Reviewed by Kim Deister on
Lucy and her family have moved from Chicago to an historical plantation outstide of New Orleans. It is a place full of history and magic and intrigue and Lucy, despite her practical nature and inate scepticism, falls right into the middle of it. I loved the story line that developed around her... the darkness, the magic, the mystery. The characters were colorful and the stories of each of them were, for the most part, well developed and interesting.
There was a bit near the end, though, that caused me to page back to see if I had missed something. I had, but it wasn't anything written. One of the supporting characters, Piers, suddently alluded to being something more than what he had previously been, somehow more involved. There was no explanation, no nothing. That was jarring and confused me completely.
The ending threw me, too. I am still not sure how I feel about it. It is difficult to talk about without spoiling, so forgive me if I am a little vague. In some ways, it almost felt a little forced. I don't need everything to be tied up in a pretty little bow to enjoy an ending. But it kind of left me with a cheated feeling, like there should have been more resolution.
Things to love...
--The gothic goodness of the story, the voodoo and the intrigue.
--The well-researched flavor.
Things I wanted more/less of...
--More explanation and closure at the end.
My Recommendation
This definitely had all the makings of good southern gothic fiction. The darkness, the magic, voodoo, secrets, and ghosts. Other than the couple issues I mentioned, I really did enjoy most of the book. Even the issues with the character aren't truly enough to deter me. My biggest problem was the ending, but that is other simply a matter of interpretation by the reader, so it is entirely likely that others won't take it the same way. I gave it 3.5 mugs.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 5 October, 2014: Finished reading
- 5 October, 2014: Reviewed