Poison Priestess (Lady Slayers #2), By Lana Popović ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

France, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Relationships, Supernatural, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 6th, 2021

304 Pages

Synopsis: In 17th-century Paris, 19-year-old Catherine Monvoisin is a well-heeled jeweler’s wife with a peculiar taste for the arcane. She lives a comfortable life, far removed from a childhood of abject destitution—until her hind spendthrift of a husband lands them both in debt. Hell-bent one returning to a life of poverty, Catherine must rely on her prophetic visions and the grimoire gifted to her by a talented diviner to reinvent herself as a sorceress. With the help of the grifter Marie Bosse, Catherine divines fortunes in the Ille de la Citee—home to sorcerers and scoundrels.

There she encounters the Marquise de Montespan, a stunning noblewoman. When the Marquise become Louis XIV’s royal mistress, with Catherine’s help, her ascension catapults Catherine to notoriety. Catherine takes easily to her glittering new life as the Sorceress La Voisin, pitting the depraved noblesse against one another to her advantage. The stakes soar ever higher when her path crosses that of a young magician. A charged rivalry between sorceress and magician leads to Black Masses, tangled deception, and grisly murder—and sets Catherine on a collision course that threatens her own life. (Goodreads)

Poison Priestess is the second book in the Lady Slayers series, but as it has entirely new characters, you needn’t have read Blood Countess to enjoy this. Each book in this series is a fictionalized account of real life historical murderers of the female persuasion. Sounds delicious doesn’t it? Blood Countess looked at the relationship between Anna Darvulia and serial killer Countess Elizabeth Báthory. In Poison Priestess the story details the rise of Catherine Monvoisin, a jeweler’s wife and fortune teller who is brought into the French Court of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Once there, her skills at prophecy develop into a side business of providing poison to those in the noblesse who wish to get rid of their enemies. What I found fascinating about this were the real life characters who wound up embroiled in the infamous L’Affaire des Poisons which was a major scandal in the court involving accusations of witchcraft and murder. What didn’t work for me were the way the characters were depicted. It wasn’t just that they were unlikable, I usually find flawed characters intriguing. No, these were all rather flat, cardboard cutouts, which made forming a connection with any of them an impossibility. Despite this, there was much I enjoyed, including the supernatural details added to the history. Overall, Poison Priestess wasn’t perfect, yet I’m still glad I read it. If there is a third book in the Lady Slayers series I will definitely give it a try.

Of Wicked Blood (The Quatrefoil Chronicles #1), By Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, France, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Urban Fantasy, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Twig Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 2nd, 2021

424 Pages

Synopsis: 

Slate

I didn’t mean to steal the Bloodstone from the De Morel’s crypt. Scratch that, I did mean to steal it. Until I realized it was a curse-magnet that only comes off if I, along with a jolly trio, successfully defeat four curses. If any of us fail, I’m dead. I’ve never been a glass half-empty sort of person, but my glass, but my glass looks in dire need of a refill about now. The only highlight of this wicked treasure hunt: feisty, entitled Cadence de Morel.

Cadence

I was raised on tales of magic, in a small town reputed to be the birthplace of French witchcraft. Did I believe all the stories I heard? Absolutely not. I mean, if magic existed, Maman wouldn’t have died, and Papa wouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair, right?

Wrong.

The night Slate Ardoin waltzes into my life, wearing a ring he stole from my mother’s grave, I call him a monster. But then I meet real ones, and Slate, well…he becomes something else to me. Something frustrating to live with, but impossible to live without. Something I will fight for, no matter the cost.

Of Wicked Blood is a fantastic start to Quatrefoil Chronicles, and it’s going on my list of favorite books of 2020. I absolutely LOVED the characters, even though there’s an annoying love triangle. Thankfully though, that resolved itself in the final half of the book. While Slate and Cadence seem complete opposites, they actually wind up bringing out each other’s better qualities. The secondary characters are equally enjoyable, and my favorite is Cadence’s father, Rainier, simply because he’s such an enigma. The atmospheric setting of Brume, a small university town in France where the sun doesn’t visit often, struck me as eerie yet cozy at the same time. This will sound odd, but if it weren’t a fictitious town, I’d want to live there. The magic realism is quite inventive and gives an entirely new twist to the ubiquitous magic quest trope. And finally, try as I might, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two authors’ writing. The chapters were completely seamless, which cemented my enjoyment of the book. While the ending isn’t a cliffhanger, it leaves many questions unanswered and has me frantic to get my hands on the sequel, which is definitive proof on what a fascinating story this is. Needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend Of Wicked Blood, especially to anyone looking for an exciting urban fantasy filled with marvelous world building, intriguing mystery, and complicated yet relatable characters.

Unraveling Oliver, by Liz Nugent ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, France, Ireland, Mystery, Psychological Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

272 Pages

Synopsis: “I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.

So begins Liz Nugent’s astonishing debut novel–a chilling, elegantly crafted, and psychologically astute exploration of the nature of evil.

Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together, they write and illustrate award-winning winning children’s books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease–until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma.

In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple’s friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what had driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation.

Oh my gosh. Although I requested this, I have to be honest and say as soon as I was approved, I started having second thoughts. I absolutely loved the premise, but wondered how on earth Liz Nugent could possibly tell such a complicated story in under 300 pages. Well, not only does she pull this off, she does it brilliantly!

As the premise states, every chapter is from the POV of a different person who has come into contact with Oliver and Alice in some way. All of these voices have something important to add, even if you don’t originally think so. I mean, do we really have to hear from neighbors, childhood schoolmates, ex-lovers, and so on?. Yes. Yes we do. You see, every character adds to the puzzle that is Oliver, and their voices are all completely distinct from one another. The most chilling chapters are from Oliver himself, and I actually got goosebumps while reading. I connected with every single one of them, which itself is pretty amazing.

The story is filled with moments that shocked me, and it’s so cleverly told that it’s only at the very end that you see the entire picture. Unraveling Oliver is a captivating journey into the psyche of a monster, as well as the people whose lives are forever changed by being in contact with him. It would be a perfect choice for a book discussion group as it invites debate over the nature vs nurture question. I highly recommend this to fans of dark psychological suspense. I cannot wait to see what Liz Nugent comes out with next!

 

 

The Casquette Girls (The Casquette Girls #1) ~ by Alys Arden – 5.0 Stars

Tags

France, Historical Fiction, New Orleans, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, YA Fiction

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Skyscape in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 17th, 2015

Synopsis: After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal. But with home resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal needs a new definition. 

As the city murder rate soars, Adele finds herself tangled in a web of magic that weaves back to her own ancestors. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, who can she trust when everyone has a secret and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless…you’re immortal.

Seven girls tied by time.

Five powers that bind.

One curse to lock the horror away.

One attic to keep the monsters at bay.

I’ve got one word: WOW! Okay. There’s also gorgeous, breathtaking, thought-provoking, imaginative, and perfect. The Casquette Girls was first written on Wattpad by Alys Arden a couple of years ago, and after reading it my only question is why it took so long to be scooped up by a publisher.

The story takes place in New Orleans after it’s been decimated by a hurricane referred to as “The Storm”. Adele, who was sent to France to live with her mother until her father decided it was safe to come back, returns now to help rebuild. There’s obviously something much more wrong in Adele’s beloved city besides the post-storm destruction. Adele discovers she has magical powers, and accidentally releases something ancient and evil from the attic of the local Ursuline Convent and she has to figure out how to put it back before any more people are killed. 

Just as the story is not your average YA paranormal read, neither is Adele. While immature in some regards, she also stands up well under pressure, is fiercely loyal to her friends and family, and loves New Orleans with a passion. There is a love triangle, but even that was so well written that it never became annoying. She’s a sixteen-year-old girl whose mother seemingly abandoned her and her father, and has never gotten over that hurt. Her relationship with her father provides many touching and amusing moments throughout the book. Not only is Adele dealing with all sorts of family issues, but then she discovers that she’s one of a few that can put a stop to the evil that is further decimating her beloved city. While she struggles at first with her new talents and her magical legacy, once Adele truly comes into her powers it’s immediately obvious that she’s not someone to trifle with.

The plot is based on the true story of la filles a la cassette, who were orphans sent to La Nouvelle-Orleans in the early 1700s to marry some of the colonists. The name was given to these girls because of the small chests, known as casquettes in which they carried their belongings. They’re also the inspiration behind Victor Herbert’s operetta “Naughty Marietta”. Seamlessly interwoven with Adele’s present day perspective is that of her ancestor Adeline, who’s set sail for New Orleans at the behest of her father to oversee some property he’s established. Striking up a friendship with three of the Casquette Girls, Adeline stumbles across a supernatural world filled with new possibilities as well as danger. Alys Arden masterfully combines the historical and paranormal elements to create a magical tale filled with witches, voodoo, and vampires. The secondary characters stand out just as much, but especially compelling are three mysterious brothers.

Gabriel is flirtatious, charming, yet completely immoral. He has no problem doing whatever it takes to protect his self-interests, even if it’s committing murder.

Nicco is torn between his loyalty to his family and doing what’s right. Complicating things further are his growing feelings for Adele.

And finally, Emile, who’s suave and debonair but is completely devoid of a conscience. 

There’s nothing more I love than a well told vampire tale, and this novel does not disappoint. Seamlessly blending historical themes with magic and other paranormal elements, the end result is a completely unique story. Publisher’s Weekly has called The Casquette Girls “a Southern Gothic love letter”, and that’s exactly what it is. It’s a lavishly detailed and moving tribute to New Orleans and the resilience of its residents. It’s left me itching to get my hands on the sequel, “The Romeo Catchers” which unfortunately has no release date at the moment. In a year where there’s been some truly outstanding YA Fiction, Alys Arden has set a new standard for writers. She’s proven that you can have a diverse cast of compelling characters, and exquisite world-building all in the same book. If you love the paranormal I recommend The Casquette Girls even if you don’t ordinarily read YA books. It’s a story you’ll fall in love with and it’s one you won’t soon forget. 

Je Suis Charlie

Tags

Charlie Hebdo, France, Freedom of Expression, Terrorists