Shattered Midnight (The Mirror #2), By Dhonielle Clayton ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

1920s, Historical Fantasy, LGBTQ, New Orleans, Racism, Romance, Segregation, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 5th, 2021

304 Pages

Synopsis: The Mirror: Shattered Midnight is the second novel in the innovative four-book fairy-tale series written by Julie C. Dao, Dhonielle Clayton, J.C. Cervantes, and L. L. McKinney, following one family over several generations, and the curse that plagues it.

Zora Broussard has arrived in New Orleans with not much more than a bag of clothes, a beautiful voice, and a pair of enchanted red shoes. Running from a tragic accident caused by her magic, Zora wants nothing more than to blend in, as well as to avoid her overbearing aunt and mean-spirited cousins. Music becomes Zora’s only means of escape, yet she wonders if she should give it all up to remove the powers that make her a target, especially as a Black woman in the South.

But when Zora gets the chance to perform in a prominent jazz club, she meets a sweet white pianist named Phillip with magic of his own, including a strange mirror that foretells their future together. Falling into a forbidden love, Zora and Phillip must keep their relationship a secret. And soon the two discover the complicated connection between their respective families, a connection that could lead to catastrophe for them both. In the era of segregation and speakeasies, Zora must change her destiny and fight for the one she loves . . . or risk losing everything. (Goodreads)

I loved the first book in The Mirror series: Broken Wish, by Julie C. Dao, so much that I have to admit I was a little nervous that Shattered Midnight wouldn’t be able to match it even though I’ve enjoyed Dhonielle Clayton’s previous books. After racing through this in under three hours I’m thrilled to say that my fears were entirely unfounded.

Here’s a quick recap: The Mirror series is to be compromised of four books by some of today’s most popular YA authors that follow a multigenerational family who possess a magical heirloom, but are also dogged by a devastating curse. Broken Wish beautifully kicked things off in 1865 Hanau, Germany. Shattered Midnight skips to 1928 New Orleans and while the previous tale was more fairytale in nature, this is more of a historical fantasy with a slight nod to Cinderella, and a dash of Romeo and Juliet.

I found everything in this book perfectly crafted, from the sultry setting of New Orleans in the Jazz Age, with its colorful speakeasies and darker side of racism, segregation, and mob-run bootlegging operations, to how magic has continued to be passed down through Zora’s family. And the characters are so well developed I half expected them to pop out from my tablet fully formed. I absolutely adored Zora and felt her pain and confusion over the power of her magic. Likewise, her feelings of fear and resentment regarding the racism that was such a prevalent part of society. Phillip is a wonderful partner for her in both music and romance and I found myself hoping against hope that their relationship would somehow defy expectations and prevail. The entire story is filled with suspense not only regarding the curse, but also the ever present danger looming over Zora and Phillip should their romance be discovered. When the ending came, well, let me just say that unsurprisingly it’s not your typical happy ending, but it does leave you with hope.

The Mirror series is shaping up to be one of my favorites in my many, many years of reading YA fiction. Shattered Midnight is a picture perfect example of exquisite storytelling that I guarantee will pull you in and not let go until you’ve reached the very end. Even if you don’t usually read YA, I HIGHLY recommend these books if you love fairytales and fantasy with exciting storylines and characters who tug at your heartstrings. The next book, Fractured Path, by J.C. Cervantes, is to be set in 1965 San Francisco. Unfortunately it’s not coming out until July 2022. It’s going to be extremely difficult to wait that long!

The City of Lost Fortunes (A Crescent City Novel), by Bryan Camp ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Diversity, Mystery, New Orleans, Suspense, Urban Fantasy

Thanks to Edelweiss and John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: Available Now 

384 Pages

Synopsis :

The fate of New Orleans lies in the hands of a wayward grifter in this novel of gods, games, and monsters.

The post-Katrina New Orleans of  ‘The City of Lost Fortunes’, is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane’s destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known—-a father who just happens to be more than human.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son.

I have one word after reading City of Lost Fortunes: WONDROUS! I gobbled this up in two sittings, and the only reason why it took me that long is because my mean husband made me go to bed.

While I haven’t yet been to New Orleans, the city, people, and history have held a peculiar fascination for me since childhood. So, I was especially excited when I read the premise for this debut novel. Add in magic, mythology, and the supernatural, and my expectations went through the roof. 

There are several different mythologies mixed up in this book and one of the things I loved was how the author started each chapter with a short paragraph detailing how various mythologies describe a particular situation in their own way, but how they all share commonalities. With so many religions and myths being brought together this could have easily been a confusing mess, but Bryan Camp fuses everything together smoothly and efficiently. 

The large cast of diverse characters are brilliantly written and I already have several favorites. The hero, Jude, is someone you just can’t help fall in love with. He has many issues stemming from his dysfunctional childhood, the absence of his father, and the trauma of his “gift”. He’s made mistakes along the way but he also carries the weight of them and makes amends when he can. Jude winds up becoming a metaphor for New Orleans. The disruption of his magic ties directly into the destruction of the city, and as a reader you can’t help but feel these losses keenly. I have to be honest and say there’s a slight info dump in the beginning regarding Jude and his backstory, but I’m not taking any points off because it’s so minor and the rest of the book is so good, that it’s just not worth complaining about.

As marvelous as the supernatural and magical elements are, at its heart, this book pays tribute to the city of New Orleans and the resilience of its citizens. The descriptions of the music, food, architecture, and people bring the city to life and it literally becomes a character in its own right. In the afterward, Bryan Camp talks about how he began writing this in the back of his parents’ car as they were evacuating before Katrina hit. It’s worth reading because it gives you an additional sense of how much love was poured into this book. 

The City of Lost Fortunes is a literary feast for the mind and soul, and I cannot recommend it highly enough! If you’re a fan of  authors like Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Clive Barker, and Kevin Hearne, you need to read this ASAP! While I can’t wait for the sequel, I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that this is just the beginning of a long-running series.

 

 

The Incident Under The Overpass (The Traiteur Trilogy #1) ~ By Anne McLane – 3.75 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, New Orleans, Urban Fantasy

Thanks to the author for providing a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

225 Pages

Synopsis: It’s been fifteen months since Lacey Becnel’s unfaithful husband suddenly passed away, leaving her her to sort her feelings of anger, love, and loss. Her dead-end job, once a life raft, but now just endless days of boredom, leave her wondering where exactly her place in life should be. 

But when she awakens under an overpass near her home, next to Nathan–a man she met just hours before in the streets of New Orleans–she begins a journey of discovery that some might call supernatural. In the days that follow, Lacey and Nathan try to sort out the events of the evening, and it becomes clear that he might be the target of a murder plot, and she–somehow–have the power to heal.

Lacey uncovers a link both powerful and deep, a connection to her dead husband’s family and the traiteur tradition, a centuries-old faith healing practice. As she becomes more embroiled in Nathan’s danger, the more confused she becomes about her feelings for him. Will she ever fully understand her abilities, or will the danger surrounding Nathan bring things to an abrupt end?

I know. You’re probably looking at my rating for this wondering “what the heck?” The thing is, I’ve been waffling over whether to give this a 3.5 rating or a 4.0, so after three days of indecisiveness this is my compromise. First, I want to say that for the most part I enjoyed The Incident Under the Overpass. I liked Lacey and her droll sense of humor. Her character is made even more interesting as she’s not only dealing with these sudden mysterious powers, but also with the loss of her adulterous husband the year before. She’s been through so much which gives her a sense of vulnerability, yet at the same time she’s fully capable of taking care of herself. The secondary characters are well written, but my favorite is Tonti, her husband’s aunt. The scenes with her and Lacey are my favorites in the book. I also liked the setting of New Orleans, and I think Anne does a marvelous job bringing her native city to life. The fantasy aspect regarding Lacey’s sudden healing powers is written in an imaginative way, but leads to one of my issues with the story. There’s virtually no explanation as to how she may have attained these powers beyond that they’re somehow connected to her deceased husband and his family. I kept thinking right up until the end that there was going to be an “Ah Hah! moment, but there wasn’t. Another issue is with Nathan. I absolutely LOVED him, but in my humble opinion he wasn’t in the story enough. After the first couple of chapters, he just seemed to pop up now and then and because I liked him so much, this just wasn’t enough for me. And finally, my last problem is with the dialogue between the characters, which came off a bit clunky and stilted at times. It was just distracting enough that it slowed the otherwise fast pace of the story. Despite these issues though, I still recommend The Incident Under the Overpass, to readers who like urban fantasy. It’s a unique story with great characters and it stands out from many other books in this genre. I’m hopeful that some of the wrinkles I found in this first book will be smoothed out in the next. I will definitely be picking up the second book in this promising new trilogy when it’s released. 

 

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.