The Formidable Miss Cassidy DEALS
A historical fiction novel can be a tricky one to write. Some time periods are difficult to depict accurately on the page, and often the time taken to describe them can lead to a slog of a read with no true plotline. I’m thankful that this was not the case with Meihan Boey’s latest release, The Formidable Miss Cassidy.
What do you get when you take a novel set in the late 1800s, add a cast of quirky characters who need saving, a strong-willed and – for lack of a better term – formidable lead, and add a dash of ancient magic? Well, you get an all-around great read.
Huge thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an ARC of The Formidable Miss Cassidy for review. Minor spoilers ahead!
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The Formidable Miss Cassidy Summary
Miss Leda Cassidy is an expert in every manner of crisis that you can imagine. She teaches English to distracted girls, provides companionship to a melancholic teenager, and tackles the occasional haunting.
In 1895, she travels from Scotland to British Malaya to take a job as a companion to Sarah Jane Bendemeer, the lonely – and sometimes overly dramatic – daughter of Captain James Bendemeer of the East India Company.
When Miss Cassidy realizes that the Bendemeer family is being plagued by an entity slowly feeding off of them, she immediately sets out to save the captain and Sarah Jane. But she’ll soon learn that there are multiple families in British Malaya in need of her unique abilities. It seems that as soon as one paranormal door closes, another opens in its place.
The ghosts are there, regardless of whether you see them. They are, by and large, quite harmless creatures.
Miss Cassidy finds herself working double time to help rid families in the area of the hair-raising beings attempting to harm them. The longer she remains, the more Leda begins to worry that this latest case may be her last.
Old Magic At Work
The Formidable Miss Cassidy keeps the reader entertained by leaving breadcrumbs throughout its narrative, providing us with a guessing game of sorts. Where do Miss Cassidy’s abilities come from? What are the entities that are haunting the families? What are other characters potentially hiding about their identities? The level of mystery through each chapter keeps us flipping the page and looking for answers.
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Strengths
Characters
Much of the enjoyment of The Formidable Miss Cassidy comes from its characters, particularly the titular lead. Leda Cassidy’s sharp-witted, straightforward manner endears her to those she helps as well as to the reader.
I appreciated her occasional sarcasm and consistent pragmatism, and I never found myself questioning her ability to investigate and determine the root causes of the afflictions upon the people with whom she comes into contact, and instead found myself simply knowing that she would find an answer, a solution, and save them.
Her demeanor perfectly suits her designation of companion and teacher, allowing her to help the doleful Sara Jane come out of her shell, as well as providing direction to the Kay twins and allowing them to finally grow and learn.
I did find myself particularly enjoying her banter with Mr. Kay. Their back and forth is at once charming and provides insight into both characters. The aging businessman is shrewd and savvy, and seeing this seemingly closed-off man willing to open up to someone added a level of relatability to his character.
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The other standout aspect of the story is the mystery surrounding not only the hauntings that the characters are experiencing, but also the mystery surrounding the protagonist herself.
Miss Cassidy is a woman of many fascinating abilities, and author Meihan Boey provides us with just enough backstory to keep her shrouded in an air of mystery.
Weaknesses
While I enjoyed the overall plot and character development, I did feel that the pacing in the novel was quite slow in its first half. I appreciate the amount of buildup and the opportunity to become comfortable with the setting; however, there were a number of early chapters that felt like they lagged or didn’t seem to add to the story itself.
That said, I can also appreciate how Miss Cassidy is also a work of historical fiction, and the genre can lend itself to a slower build, much better than others can.
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Verdict
In spite of a slow start, The Formidable Miss Cassidy is a charming and whimsical period piece that combines elements of mysticism from multiple parts of the globe. The novel does not place a divide between them, instead highlighting how various magicks can work in tandem with one another.
It is a story of ancient entities in a more modern setting, how they evolve and take new shapes in a society that would likely shun them in their true forms.
If you’re in the market for a period piece that combines magic, humour, and mystery, it’s sure to tick all of your boxes. The Formidable Miss Cassidy is now available wherever books are sold!
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The Review
The Formidable Miss Cassidy
The Formidable Miss Cassidy is a charming and whimsical period piece that combines elements of mysticism from multiple parts of the globe.
PROS
- Characters
- Banter
- Setting
- Storyline
CONS
- Pacing
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