How to Seal Your Own Fate

Kristen Perrin

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Cozy Mystery

How to Seal Your Fate is the second book in the Castle Knoll Files. Like the first book, it follows the same formula of dual timelines, one in the present that follows Annie Adams, and the other one in the past that follows Annie’s great-aunt, Frances Adams.

In the present timeline, Annie becomes a murder suspect after settling in Castle Knoll, a small English village. So to clear her name from this crime, she has to dig into all the secrets about the village and its residents.

The other timeline is not very different in its purpose. Frances will team up with a pub worker, Archie, to investigate a car crash that killed a family. They will uncover many dark secrets and cover-ups. The book alternates in narration between the past and present, and the two timelines eventually intertwine.

I enjoyed the first book a little more than this one. Maybe because it felt unique then, but now I understand the author has a fixed structure for the whole series, which is two timelines, fixed heroines, and the same location. I’m not sure what more ideas she will be able to come up with for this structure, but that remains to be seen.

The book has strong female protagonists in both timelines, which is a positive thing. Whether you liked both timelines will depend on you and your preferences. Usually, readers tend to prefer one over the other, so that is natural. There are lots of twists and turns, so this will keep you interested throughout the book.

While the story has its twists and surprises, there remains a level of predictability, especially for avid mystery readers. Aside from that and the slow start, I found the novel to be an entertaining cozy mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.