The Ancestor

This year I am on a mission to read books that I wouldn’t have normally picked up in the past.

While I am not tied to any particular type of book, I had become a tad bit complacent and lazy with my selections, which has only done me a disservice.

For this reason, I decided to pick up The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni (full synopsis at the end). I must admit that this book was challenging for me to read. While it had a lot of plot twists and interesting characters, they sometimes got lost in overly ornate descriptions of items and settings.

Despite this minor criticism, I ultimately came to love this book. It reads like a modern gothic novel with a healthy mix of myth, fantasy, science, and horror. Bert's character arc is phenomenal and she deals with every new discovery with an overwhelming amount of courage. While I would have enjoyed more scenes with her husband, this story is ultimately about Bert and her inheritance, so I fully understand why it was made into a subplot. With a backdrop like the Italian Alps and the mystery of an ancient aristocratic family it is hard not to enjoy The Ancestor.

I recommend this book for those who love gothic novels or who are interested in exploring this genre.

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After a DNA test reveals that Alberta “Bert” Monte is the sole heir of a wealthy noble family in the Italian Alps, she leaves New York to visit the family estate: Montebianco Castle, a centuries-old compound isolated in the mountains. What appeared to be a fairy tale inheritance, however, soon turns into a nightmare as Bert begins to uncover the dark legacy of her family: the truth about the abandoned village at the base of the castle; the whispers of stolen children; and the rumors of a legendary monster in the mountains. As Bert unravels the truth, she learns that her true inheritance lies not in a noble title or ancestral treasures, but in her very genes, and now she must choose between preserving a secret centuries in the keeping or abandoning it forever.