This was such an interesting story. I have a habit of collecting books by authors even if I haven't had the chance to read them yet and Stacey Lee is one of them. I have several hardcovers and digital copies of past releases and have always meant to read them. I just haven't had the opportunity to read them yet. Heiress of Nowhere is the first time I've had the chance to sit down and enjoy a book by Stacey Lee and I'm so glad I read this book. It had solid writing, well-rounded characters and an intriguing plot. I've already pre-ordered an official copy to go on my shelves where I have confirmed I have my other Stacey Lee novels. It will be a 2026 goal to now work my way through the past books that I can happily say I'm grateful I own for myself. It's always good to find a new author and their work to enjoy.
Heiress of Nowhere follows Lucy Nowhere in 1918 on Orcas Island, Washington. She has been working for her employer all her life and has just been accepted to attend a university. But the day she decides to inform her eccentric boss of her plans, she finds his severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that some kind of monster is responsible for the death, along with a previous victim from some years before and other things that have been happening on the island. The belief is that it is a curse and the people are scared and uncertain of their future. Then Lucy is named heiress of the estate of Nowhere and Lucy realizes that whoever killed her boss will now focus their attention on her. Lucy has to focus on finding who the true culprit is before she becomes the next victim.
I love the opening to this book. It starts with Lucy out in her canoe sketching the "sea wolves", or the orcas that live off the coast of Nowhere. Everything about this scene highlights what the readers should know about Lucy and it is a great introduction to her and to the book. She reflects on what people believe about orcas and then quickly has to get herself back to land when a couple of whales get too close to her canoe. She's scrambling to get back to safety and yet quips about the danger she's in and jokes about herself being not worth the effort of eating. Lucy shows respect for the animals around her, knowing the threat they pose should she fall into the water. She took a risk to work diligently on her drawing which is meant for her employer, who has given her the task of getting sketches of plants and animals around the island for a book he is working on. She's ready to move on to a new life which happens to be pursuing an education at a university which shows that she's ambitious and has a need to travel and learn more about the world.
Once Lucy is back on land and moving back up to the house, I knew I was going to like this girl. I thought she had a clear way of thinking, a healthy respect for the things around her and a clear motivating factor, trying to find somewhere to belong as she is an orphan who was taken in by the Nowhere Estate and its own, Mr. Sanders. Everything about this first chapter was strong, drawing the reader in with the threat of the sea wolves and the girl daring and stubborn enough to do something that could have gotten her killed. I wanted to learn more about this girl and wanted her to find out more about who she is after learning how she was found in a canoe before she was a day old. Nothing revealed felt out of place. It all flowed with an easy rhythm, giving the information readers needed without making it feel like a barrage of facts.
All the characters from that point on were well-developed, showing the readers what they needed to know as the book went on, proving who was an ally for Lucy and who we needed to keep an eye on concerning the central mystery of the book. I liked some characters more than others and the overall cast was diverse and interesting. I enjoyed Lucy's point of view, the way she had to expand her world as the new heiress by tackling new things and learning who she could trust from her new lady's maid and her new secretary, to the people who helped run the businesses she is now in charge of and the people tied to the estate. The way everything unfolded kept me focused on the story and each person in this book had something important to contribute to the plot. It shows that Lee has a deft hand with the writing when the entire cast of a book has something to add and no one feels tacked on or out of place. . I did want to wring the neck of Lucy's "childhood friend" mentioned in the synopsis but fine, they're teenagers, it's expected that they are going to be bull-headed. It shows that Lee is talented if I still want to knock that boy over the head this long (an entire morning) after reading the book.
In terms of the plot, I was hooked on the summary reveal about a head found on the beach. That was only the start of the mystery but it's enough to draw readers in without a doubt. I wanted to know who could do something like that, why these people were targeted. The stories and legends about the orcas added to the mystery, lending a strange twist to the plot of a person who used the fear of the residents against them, to keep them focused on something supernatural so they could hide their actions in plain sight. It helped to show what kind of person the villain was so that when the reveal finally happened, it hit a certain way because of everything already seen. The buildup was worth it and I love when a book manages to make the leadup they've established make sense at the end of the book. It leaves a very satisfied feeling behind for me as reader.
In the end, this was a very respectable read from Stacey Lee. I'm looking forward to when my copy arrives in the mail. I will be reading all of Stacey Lee's past books and paying attention to all future releases from now on. There were a few things that I felt a little miffed on but not enough to really detract from my love for this book.
Rating on my scale: 9 Stars. As I said, while I mainly loved this book, there were a few things that bugged me about that stubborn kid that I mentioned but I was happy with how Lucy processed everything around her and was impressed with how she ended up handling him. Nothing was drawn out and there was no waffling so it helped cement that I needed to order this book as a new addition for my library. Next, I'll be looking through the Stacey Lee books I have and working out which one to read next for the new year.
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