different perspectives and ties in with the historical fiction side.

In true Nicole fashion, I looked up everything after reading this book, and was fascinated by the true aspects. It helped with imagining how real this could have been, and you can clearly see the author has done their research.

The Conviction of Cora Burns is a slow-burning book from my point of view; it did get dark on occasions, and escalated quickly, but it all built up towards the ending which I really enjoyed. You are teased with information to keep you engaged and on the edge of your seat.

It was well worth the read, I just think there were some parts which didn’t need to be so ‘fluffed’, if you know what I mean?

The Conviction of Cora Burns, Carolyn Kirby, RRP £12.99 (paperback); Book Depository 

Pages: 329

Publisher: No Exit Press

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Thriller