My initial interest in Serafina and the Black Cloak was its setting-- Biltmore House in Asheville, NC during the time the Vanderbilts were living there. I've always had family in Asheville, and have loved Biltmore and visiting/touring there. Robert Beatty does a nice job of describing the house, grounds, and general vicinity of Biltmore, as well as portraying the people native to the area and their "ways" effectively, and that made my reading pleasurable to begin with.This book, though, is far more than the historical and descriptive aspects of a place; it is the story of a unique girl, Serafina, who has been secretly living along with her father in the basements of the Biltmore House where her father works. Because of the strange circumstances around her birth and eventual arrival at Biltmore, Serafina has always hidden among the shadows and had no contact with other humans except her father. By necessity, this changes when a strange series of disappearances begin: one by one, children visiting the estate with their parents are disappearing, and it's Serafina who witnesses a man in a black cloak chase and catch a young girl, wrap her in the cloak, and then sees the girl disappear into thin air! Serafina bravely shares what she has seen with the Vanderbilts' young nephew, Braeden, and the two set out to try and solve the mystery of the man in the black cloak, and stop him before he can take any other children. Serafina and the Black Cloak is a dark story that may frighten younger children; I've seen it indicated for grades 5-7 by School Library Journal, but for ages 8-12 by other sources. I felt that the story was a beautiful one, and I hope there will be a sequel, because I'd like to learn more about Serafina's character. I would, however, caution younger readers before they pick this one up..., particularly if they tend to have issues with fears/ bad dreams.I was able to read Serafina and the Black Cloak prior to its publication date through Netgalley.com