For something in the spirit of Halloween, I’ve decided to review this book because it has a great cover and we all like a good ghost story in a while, don’t we? This book reminded me a lot of a similar magical series called Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia. If you’ve read neither of these books, both of them are fantastic!
Synopsis (from the back of the book):For as long as she can remember, Lucy Aimes has been plagued by a dark, recurring dream of drowning. But when her family moves to an old plantation outside New Orleans, she starts having intense new dreams, vivid scenes of a bygone era filled with people she shouldn’t know but does. Searching for answers to her haunting visions, Lucy reluctantly descends into the city’s mystical culture.
What she finds is Alex, a charming by mysterious boy who behaves as if they’ve known each other forever. Lucy shouldn’t be so drawn to him…but she is. As she tries to solve the mystery surrounding Alex, a centuries-old vendetta unspools around her, resulting in a vicious murder. Now trapped in a dangerous crossfire, Lucy must act fast to save her future – and everyone she loves.
Onto the review:This book really piqued my interest because it has a great cover – very simple with a haunting elegance. I didn’t have any expectations about this book, and I mostly wanted to read this book out of enjoyment. It’s a bit of your typical scary story with some historical background in it, but if you’re not too into history, it’s okay! Because not knowing the history doesn’t affect the plot.
…the melodic rumble of his voice resonated somewhere deep inside me, rubbing at some long-forgotten memory like the bow of a violin. Neither of us seemed to be able to say anything else, and in the almost-comfortable silence, I wondered if he felt the same.Characters:
In the first few pages, I was afraid that Lucy was going to complain during the entire book about why she didn’t want to move from her old home, but I’m very glad she did not. I still have lots of good things to say about her though! She’s very introspective and you get most of your connection through her love of photography and how it helps her see and understand the world. She’s also very independent despite falling in love.
The only let down about the other characters are that since we don’t get to know so much about them, it’s very easy to be suspicious of them. There were times when I questioned why the characters were helping Delilah – if they were genuinely interested in helping her or were interested in the place where everything was happening. My very favorite ship though will have to be Lucy and Alex (those two sure are the sweetest). Here’s a short rundown of the characters:
-T.J – Lucy’s little brother who is so innocent that whoever hurts him is probably evil
-Alex – handsome, chivalrous gentleman who’s too nice for his own good
-Piers – main protagonists best guy friend who does all the protecting
-Chloe – laid-bad gal, a bit obsessed with the otherwordly
-Mama Legba – someone as wise as a grandmother, but would curse if someone called her old
Above sculpted cheekbones, his eyes were fringed by dark, thick lashes that softened his otherwise angular face. His lazy tumble of honey-colored hair glinted like molten gold in the sun. He had an almost aristocratic beauty.Plot:
Where the book was going was very hard to see in the beginning. That is the mystery, isn’t it? *wink wink* And since I was going along for the journey not expecting something bad, but not expecting something good either, the easy pace of the book left the reader guessing, but not frustrated. It was neither rushed nor slow.
I did have some questions about the dreams that Lucy were having that were related to what was happening to her, but they were answered in the end. There were a few clichés like when two people don’t want to leave and neither of them wants to go, but it wasn’t sappy and I still liked reading it anyway. There were some parts in the end that were leaving me a bit teary (particularly pages 290, 316, and 320)…. One of the kiss scenes reminded me of when Sophie from “Howl’s Moving Castle” kissed Howl when he was in that weird bird form, which makes the reader believe the two lovers should be together and question why the world wants them to be apart. I love fantasy, but I love me a good romance, too.
I’m sorry if this was a bit of a small review, but the story was only a little more than 300 pages, which is like a small cookie for me. ^_^ If you want a quick read with a bit of magic and romance, this one is sweet. As much as I want this story between Lucy and Alex to go on, I’m still looking forward to reading Gathering Deep, which features Chloe and Piers instead.
If you like these reviews or want to see what else I’ll be reviewing, see the schedule here.
<3, Kathy
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