Review - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Author: Shirley Jackson

Synopsis:

Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.

 

My Thoughts:

Shirley Jackson's intriguing short novel about a not-just-slightly disfunctioning family sent chills down my spine. This dark and somewhat eerie tale is not so much about a haunted house as the making of one.

The Blackwood family hasn't been whole for a while. Most of its members are dead, simply because they liked sugar on their berries. The ones who live – Constance, Merricat and Uncle Julian – do so in the constant shadow of that unfortunate evening when everything ended... and began.

Being poisoned by arsenic is not a painless way to go they say, but being the talk of the village is not a painless way to live, either. Although the sisters and their uncle are outcasts, they are also the biggest sensation in the village they're trying to stay away from. 

Their dark and scandalous past baffles yet at the same time excites the people. They are local legends of the spooky variation; even children singsong the Blackwoods' sin in the ear of poor Merricat twice a week when she has to do her run in the village to make sure she and her sister won't go hungry up in the house.

Like it wouldn't be enough, one day Charles, their cousin arrives to rekindle old family bonds. He is pushy about matters like their returning into society, and his eagerness to wheedle himself into Constance's confidence unnerves Merricat. He talks too much about the money the sisters keep shut away in a box upstairs. In the end Merricat decides to turn to drastic measures to make Charles disappear from their lives.

The dialogues in the book are brilliant. The information about the fatal dinner comes to the reader in small drops through broken conversations and sentences cut in half. It really is like a jigsaw puzzle that you place together with the turning of the pages.

Shirley Jackson creates a very peculiar atmosphere while describing the three remaining members of the Blackwood family in their isolation. I as reader felt the setting claustrophobic at times, especially towards the end. The deliberate attempt of Ms Jackson to put you in the shoes of the girls works out very well.

I also have to mention the black humour that is sprinkled all over the pages of this quaint story. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is darkly entertaining in its morbidity. The kind of comical quality it represents may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy dark jokes I would definitely give this book a try.

While it only takes a few hours to read the novel, it will stay with you much longer than that. I can only recommend picking it up if the synopsis or what I've just told you about it appeals to you.

Goodreads | Amazon

Review - Pirate's Curse by Leigh Anderson and Rebecca Hamilton

Title: Pirate's Curse (The Berkano Vampire Collection, Division 1)

Author: Leigh Anderson and Rebecca Hamilton

Rating: 4/5 

Synopsis:

In the Division of NOLA, Catheryn Beauregard fears her burgeoning magical powers. Hiding as just another slave in the home of the Hoodoo Queen, Catheryn hopes her simplistic powers will simply go unnoticed. And her plan seems to be working...until the Hoodoo House is attacked by a ruthless band of vampire pirates.

Captain Rainier Dulocke and his crew need humans to feed on. In an act of desperation, they beset the Hoodoo House and take ten slaves to sustain them. Rainier takes a girl named Catheryn for himself, but her blood is giving him terrible side effects. Still, he refuses to give her up. Even when the Hoodoo Queen demands her return.

The NOLA Division is in danger. The waters are rising. Food is running out. And the Hoodoo Queen is about to destroy everything that's left if the pirates don't meet her request. Now Catheryn must choose who will die: the humans who sold her, the witches who bought her, or the vampires who stole her. If she fails to decide, everyone could die.

My Thoughts:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

When Leigh Anderson agreed to send me an e-copy of the Pirate's Curse I was over the moon. I'm positive that vampire stories will never stop attracting me and this book seemed special because there aren't only vampires in it, there are vampire PIRATES and that fact just doubled the level of my excitement.

With Pirate's Curse I received a nicely packed bundle of adventure with twists and turns at every corner. It was a highly enjoyable read.

Catheryn has been a slave to the Hoodoo Queen most of her life. However, when the pirates come to ransack the Hoodoo House she'd rather stay, because there are worse fates than serving the Queen. But when she catches the eye of the famous Captain Rainier she doesn't have a choice. She is dragged onto Rainier's ship and she is expected to give her blood to prolong the Captain's life.

She doesn't expect him to be as civil as he is.

He doesn't know that she cannot satisfy his hunger.

What I enjoyed the most was that the story never slowed down, there wasn't a boring part in it. One moment Catheryn and Rainier are battling at sea, the next they are stranded on a deserted island, the next they are fighting off a pair of giant spiders in the jungle... And all the while we get to know more and more about both characters. It turns out Catheryn has starnge abilities and she has to learn how to use these new-found powers. Rainier starts feeling worse and worse and he has to come to terms with the changes that are going on inside him...

Of course eventually the girl and the vampire will have a joined purpose but in the beginning they don't know that and they bicker a lot, obviously. Later, when they realise they should work together, Catheryn and Rainier support each other through every hardship and are so open towards one another that I became addicted to reading about the relationship that formed between them.

I especially approved of how Rainier mentored Catheryn when her abilities surfaced and how lovingly concerned he was because the girl couldn't see herself for who she was. He wished Catheryn to believe in herself like he believed in her and that was extremely romantic.

I loved the feminist undertone that manifested itself throughout the book. Catheryn saves Rainier's life countless times and by the end of the book she is physically stronger than the Captain – and the writers made sure we notice that. Yet, this doesn't influence the quality of their relationship in any way, on the contrary, Rainier is proud of Catheryn's achievements.

A world where humans, vampires and witches live together must not be the safest place ever, nevertheless I liked to escape to NOLA from my safe little nook whenever I had the chance to push reality in the background. 

Even though the ending felt a bit rushed, I had so much fun reading through this story that I found it didn't really matter after all. Once again, thank you, Ms Anderson!

Goodreads | Amazon

Pirate's Curse is a standalone contribution to the Berkano Vampire Collection. Stories can be read in any order. To learn more, visit http://fallensorcery.com/

(Short) Review - The Dark Unseen by Andrew C. Jaxson

Title: The Dark Unseen  (Unseen Series #0.5)

Author: Andrew C Jaxson

Rating: 5/5 

Synopsis:

Hud and his friends are camping in the mountains to celebrate finally finishing school. Tonight, he can finally make his move on the girl he’s been in love with for four long years. But something lurks in the darkness, something Hud has encountered before and can't quite remember. When tragedy strikes the night turns to chaos, and Hud makes a terrifying and world-shattering discovery. As the teens run for their lives, old memories resurface, and an impossible evil will reveal itself. 

My Thoughts:

The Dark Unseen is a teaser novella that introduces Andrew C. Jaxson's new series, The Unseen. And what a fantastic prequel it is! It will chill you to the bone and once you are finished with it, you will want to seek answers!

Hud goes camping with his best friend and the girl of his dreams but he never dreamed the night would end the way it does. Something is out there; among the trees, in the night – something unexplainable with an unappeasable hunger.

I am hooked! I guess these days I'm craving horror, I can't help it. This little taste of Andrew C. Jaxson's writing convinced me I need to read the first book in the series. The way the night was described, how he built the tension slowly, then led us through a series of unexpected actions... it was like a roller coaster ride that you want to repeat over and over again. It sure gave me an adrenaline rush... I loved it!

Goodreads | Amazon

Good news!

This prequel novella is now available for free on the author's website!

http://andrewjaxson.com/

Next in the series: 

The Fire Unseen

Happy reading!

Review – The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

Title: The Desert Spear (Demon Cycle #2)

Author: Peter V. Brett

Rating: 3.5/5 

Synopsis:

The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that prey upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind half-forgotten symbols of power.

Legends tell of a Deliverer: a general who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. But is the return of the Deliverer just another myth? Perhaps not.

Out of the desert rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the desert tribes into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar'Dama Ka, the Deliverer, and he carries ancient weapons--a spear and a crown--that give credence to his claim.

But the Northerners claim their own Deliverer: the Warded Man, a dark, forbidding figure.

Once, the Shar'Dama Ka and the Warded Man were friends. Now they are fierce adversaries. Yet as old allegiances are tested and fresh alliances forged, all are unaware of the appearance of a new breed of demon, more intelligent—and deadly—than any that have come before. 

My Thoughts:

This was a fun ride again, however a bit bumpier than I expected.  

Demon Cycle is a high fantasy series in which humanity fights against demons for survival. I adored the first book, The Painted Man, for its interesting characters, the deliciously detailed fantasy world it presented to me and how it could spook me out occasionally despite not being a horror novel.

The Desert Spear delievered everything its predecessor did, so in a sense there is nothing to complain about. Having said that I have to add right away that it was still lacking somehow: lacking in progress.

The only area where I felt the evolution was the character-writing of Mr. Brett. There was a lot of character developement indeed. Leesha – herb gatherer and village leader – became more badass (if that's possible), Rojer did everything to get over his unrequited feelings for a certain person, and Arlen (the main character of the first book) reached another level of self-knowledge by the end of the story. I have to say I appreciated the signs of inside growth my beloved trio showed.

The plot was not so strong. The first third of the book was practically a retelling of the same events that took place in Krasia (the Desert Land) in the previous book, only now from Jardir's point of view. And even later, when I was past that part I didn't feel we were moving anywhere plot-wise. 

At the end of the book we still had the same unresolved situation: two man standing against each other, both rumored to be the Deliverer, both hating the other. The only difference was that Jardir left the Desert Town with an army (which we knew he would, it wasn't a big surprise).

Since I've heard that the third book starts yet again with telling the same events from another character's POV, the question rises: what does the second book add to the grand scheme of things?  Does it add anything at all? I'm sure it does and I'll see it in retrospect...

Altogether let me say again that I don't mind at all that I continued with the series. The writing is still superb, I basically fly through the book and, since I care about the characters, I like reading the more character-driven parts. Hopefully I'll see more action in book three, and then I can give The Daylight War a higher rating.

Goodreads | Amazon

Read my review of the first book in the series, The Painted Man, by clicking on the image below!

Next in the series:

The Daylight War

Review - Seduction en Pointe by Gemma Snow

Title: Seduction en Pointe

Author: Gemma Snow

Rating: 3.5/5 

Synopsis:

When successful TV star of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Nicco Castillo, finds his boyfriend in bed with another man, he goes full-on Hollywood trainwreck that lands him in ER. Next thing he knows, the producers are shipping him off to Paris to shape up and learn to dance for the next season’s story arc. But his incredibly tempting Parisian ballet instructor, Isabelle La Croix, makes that all too difficult, especially when he learns about her decadent desires--desires Nicco is all too pleased to indulge in. Against the ballet barre, the balcon railing, and wherever and for however long Isabelle is willing to have him.   

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:

Seduction en Pointe almost lost me as a reader after its very first line. Even in the romance/erotica genre I like when the action is neatly prepared… I need the metaphorical foreplay in a story as much as it is needed in sex. The in medias res beginning kinda felt as if the author wanted to assure me that there are tons of sex scenes in the book, therefore I won’t be bored. 

Perhaps I’m a strange one, but I’ve always felt erotica doesn’t work without the well-developed extras in the story – and here I mean everything that is not sex. If the plot, the characters, the relationships don’t please me, the passionate love-making won’t move me for sure.

The funny thing is, Seduction en Pointe wasn’t a bad read at all and I’m glad I brought myself to continue after my personal displeasure in the first line. It is altogether a very nice ’rich hollywood playboy meets French ballerina’ story with good character developement and well-thought-out pacing. It was a believable contemporary romance, a treat really, that I enjoyed in big chunks when I had the time to sit down to read.

I liked that the drama in it wasn’t too much, and that – despite what the first line suggested – there wasn’t a sex scene on every other page. I like when I can tingle with anticipation. 

Plus points for Miss Snow for giving me a bisexual male for main character, that was really refreshing after the bunch of heterosexual romance books I've read lately.

Neither Nicco nor Isabelle were pushy or annoying in any way (which is worth to point out as protagonists in romance/erotica book tend to irritate me). They were people who reflected on their own life and previous relationships and were able to learn from lessons that life gave them.

There was one thing that bugged me in the plot though. Nicco, who played a pirate in a tv show, Queen Ann’s Revenge, was sent to Paris to learn ballet, but it was never actually mentioned why the dance he did had to be ballet. Ball room dancing I would have understood for a pirate, but ballet… Anyway, this is just a small detail that I kept wondering about and was never explained.

I’d never read a book about dancing before, I guess I had to start somewhere and this novel was a good choice.

I would recommend this book to everyone who likes light, insightful romance and who is into voyeurism *wink wink, nudge nudge*.

 
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