Review: Modern Gothic Tale
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 14, 2014
A beautiful, well-written tale, Finding Esta is a modern-day Gothic tale of a young woman who’s been victimized her entire life. Beaten, called horrendous names, sent to a strange doctor who performed tests on her, ridiculed, mocked and outright hated–all of this by her very own parents–Esta grows up as a young woman who wants her parents to love her. Her tenacity in attempting to find favor with her evil parents carries through to her job as a reporter.Author Shah Wharton has such a beautiful way with words that I was disappointed when the story was over. I’m a great fan of the old, horror stories like Dracula, Rebecca, and Wuthering Heights where the young, innocent woman is slowly being driven crazy by those around her. Finding Esta felt very reminiscent of that genre–a wonderfully creepy story perfect for a night snuggled under the blankets. Unlike the older versions, however, this story has many peripheral characters that charm and add dimension to the plot.The paranormal aspects of this story are realistic and brutal. This isn’t your Cinderella story Sister!! I don’t do spoilers so I can’t really tell anything about the plot but I can say that there are Vampires, Aliens, Werewolves, Ghosts, and other interesting creatures, including super hot guys, roaming the moors. As odd as this seems,  it works to create one of the most well-crafted alternate worlds that I’ve read in a long time. Wharton has a head for detail and the brains to bring it all together.Plus, she writes as if she knows what it’s like to be the outcast, the one who watches everyone else enjoy life. I have to give this five plus stars because I can NOT WAIT to read the next book in this series. I just have to find out what happens with the huge, motorcycle hunk and Esta;)