High-born Philippina, Stella Sytanco, was disinherited from the family fortune for marrying a man her father did not choose. She and her husband, the famous rogue storyteller and graphic novelist, had a daughter, Celestina. While Stella became a banker, their daughter bonded with her father, and worked in his office when she was fifteen. But her father turned out to be a man possessed by demons, and he stole Celestina's innocence, and was the cause of her abortion.
At 25, Celestina turns a new page-her grandfather gives her the Dragongate Tower, a round building housing several apartments. It is haunted by the spirit of her great-aunt who died by violence. While men are drawn to Celestina for her beauty, she shuns them, except when she wants a short respite from her loneliness. She let two men in her life but the relationships failed without her telling them why. The third man just might be the one, but she knows that both she and he "must put their houses in order" before she is able to surrender her heart and soul.
This novel gives readers a taste of Philippine history, cultures and communities, as well as the foods of the various neighborhoods. It is a present day gothic romance featuring a literal princess shut in a tower who can only escape when she takes matters into her own hands. It ends on a glimmer of hope and this stays with you long after the book ends.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
Publication date - October 22, 2024
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