The Family Shame

The Zero Enigma, Book 4

By: Christopher G. Nuttall

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Isabella Rubén is a traitor - at 12 years old.

Disgraced, abandoned by her friends and shunned by her family, Isabella is sent into exile with scant hope of returning to her former home. Her destination, Kirkhaven Hall; a stone mansion miles from civilization, inhabited only by a pair of older exiles. Existence as she knew it is over.

But as she tries to settle into Kirkhaven Hall and a life far from the one she enjoyed before her fall from grace, she discovers that the hall has secrets. Intruders on the grounds, ghostly shadows moving at night...and a plot that may destroy everything she once held dear.

©2018 Christopher G. Nuttall (P)2018 Podium Publishing

Story continues but from a different perspective

I really enjoyed this fresh perspective on the zero blessing storyline. I thought I would dislike this character but by the end she grows so much more than so many in other stories I cannot help but admire her as much as the original protagonist of the storyline.

Loved it!

Saskia Maarleveld is by far my favorite narrator on Audible, and voices the characters so well that it feels like she is the character. I like how the plot is about Isabella instead of Caitlyn, or one of the people that we would of thought the book would be through their point of view, like Rose or Akin. You can tell that by the end of the book Isabella isn’t the spoiled brat that she was in the first three books.

Exceptional part in the series following Isabella

Book 4 in the series is actually a major shift, as we move away from Caitlyn Aquirre, and focus exclusively on Isabella Ruben. This story is told from Isabella’s point of view, after she was arrested and detained, and then sentenced to exile for her part in the attempted coup by the Crown Prince and Caitlyn’s Aunt Stregheria Aguirre. The Prince and Stregheria were stripped of everything and summarily executed for high treason by the King. However, because Isabella is so young, she was exiled. She has been sent to Kirkhaven Hall, to go and live with some distant relatives, her Uncle Ira, and the woman who lives with him Morag, who is also a member of the Ruben family.
Both Uncle Ira and Morag are also exiles at Kirkhaven, which is a dank, not very clean, old musty hall, and far below the standards that Isabella, who has been pampered her entire life, is used to.
Isabella gets a very rude awakening upon arrival at the hall, Morag explains things to her in no uncertain terms (putting Isabella in her place very quickly), so that Isabella understands just how far she has fallen.
This is a fascinating story, as we get to see how Isabella Ruben, the daughter of one of the most powerful houses in Shallot, has fallen. Isabella was, potentially a rival to lead that house when the Father dies, given her twin Akin does not want to lead the house, but she has no hope of this now. She will be lucky to ever return to Shallot.
As she is pondering her future, her life, and deciding on what to do, several different things unfold for Isabella. Isabella is banned from leaving the grounds or lands of Kirkhaven hall, although she is allowed to roam the extensive grounds. Whilst walking around the grounds, she finds a young boy around her age. After talking for a while, he convinces her to leave the grounds, against her Uncle’s wishes, and whilst out, they are confronted by the towns bullies. It is here, that Isabella discovers that she is actually quite a bit stronger than the two strongest bullies.
She also starts to have an epiphany about herself, and who she has been, how she has treated people. It is fascinating watching as this rather spoiled character, who in the first three books, we had all come to despise, becomes a character that you really like and understand, and can empathise with.
As this book unfolds, we get to really explore Isabella Ruben’s character and past, and she is an intriguing character. Her friendship with Callum is a lot of fun, and it is wonderful to watch as Isabella literally changes before our eyes. Without giving too much away, her transformation is just outstanding and so great to read.
However, everything is not as it seems at Kirkhaven Hall, Isabella does not feel right about the place from the moment she steps into the place. She sees a ghost almost immediately, but is told it is just the wards as they are old and not maintained well. On top of that, her uncle is very strange, and wants her to take up potions, so she can help him with brewing things. He also wants her to try some things that he has made, stuff that she is not sure what it is, and there is nowhere to go….
In the first three books, we learned to absolutely Hate Isabella Ruben, as she was a total bitch to everyone, especially to Caitlyn and Rose. In this book however, we get to see a different side of her, and it is a testament to Nuttall’s character writing that we not only get to understand Isabella, but also start to like her.
The world-building continues to be exceptional in these books, Nuttall creates these stunning back drops in which to tell his stories. Kirkhaven Hall is beautifully described, with its eerie halls, and wards that are constantly in flux due to their age. The grounds of Kirkhaven are just as stunning, and the surrounding area including the village is just wonderful. Nuttall does a masterful job of not only describing the village, but those that live there.
Whilst this is a major deviation to the storyline from the first three books, it is an absolute must read, not only as it is integral for later books in the series, but just because it is an outstanding addition to this series!!
Thrilling, fast-paced, and with some of the best character work to date in this series, this is a book not to be missed!!
Saskia Maarleveld has such a beautiful voice, you can listen to it endlessly without tiring of it, it is just so easy to listen to. She does a stunning range of both Male and Female voices, and within each of the genders, she is able to create a range of character voices so that you can clearly tell who is talking without having to be told.
On top of this Maarleveld captures the emotional state of her characters with perfection, so that you can clearly understand how the characters feel at the time they are speaking, whether than be angry, sad, happy, elated, shocked, frightened, etc. Maarleveld really uses this to bring the story to life, adding a whole extra dimension to her storytelling.
Saskia Maarleveld is one of the truly exceptional Narrators, and she is just a pleasure to listen to, this is an absolute must listen to as it is so good as an audiobook!!

Great book, but slow in places.

For the most part I really liked the book, but I was not expecting the main character to change compared to the previous books in the series. also, because of the different setting it took a while for the book to get going. That being said, after the book started to really move along it was good and brought to life a different perspective of this amazing world.

Spectacular!!!

Absolutely loved it. Isabella has grown as a character in this book. Can't wait for the next one.

Watch Out For

Great storyline, and I’ve enjoyed each book to this point, but they also become a little frustrating. At times, the writing is a bit juvenile and the author becomes irritatingly repetitive, but other than the books have been very entertaining.

Superb performance! Saskia Maarleveld is the best

I am collecting as many of Saskia Maarleveld's readings as possible. She is by far the best narrator at Audible.

A new and terrific direction

This was superb! When the author suggested various ideas to follow up the first three Zero Enigma books, I was opposed to the idea he picked--what a fool I was! This may be the best book yet. There is a late element of horror that I did not like AT ALL, and almost lowered my rating to 4 stars, but loved how he wrapped up the book. I am immediately anxious to dig into the next months in the main characters lives! Another thing I wish to applaud him on is that Isabella really seemed more her age in this book.

Well-done! Completely engrossing!

Good follow up adventure

Sweet way for Isabella to continue her story line. I would love to read how she manages Kirk Haven hall.

Almost stopped reading the series.

If you like reading stories focused on characters you wouldn't want to spend time with: this might be for you. The story is complex and moves the series along. I just didn't enjoy it.