FOR SALE: Stagcote Manor - seriously creepy gothic house, complete with ghosts, skeletons and its very own deadly curse.

Lady Lindy and her troubled daughter, Izzy, get more than they bargained for when they move from London to the isolated village of Stagcote for a fresh start. Convinced her mother is trying to ruin her life, Izzy is determined to hate her new home, Stagcote manor, and the strange little village it resides in. However, Izzy soon finds herself drawn into the superstitions of the Stagcote locals and is determined to unlock the mystery behind the manor's curse.

Izzy is your typical rebellious teenager, acting out against her mother who she blames for the death of her father. Lindy believes she is doing the right thing for her daughter and has sacrificed much to try and rebuild their relationship. While I must admit, I found Izzy to be extremely irritating for the first part of this book, ultimately, I felt Izzy's coming of age and the difficulties of mother-daughter relationships were well handled.

Izzy soon learns that the Stagcote residents have some bizarre beliefs ranging from not sharpening knives at night to bees with psychic powers. At first she and Lindy laugh it off as a load of rubbish, however, odd occurrences soon change Izzy's mind. Unable to convince her mother of the danger, Izzy sets out to break the curse once and for all with a determination I admired. As she overcomes her fear you can't help but root for her to succeed.

Throughout the novel, there is a sense of impending doom surrounding Izzy and Lindy. Pateman has done a fine job of gradually building the tension, creating an addictive read. While the ending wasn't entirely surprising, it was a fitting conclusion to this dark tale. A haunting novel about the power of superstition and fear, The Prophecy of Bees certainly captured my imagination and kept my attention.