I superbly enjoyed reading Strands of Bronze and Gold, and even more so because I had never heard of the Bluebeard fairy tale before I picked up this novel. Sophia's character is so richly developed that I could not help but shiver when she finds out what happened to the many wives of her godfather or gasp in awe when the door to her bedroom is opened. The author uses adjectives like threads and spins them into a descriptive web, which will create a painting in the reader's mind that could rival the Mona Lisa. M. de Cressac will set off alarms in the reader and will make them worry for Sophie and be curious to figure out what will happen next. There is some mature content, so I would only recommend this book to kids ages 12 and up.