Tom Ryan's Shoes Legend of The Banshee Castle by T.A. Keenan, Sketch by Ros Hill, and Whispers of Blue Ridge by Nina Purtee

 

Tom Ryan's Shoes: Legend of The Banshee's Castle by T.A. Keenan

This review is also on Reedsy Discovery.

T.A. Keenan’s Tom Ryan's Shoes: Legend of The Banshee Castle is a gentle slice of life, a dramatic account of life at the beginning of the Irish Potato Famine, and an engaging folktale involving witches, curses, and finding true love. Most importantly, it is a masterful example of storytelling by Keenan writing the book the way someone would verbally relate their family history.

In 1933, brother and sister, Tommy and Molly find a steamer trunk full of papers that belonged to their mother, Lizzie. Most of them consist of Lizzie's handwritten accounts of their family history, stories that she told her children out loud. Molly’s thoughts wander to a specific story that Lizzie told in 1897.

Lizzie's story focuses on her father, Tommy and Molly's grandfather, Tom Ryan in 1846 during the Potato Famine. After being rejected by his girlfriend’s parents, Tom goes to work on his family farm, mostly walking the family pig to market. Along the way, he is accompanied by his cousin, Frank. During this day, the cousins encounter various people and situations. 

The most fascinating person that the Ryan Cousins meet is the Bean Feasa or the Hag, a woman of knowledge, witch, healer, and midwife who crosses their path many times. As they are going about their business, she is going about hers blessing or cursing various people and requesting that they leave specific offerings as a reward, bribe, or a peace offering.

The story of the Ryan Cousins and the Bean Feasa conveys various situations that run the gamut from commonplace, humorous, romantic, tragic, disturbing, eerie, bizarre, uncanny, and magical. Keenan weaves the ordinary and mundane with the ethereal and otherworldly rather well. He depicts the voice of Ireland in a specific point and time by interacting the natural physical world with the unseen and invisible world.

Keenan captures the Irish milieu well by making each character unique. We see the peaceful farmlands, rolling hills, the recognizable accents and colloquialisms. Above all, there are the quirky characters.

 There is a crotchety taciturn neighbor who makes his opinions about everything known. A couple carry on an extramarital affair under the clueless husband's nose.There is a snobbish nun who can't believe that she is stuck in this backwater area. She is from France for crying out loud! Trouble making twins plan bullying shenanigans for the lulz.There is a lot of humor and charm in these looks at everyday life.

However this is not a book about fluffy nostalgia with only a postcard look at rural Ireland. All of the charm and humor is used as a front for the darker edges that appear because of the trying times of English oppression, crippling famine, and religious dominance. Sometimes the humorous moments are intertwined with the tragic. 

Tom and Frank see the various struggles that their friends, neighbors, and others are going through. Many characters are facing unemployment, starvation, and are considering leaving Ireland forever. While alcoholism is prevalent throughout, the historical context suggests that it is used for people to sedate their troubles away when they can't move up, out, or forward.

 There is an ongoing English presence of upper class land owners who look down on the locals with disdain and ownership that they can do whatever they want to these people and face no repercussions (at least until 1916 but that's another story entirely).

The cousins see lads and lasses kept from each other by income, religion, or their own personalities perhaps in desperate attempts to either move up a social status that doesn't include hunger and poverty or to hold onto a family legacy and culture before it's forced into extinction.

 A Magdalene Laundry is an important scene as we encounter young unwed isolated expectant mothers. A pharmacist sells abortifacients and other medicines on the side for those who don't want to bring children into such an uncertain world. A single mother is resorted to begging for food with her children. 

By far one of the most heartbreaking moments occurs when Tom and Frank see the bodies of an elderly couple floating down the river. It is implied that they committed suicide. Besides this image, the most disturbing aspect is the indifference displayed from Tom, Frank, and everyone else.

 Aside from the usual duties that come with fishing the corpses and planning for the burial, there's no grief, no mourning, no investigation. Just talk about whether the burial will be a church burial. It's a weariness that accepts that things are bad and are only going to get worse. 

Thankfully the darkness is only a part of the story and is tempered by the quirky charm mentioned earlier and the fantastic aspects. There is talk about ghosts and spirits in the atmosphere. A little man appears in various pages and dispenses uncanny advice and might be a leprechaun. A beautiful woman is compared to a leannain sidhe, a beautiful fairy that takes a human lover. There are references to a castle that might be haunted by the banshee, the wailing female spirits that predict the death.

By far the most enchanting character of the story is the Bean Feasa. She is able to see what people are really worth, recognizing their virtues and vices by sight and a few words of dialogue. She knows secrets that many hypocritical authority figures hide and calls them out on their promiscuity, crimes, corruption, and abuse of power. 

She acts as the words of vengeance, perhaps the voice of a people who have had enough. She curses them then offers to remove them in exchange for food and other items. She uses her own fierce reputation as leverage.

However, the Bean Feasa is not unkind. She also rewards good behavior and foreseeable fortune such as when she tells Tom that he will find true love. As before, she does this in exchange for food and other goods. While they probably are for her (even witches have to eat after all), we learn that there are more heartwarming reasons. They reveal that this stern, baffling, eccentric crone is probably the most moral ethical character in the entire cast and the real heart of the book.

This book uses the power of Lizzie’s storytelling to ensure that these people, their real world, their legends, their world will never be gone. Not as long as there is another generation to hear and read it.

Sketch by Ros Hill

This is a summary. The whole review is on LitPick.

Sketch is on the surface a witty meta fictional satire about superheroes and the comic industry but underneath it is a deep nuanced clever work about creativity, free will, and finding one's own purpose and agency.

In 1967, Charles, an illustrator, while on a trip to Egypt received a bottle of magic ink. Heba, the mysterious seller, suggests that with all of the problems in the world, he should draw a superhero. He does and creates Sketch who comes to life and is given powers through Charles' drawings. However, where there are superheroes, there are always supervillains and Sketch is no exception. His archenemy is the Finger Gunman who knows about the ink and wants to use it for his own destructive means. This rivalry ends in grief and tragedy.

40 years later Sketch finds Sid, a young man with a connection to all of the goings on from the past and needs him to confront his former enemy once more for their final battle.

There is some brilliant commentary about superheroes and comic book culture such as Sketch and The Finger Gunman playing their expected roles to the hilt particularly the end when The Finger Gunman has Sketch and Sid captive in his lair and monologues because of course.

Despite the humorous references, there are some interesting questions raised about the creative process, maturity, and choosing one's path.

In their first few minutes of creation, Sketch and The Finger Gunman only possess the knowledge their creators gave them. They know names and goals but don't have the ability to understand why or how to act towards them. In both cases, they have to make the choice to be a hero or a villain.

This shows that a creator, or a parent, gives the tools but they have to decide what to do for them. Charles may have drawn and wrote Sketch's powers, but he had to choose to use them and take the path of a hero. The Finger Gunman was created for the same purpose, but he chose the alternative. 

Whispers of Blue Ridge by Nina Purtee 

This is a summary. The whole review is on Reader's Views 

Nina Purtee’s novel Whispers of Blue Ridge has a beautiful rural Southern small town setting. It has a charming romance between a couple that goes from meet cute and flirtation, to making love, to making long term plans, to potential soulmates. It's a nice trajectory but underneath all of the light surface sweetness, there is a dark undercurrent of actions that are results of secrets, affairs, the failures of maintaining perfection, and death.

Vintner Savannah Gray runs Graystone Winery in Blue Ridge, Georgia after the deaths of her parents and grandmother. The upcoming wine tasting festival is an important event and coincides with the arrival of rodeo champion Jake Rollins who is looking for sponsorship from Graystone. Jake’s arrival opens family rivalries and long buried secrets that resulted in a serious car accident that took lives and left many physically and emotionally destroyed. The memories force Jake, Savannah, and other characters to come to terms with the revelations that could change their lives forever.

Jake and Savannah are a fairly decent couple. Savannah struggles to hold onto her family business and care for her aging grandfather. She also has her own personal goals that put her in conflict with her family responsibilities. She is torn between her loyalty to her family and pursuing her own happiness. 

Jake fits the rugged outdoorsy cowboy and love interest without much depth beyond that type of character. He doesn't come into his own until he reveals that he was involved in the accident that left him scarred, traumatized, and amnesiac.

The accident forces the characters to come to terms with the difference between the reality and the image that they tried to convey. The setting of Blue Ridge is one of those idyllic small towns that live off of maintaining an image of beauty and perfection. . It is a small town where status quo must be maintained at all costs and serious issues are brushed aside unless forced to face them.

When the true events that led to the accident and the subsequent aftermath are revealed, the characters have to weigh the consequences of earlier lies and secrets. Jake, Savannah, and the others have to confront the truth of what happened and how the subsequent years of artifice, pretense, and maintaining a perfect idyllic facade contributed to this catastrophe. 

And Then They Fell in Rome by C.L. Rosario; Magical Realism Novel About Love, Coincidence, Fate, and The Power of a Great Bromance

 And Then They Fell in Rome by C.L. Rosario; Magical Realism Novel About Love, Coincidence, Fate, and The Power of a Great Bromance

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

This review is also on Reedsy Discovery.

Spoilers: C.L. Rosario's novel And Then They Fell in Rome, is a powerful Magical Realism Contemporary Fantasy book that says a lot about love, romance, fate, coincidence, synchronicity, and maturity. Mostly it's a book about the importance of friendship between men. A novel that is largely concerned about romance is told primarily from the points of view of a group of male friends, a circular bromance if you will.

A group of friends called the Troubadours meet up in 2021. They are Freddy Bustamante, Juan Fernandez, Charlie Costa, Brian Verdugo, and Jan Luis Larose and are reuniting for the first time since their Senior year in college three years prior. In the middle of their drinks, laughter, and reminisces, a woman appears. She is called “La Bruja” (“The Witch”) or “The Stranger.” She says that she had been following them for some time, entered the minds, and took the forms of people that they met. 

La Bruja has a challenge for the guys. One of them, Jan Luis, was “compromised on a cosmic level” and is in danger of dying young. The only cure is love. The other Troubadours need to help him find love. To make things even more complicated, La Bruja removes the memories of their conversation from The Troubadours’s minds. So they know that they have to help Jan Luis but not how or why.

The book is rich with moments of magical realism with more emphasis on the realism than the magic with the exception of the appearance of La Bruja who comes straight from the latter. Her presence is reminiscent of Latin American novels that fit the magical realism subgenre. She is a mythical and legendary creature in a real world setting. The guys are talking about everyday things in a commonplace setting then BAM, she appears and moves things in a different direction. 

Most of the book focuses on situations that can be magical, mundane, coincidental, or from a more cynical perspective contrived. When the characters, except Jan Luis, go to Rome, a series of serendipitous moments lead them to the right people at the right time. After one relationship is threatened, one of the Troubadours encounters another woman who is connected to his previous lover.

Conversations and encounters are told through multiple perspectives so we don't realize that characters are supposed to meet and fall in love until it happens. Going down the right street, visiting the right cafe, and looking up at the right time leads to a meeting with the love of a lifetime. Even Jan Luis’s later trip to Rome seems to be fated to occur at that specific moment in time.

Similar to works like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, La Bruja 's presence is tied to the real world conflicts concerning the characters. However the two books merge magic with politics, war, colonization, authoritarianism, and other global issues. 

The focus of And Then They Fell in Rome is exclusively on personal friendships, romantic attachments, and the interactions between men and women. Romance in and of itself can be considered magical with people looking and acting like the best versions of themselves to attract and enchant someone else. Sexual and emotional attachments are often described in fantastic ways (“She enchanted me.” “He's so charming.” “I am drawn to your presence.”) 

Even the ideas of creating lasting relationships, finding compatibility, and finding that perfect partnership are actions that often resist being analyzed and quantified because there are always exceptions, variables, emotional experiences and situations leading to other potential outcomes. So this book just injects literal potential magic where figurative magic already existed to give a slight nudge to the characters.

Speaking of characters, this book has some well written multifaceted characters. While La Bruja is my personal favorite, the Troubadours and their love interests convey richness and complexity.

The Troubadours are a group that doesn't play on conventional male stereotypes when guys get together. They aren't looking to drink, party, have wild and crazy adventures, and score as many hot willing babes as possible. They are ready to enter the next stages of their lives, as professionals, committed boyfriends, potential husbands, and maybe someday fathers. They aren't looking for one night stands. They are looking for a lifetime.

The complexities of modern relationships are shown through the Troubadours’s romantic experiences as they look for their potential partners. Juan goes through three separate romances before he realizes that he let his jealous assumptions interfere with what could have been a great relationship. One woman leads him to face his regrets so he can change his future. 

Cinephile Brian keeps comparing his love life to favorite films and hopes to find the leading lady in his life. He is faced with the reality that real people don't act according to a script. They need to be recognized for their frailties, flaws, and insecurities, not his fantasy projections of them.

Former frat boy Freddy is caught between two women: Maddy who represents his lost wayward wild youth and Katelyn who offers a chance at adulthood, maturity, realization, and authenticity. He also has a previous close association with La Bruja and is the only one who remembers her conversation with them and sees the truth that no one else does. 

Charlie is tempted to cheat on his girlfriend with unexpected results. This encounter forces him to confront his own thoughts about fidelity, desires, commitment, and adulthood.

 What about Jan Luis, the central focus of these romantic journeys? His past of an unhappy childhood with separated parents and a previous break up of his own have made him reluctant to seek or accept love. He is in danger of closing himself off emotionally and achieving fulfillment only in dreams and fantasies.

The love interest characters are just as brilliantly written. These are characters with their own stories, identities, and agencies. They aren't there solely to fulfill the Troubadours’s romantic desires but are meant to stand toe to toe in equal footing with them. The relationships happen because the characters work on improving themselves as individuals before they become coupled. 

While the romance and magical realism are important aspects of the story, by far the central relationship is not between the Troubadours and their significant others. It is among the Troubadours themselves.

These are five friends, who are brothers in heart and spirit. The conflict of helping Jan Luis find love becomes a catalyst that leads to their own conflicts and questions. They would be unable to evolve without each other. It's easy to recognize that these men deserve romantic love when we see that they are capable of maintaining a filial love. They are there for each other through university, work, romance, and marriage. Chances are their future kids will have not only loving fathers but four honorary uncles that will protect them with their lives.

It's also a kind of brotherly love that inspires change in each other. They aren't afraid to give one another advice or criticism to say exactly what they did wrong and how they can be better people. It is among the best bromances that I have read in recent novels. They aren't just there for each other in good times but bad as well.

And Then They Fell in Rome is a book that is magical, realistic, romantic, and bromantic.

A Matter of Time (The Bridge Through Time Series Book 4) by Jennae Vale; Enchanting Romantic Fantasy Has Questions

 A Matter of Time (The Bridge Through Time Series Book 4) by Jennae Vale; Enchanting Romantic Fantasy Has Questions 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: A Matter of Time is the fourth book in Jennae Vale’s The Bridge Through Time Series so that probably explains the confusion and questions about the overall series and ongoing story arcs especially since it is the first in the series that I have read. When it settles down and focuses on the specific Romantic Fantasy, it's charming, funny, heartwarming, and enchanting.

Womanizing nobleman and apparently antagonist in previous books, Sir Richard Jeffords is sent from 16th Scotland into the future by witch Edna Campbell to learn a lesson on how to treat women. He finds himself in modern day San Francisco where he meets Angelina Lawson, a modern woman with an interest in medieval martial arts and an unhappy love life. The two become attracted to one another and become closer even though they come from different centuries. Meanwhile an antiques dealer, Malcolm Granger, is obsessed with finding a sword from Richard's time and he will do anything to get it even go backwards in time with him.

There are two distinct aspects to the book and one works better than the other. The good news is when the book acts like a Romantic Fantasy, it's predictable but fun in its own way. 

Richard and Angelina’s romance goes down smoothly because they are perfectly compatible. There are indications from other characters that Richard was a villain in previous books so he is a harder cynical character because of this and a bit uncertain when it comes to a reciprocal love.

Angelina has also had her share of heartbreak and is the typical modern day jaded female Romance protagonist. She is less certain about love than Richard is. These are the types of characters who are perfect for each other. 

They may trade witty barbs, mock their deliriously in love friends, and deny their attraction while simultaneously becoming more and more intimate. It's a fun and interesting romance between two characters who like disagreeing with each other almost as much as they like making love.

The time travel aspects are a bit different from other books in the subgenre. Richard has been to the present in a previous volume, so this second trip is nothing new. He is unfamiliar with being in San Francisco however and gets lost easily. It's less like someone in a separate time period and more like a regular person visiting a new city on vacation.

It also helps that Richard is not alone. In fact, while in modern San Francisco, he encounters Nick, a friend of Angelina’s who is also a friend of his from Scotland. Nick is a charming comic relief character who is also close to Angelina.

 The Reader braces themselves for a love triangle. Thankfully, we get a reprieve. Instead, Nick treats Richard and Angelina like his favorite siblings. It also clears the path for him to find a love interest in the next book.

Another interesting character is the creator of this time travel escapade, Edna Campbell. She is an older wise woman with the gift of foresight. She is often quick with a magic spell, an herbal remedy, and a sardonic comment for those around her.

Edna is happily married and is surrounded by friends and family so she is the opposite of the usual lonely witch found in these works. In fact, if she were ever arrested and charged with witchcraft, she would have plenty of loyal allies who would have her back.

Things get incredibly confusing in later chapters which I admit are partly because I haven't read the earlier volumes. We meet more friends of Angelina and Richard's that have traveled back and forth in time which is highly questionable. 

Are these the only time periods that allow time travel? Is there some sort of cosmic link to 21st century California and 16th century Scotland? Can characters from the past go further back or from the present go to the future? How do we account for the implausibility that all of the time travelers all knew each other before their adventures? Does all of this time tripping affect the time stream or the space time continuum? Aren't there people in either time period missing someone? Is there anyone left in modern San Francisco or Scotland who hasn't been bitten by the time travel bug?

There are also other parts that don't work so well. Malcolm is an incredibly cheesy antagonist and his subplot is written without much depth or subtly. He wants a specific sword that belongs to Richard's family and he puts his and Angelina’s lives in danger. It's a pretty transparent attempt to create more conflict that doesn't always work.

Also again this is because I didn't read the previous books. In some of the last few chapters, we are told about some of Richard's more nefarious deeds in the previous volumes. It causes one to think differently of him. 

It's not that he reformed and found love that is the problem. Many characters go through redemptive story arcs and emerge on the other side as friends of the heroes. But the way his villainy is described as almost hand waved.

A character with the history that Richard has would have more guilt in his next relationship. There should be more flashbacks and remorse connected with his past. For it to be dismissed and info dropped in the final chapters seems almost dishonest. Like Vale was trying to rewrite or gloss over the history of one of her own characters.

Still despite the flaws, this is a fine book for fans of Time Travel Romance Fantasies. It's probably much better to look at its own merits than part of a series or do what most normal people do and read the series in numerical order.

Survive The Cursed by Ashton Abbott; The End is A Monster Mash-Up

 

Survive The Cursed by Ashton Abbott; The End is A Monster Mash-Up

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: There have been many Post-Apocalyptic works of fiction that predict the future will be overrun with supernatural monsters that will destroy humans and become the dominant species. Zombies are the most frequent survivors. Vampires have also had a shot at living forever in the Post-Apocalyptic wasteland. Occasionally, werecreatures and very rarely witches and other magic users come out to play in these future games. Well, Survive The Cursed seems like a novel length explanation that the author , Ashton Abbott couldn't decide which monsters to be the primary antagonists, so she decided on all of them.

In the future, humanity is reduced to living in enclaves on abandoned areas like Avery Winters does with her parents and other assorted humans in what used to be Eglin Air Force Base on the Florida panhandle. On a personal note, my father was in the Air Force and we lived in Eglin for a time from 1985-1987. I attended elementary school grades 2-4 there, so it is a fascinating and eerie experience reading about and imagining a place that I once lived becoming part of a Post-Apocalyptic universe. But I digress.

Anyway, Avery and the other humans hunt for monsters and kill them in brutal attacks. They study the movements, strengths, and weaknesses of witches, zombies, vampires, and werecreatures, find out where they are located, and kill or imprison them before they attack the humans. 

It's a difficult life and Avery has grown jaded and used to the constant fight against these monsters. She is old enough to remember life before the monsters, usually through minor things like eating cereal, wearing different clothes, or going to school or friend's houses. That's all gone as humanity has almost completely been wiped out except in small pockets and everyone has to fight and struggle to survive. 

Fighting for survival is such a new normal for Avery, that she is deprived of empathy, understanding, or compassion. She is so driven to kill the monsters that she ironically has lost her own humanity. She ignores the medical experiments that her father performs on the monsters that are captured. She vows that if one of her fellow soldiers is transformed into a monster, she would kill them without a second thought. She demonstrates this during an assignment when a couple of her closest friends are attacked by zombies and become zombies themselves. 

Avery only sees the monsters as cardboard adversaries until she is assigned guard duty over the imprisoned monsters. She is forced to look her enemies in the eye and converse with them. She particularly captures the interest of Whitney, a saucy temperamental Witch who wants to go down fighting and Mattias, an enigmatic and calm Vampire who wants to plead his case to his captors. 

The longer that Avery talks to and listens to her captives' perspective, doubt enters her mind. She questions the purpose of her fellow human’s, particularly her father's motives with his experiments. Avery admires Whitney's defiance and tenacity and is drawn to Mattias’s charismatic personality and almost human appearance. 

Before the monsters were a monolith, something easily destroyed and disposed of. Now she has to concede that they have names, identities, families, emotions, personalities, and possess admirable traits that she never considered. 

A twist occurs that causes Avery to challenge everything that she once believed. She is ostracized and her concept of friends and enemies have reversed. She sees humanity in those she thought of as monsters and monstrosity in those she thought of as human. It makes one wonder if there is any real distinction between human and supernatural characters and where the monsters begin and end. 

  

Life Into Death And Other Stories About The Two Gods Who Balance The Earth by E.S. Sibbald; The Hidden Raphael's Banker The Art and Finance Mystery Series Book 1 by Alessandra Oddi Baglioni; Labyrinth of Shadows (The Witch's Rebirth Part 1) by Michaela Riley

 Life Into Death And Other Stories About The Two Gods Who Balance The Earth by E.S. Sibbald; The Hidden Raphael's Banker (The Art and Finance Mystery Series Book 1) by Alessandra Oddi Baglioni; Labyrinth of Shadows (The Witch's Rebirth Part 1) by Michaela Riley 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers:

Life Into Death And Other Stories About The Two Gods Who Balance The Earth by E.S. Sibbald

E.S. Sibbald’s Fantasy short novel, Life Into Death and Other Stories About Two Gods Who Balance the Earth is a lyrical, visceral, and powerful meditation on life and death. These two transitions are personified by a pair of gods who are on opposite sides, banter, vie, and love one another. 

They are present in the literal beginning. In the primordial sea, Life watches single celled organisms form and reproduce. Death appears when one stops moving. They are together at the end when after environmental and nuclear disasters have taken their toll, Life and Death stand in a global wide wasteland where nothing can ever be born or grow. If nothing can live, then nothing can ever die. So Life and Death just fade from existence. The book combines their first meeting, their last reunion, and many of the times in between to give us the full experience of this odd but loving immortal couple. 

Life and Death naturally are a study in contrasts. The first paragraphs of the book remind us that Life is in the bright places of the world while Death is in the shadows. Life exists in the birth of babies, the growth of plants, and in the forests, seas and skies. Death exists in street corners, graveyards, hospital beds, mausoleums, and in the dark corner of the human mind. Life is loved and praised while Death is feared and sometimes hated.

 Both are beautiful, powerful, awe inspiring, and are everywhere in everything and everybody. They are genderless and can take many forms, children, animals, soldiers, elderly people, men, women, married couples, single celled organisms but they always recognize each other. They are drawn together so it is no surprise that their coexistence transforms over the eons into a partnership, to a flirtation, to a friendship, to a romance, to an undying love for each other. It’s a union developed from years of observing each other watching the global experience. 

Many of the most compelling chapters occur as the duo observe mortals in many situations. They see soldiers on the battlefield killing one another, then sees soldiers on different sides calling for a Christmas Day truce during WWI (true story by the way). They participate in a Pride March when same-sex marriage becomes legal in the U.S. Death despairs over having to take a suicidal young woman and silently cheers when Life interferes giving her extra years. They see families sharing love, craftspeople and artists proud of their work, adventurers seeking another thrill, parents holding their children for the first time, and people closing their eyes for the last. 

Each experience leaves their marks on Life and Death and exposes their deeper emotions and vulnerabilities. It is no wonder that they express their love for each other as they see humans do the same. It would be impossible to dwell among mortals and not be emotionally affected by their transience and their desires to find meaning in the short time in which they are given. They try to find out who they are. Life and Death don’t have to.They just are. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t feel, can’t connect, and can’t love. 

In exploring the most important transitions of life and death, Life Into Death tells Readers about what happens at the beginning and the end. But it also tells us that what we do in between is what gives us meaning and existence. They make us alive. 

The Hidden Raphael's Banker (The Art and Finance Mystery Series Book 1) by Alessandra Oddi Baglioni;

Alessandra Oddi Baglioni’s The Hidden Raphael's Banker is a continuation to her Historical Fiction short novel, The Red Wedding. Instead of a family history about a Renaissance era family scheming and conniving against other families and each other, it's a modern Mystery Thriller with a wide conspiracy involving a painting once commissioned by said Renaissance era family.

In The Red Wedding, we learn that Atalanta Baglioni commissioned Raphael to paint a portrait of Jesus’ Deposition as an act of contrition after family members were killed during the wedding of her cousin Astor Baglioni and his wife Lavinia Colonna Orsini. This book continues the story of what happened to that painting. 

Architect and art aficionado, George Lacroix is in Rome at the Borghese Museum. He sees the painting and becomes fascinated by its origins and history. While researching the history of the Baglioni Family, the painting, and its previous owners, George stumbles across a conspiracy that reveals other motives connected to the painting. 

This book is an intricate thriller in which art and history provide clues and hints leading to modern day events. What in The Red Wedding was a simple act of repentance and memorial to those lost, in this volume became symbolic of the institutions that hold real power through politics, finance, culture, business, philanthropy, and leadership. In a meta moment, George uses Baglioni’s own previous book, The Red Wedding, for research, complete with passages lifted from the book. 

 It sounds bizarre that this painting would lead to such a conspiracy. But the commission was made by a very influential Renaissance-era family that was involved in high circles including The Pope and had rivalries with other families like the Medicis and the Borgias. It makes sense that they would be involved with some secret inner circles. It also makes sense that these circles would have a ripple effect into modern day with despots in suits that prefer to do their power grabs by spreading money around and remaining hidden rather than poison or stab someone at a wedding.  

There are genuine moments of suspense during George’s investigation. He meets betrayal from people who he thought that he could trust. He becomes romantically involved or is enamored with a couple of women who have their own agendas. There are many global agents who want to keep this discovery hidden and aren’t above killing to get it done.

By far the most enigmatic character is Colomba. At first she appears to be a tour guide who gives George information about The Deposition then disappears. Her story becomes more complicated when George learns that there is nobody employed at the Borghese with her name and appearance. George also encounters her other times on the streets, inside museums, and other places. She acts as a guide or guardian angel who helps George.

 Sometimes Columba provides information, warns George of danger, or keeps him away from pursuers. It’s also interesting to note that there is a similar character in The Red Wedding who also provides a similar function. This suggests that the current Columba is a ghost of the former Columba and is atoning for the death and destruction that happened in the Renaissance by preventing it from happening again. 

The Hidden Raphael’s Banker is for those who like their adventure thrillers to be widespread with conspiracies that tie history with current events, are led by brilliant experts in their field, and excite readers while making them think.

Labyrinth of Shadows The Witch's Return Part 1 by Michaela Riley 

Michaela Riley’s Historical Fantasy Labyrinth of Shadows (The Witch's Rebirth) is a rich, enchanting, and complex novel about a witch that is reincarnated over the centuries.

The Witch is a very powerful being. While there are other witches, this specific figure, The Witch, is said to be the most powerful. She has been reborn countless times. In 1590 Copenhagen she is Anna facing a witch trial in which she is to be burned at the stake. In 478, she seduces young Prince Clovis of the Franks to tell him that he will lead his armies into victory. 

The majority of this book is set in the 5th Century when Mairead, a Druid High Priestess conducts a Samhain ritual to rid her tribe of Armaeus, the most feared Daemon in the entire realm. During the ritual, she discovers an abandoned baby and takes her in. The baby, named Merona, is the current incarnation of The Witch and is destined to fight and hopefully defeat Armaeus. She shows flashes of insight from her former lives but she also has to receive training. To do that Merona must be taught by Murdach, Mairead’s friend.

This book has an abundance of witch lore weaved into the narrative. Those who have an interest in folklore and legends of witches and their origins will be fascinated with the references. Mairead and her Druids follow ancient rites and rituals

Mairead’s authority was high during a time period which still respected Druids and the Ancient Celtic traditions that they represented even as they were also aware of the transition towards Christianity that was on its way. This is a society that is firmly holding onto the old ways, even as new ones are starting to gain influence. 

An interesting twist to this book is the appearance of Armaeus and his goal. Instead of being an instrument of Satan or dark magic, he is an instrument of the evil in humanity. He encourages the Witch Trials to attack women who could fight against him and fan the flames of human prejudice. It’s interesting that the Christians who claim to be fighting Satan end up serving someone just as powerful and dangerous. But hatred often clouds judgement. People can’t always tell who their enemies really are as long as they use the right words and hate who they hate. Merona certainly has her work cut out for her. 

Some of the most fascinating chapters occur during Murdach’s training of Merona that increases her knowledge and abilities. The flashes of intuition from other lives become stronger and more concrete as she explores past lives. She also explores future lives like her time as Anna, to give herself foresight and precognition and begins to recognize patterns of people and situations that keep reoccurring. She recognizes that she, Murdach, and Armaeus have a history that stretches through time. 

Meronia also has to expand her magical abilities. Murdoch takes her on a series of tests to train her in elemental magic. She faces trials of earth, air, fire, and water to channel her abilities and control the elements. The training takes several years and many revelations before Merona is considered powerful enough to fight Armaeus.

The final test is for Merona to go to the Labyrinth of Shadows where she has to encounter her fears, face her biggest challenges, and discover her inner power. It is a challenging trial, the kind in which one could emerge as an insane threat or an extremely potent witch. 

The Healer's Daughter by Myriana Merkovic; Bewitching Historical Fiction About A 17th Century Healer and Witch

 The Healer's Daughter by Myriana Merkovic; Bewitching Historical Fiction About A 17th Century Healer and Witch

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: The Healer's Daughter by Myriana Merkovic casts a spell on its Reader. It is a bewitching Historical Fiction novel about a healer and witch in 17th century North America.

In 1692, Naida Galene and her mother, Zephyr, had to flee Andover, Massachusetts when accusers from the Salem Witch Trials went witch hunting. They escape to Charles Town, South Carolina to start a new life. After Zephyr dies en route, Naida takes to the woods to live in solitude around nature. Her reputation as a healer is spread through word of mouth and she receives many loyal customers, particularly women, who visit her in secret. She also gets into a relationship with Ambrose Neville, a botanist and scientist. Unfortunately, she also meets with animosity from Sable, a local witch who doesn't like this new upstart and Lord Harrington, a nobleman who is suspicious of and lustful towards the young healer.

The Healer's Daughter is a brilliant character study of a woman who lives in the outer fringes of society and survives and even thrives because of her inner power. 

Naida comes from a long line of healers and witches who taught her everything she knows. Her family is a matrilineal line where power is inherited and taught from mother to daughter. Naida  not only remembers her mother, Zephyr, but her grandmother, Vesta, and other ancestors. She has inherited ancestral memories where she recalls their own experiences with different herbs and potions or the lessons that they taught their daughters.

 Some of their interactions consist of Naida remembering them and others are actual conversations with their spirits, especially Zephyr and Vesta. While she respects their authority and her lineage, Naida isn't afraid to call them out for their lifestyle choices and that they expect her to carry on the tradition even if it's emotionally difficult for her. Among those choices are to live completely alone and only have sex for procreation. If the child is a daughter, they must raise them by themselves in isolation (the son is returned to his father). 

When Naida weighs a romantic relationship with Ambrose, she wants to break the tradition to find a way to use her abilities while being happily married and openly involved with the community. She is someone who isn't afraid to question society and tradition, even when they are hers.

There are plenty of moments where Naida and her family help people with their healing experiences. She recalls many women going to Grandma Vesta for help with insomnia, pregnancy, or keeping their abusive drunk husbands away from them. She also bitterly remembers that these same women would either turn a blind eye or actively take part in the trials that would send her grandmother to her death and then run Naida and Zephyr out of town. 

Naida herself uses her hedge witch abilities to help others. She treats Ambrose's injury which attracts him but also makes him suspicious where she learned her healing skills. She also helps soothe a pregnant woman’s physical and mental health. 

One of the more traumatic moments occurs when a woman asks Naida for an abortifacient because she has several young children and an abusive husband. Naida has her own internal conflict with the request. She knows that this procedure could result in her arrest and the woman could get hurt or even murdered by her husband. But the woman's health becomes the most important deciding factor and she respects her choice, so she helps her.

There are strong conflicts between Naida and the society that surrounds her. Anytime that Naida interacts with Sable, the sardonic and potentially psychopathic town outsider who has her own bad reputation, Naida faces suspicions that she's in a witch's coven. Whenever she gets into an argument with Ambrose using her natural personally trained healing magic against his scientific education and training, the information points towards training in witchcraft. Above all Lord Harrington has his own vested interest in accusing the young woman, so he gathers his own evidence.

Naida knows that she is going to arouse curiosity and accusations no matter what she does, then she might as well be herself. She might as well do what she is trained to do. If they call her a witch, then a witch is who she will be. This self-awareness is what strengthens her as she faces accusers, her family legacy, and has to decide how to live her life.

The Healer's Daughter is a compelling outlook at what life was like for independent women in the 17th century and how they often became outsiders and accused witches. That this woman is actually a witch is neither here nor there. 

Naida is using her abilities to heal people, create medicines and remedies, consult and advise others. 

There are some implications that the male government establishment is threatened by her knowledge. She is a woman outside the community box and they can't place her or fit her inside. As with many women throughout history, if they can't place her and can't force her to conform, then they will do everything they can to silence her. But Naida is a woman who resists being categorized and won't be silenced. She is from a family legacy of strength, independence, mindfulness, talent, and spirit.

 Naida is a truly bewitching presence throughout her fictional world and to the Reader.

Murder Under Redwood Moon by Sherri Dodd; A Realistic Mystery Thriller Starring a Modern Witch

 Murder Under Redwood Moon by Sherri Dodd; A Realistic Mystery Thriller Starring a Modern Witch

By Julie Sara Porter

Spoilers: Sherri Dodd’s murder mystery, Murder Under Redwood Moon is a Supernatural Murder Mystery that doesn’t feel like one. Many Supernatural Murder Mysteries that star witches or similar people, for lack of a better term, Harry Potter the book. They depict witches using superpowers like clairvoyancy, precognition, telekinesis and often depicts them going against paranormal characters like other witches, ghosts, demons, vampires and the like. The emphasis is less on mystery and more on the fantasy-like setting in which they live. Muder Under a Redwood Moon is a realistic Murder Mystery that happens to star a witch.

Arista lives in Boulder Creek, California near her Aunt Bethie who raised her and works at a New Age shop called Earth and Ocean. A former high school acquaintance, Michelle is missing and later her body is found. She has been murdered so Arista, Bethie, Arista’s best friend Maddie, boyfriend Shane and their other friends try to find out what happened to her. Could the new Goth couple, Jaxon and Yelena have anything to do with it? How does this correlate to another missing woman? Why is there a strange connection to Arista’s own past and those of her missing parents?

Murder Under a Redwood Moon is the closest many fiction writers can get to portraying what it’s like to be a witch in the real world. They may have different rituals, traditions, and invoke the names of gods, goddesses, or an unnamed deity. But the magic is very understated and not fanciful. It is based not on amazing magical things physically happening but on the power of belief over what witches can do. 

We don’t see magic spells work except in situations that could be interpreted as magical or mundane. Arista has flashes of insight that could be examples of psychic powers but could just as easily be signs of her being a good judge of character. There are communications with the dead mostly via Ouija board, but they are not set up as unspeakable demonic horror. It's depicted as a ritual to cleanse the mind of confusion and hopefully get some solid leads and answers. 

When Arista and her aunt chant to their gods, it’s treated like prayer, something that they believe in but is not noticeable by anyone else. It's a means to open their mind to possibilities and release tension during stressful and tense times. When they use magical objects like crystals and Tarot cards, the only power is what they put into them through their belief and intentions. 

The protagonists’ Pagan path is portrayed authentically and so is the antagonists’ path. In many Occult/Supernatural Based Mysteries, the antagonist is often something or someone magical. It could be a demon, a more powerful witch or wizard, or another fantastic creature that defies expectation. Here they are human, all too human. They have a sick perverted mind over how they think that the world should be and who they have to hurt to make it happen. 

The opening chapter which is a flashback to Arista’s childhood shows the kind of enemy the characters are stacked against. Someone who will hurt anyone, even those close to them, if it means their goals are met. It’s an all too real action, one we are exposed to every day through the myriad of true crime stories involving people with destructive violent impulses, no respect for those around them, and an outlook that dehumanizes their victims. 

Murder Under Redwood Moon is not the type of Supernatural Mystery that one reads for escape. It is the type that one reads when they want to find a path that helps them face the darkness that surrounds them every day.

Charming Tomorrow by Conor Jest; Brilliant But At Times Confusing Sequel Adds Time Travel and Modern Times

 

Charming Tomorrow by Conor Jest; Brilliant But At Times Confusing Sequel Adds Time Travel and Modern Times

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

This review is also on Reedsy Discovery 

Spoilers: Charming Tomorrow, the sequel to Where The Witches Dwell in The Everlan Trilogy, takes its characters and Readers to where few Epic Fantasies dare to tread. It takes us into the mysterious, magical, wild, and weird world of…. California 1999.

Okay not exactly the most unique or original setting, but still it's interesting to add time travel to a subgenre which is all too often tightly bound to its various tropes. It adds a splash of cleverness, humor, and sharper stakes as ancient practically immortal characters duke it out in the past and present. 

When last we left, our hero and villain, Roulic and Mayhem respectively they fought in a place called The Edge and because there were no guardrails or safety signs (and personal safety is not first in your list when you are battling each other with the known world at stake), the tumbled over The Edge into darkness. When they came to, they found themselves far away from the land of Doth in 1699 to as I mentioned before California 1999. Cast adrift but needing magic users to help him return to the past, Mayem solicits a local fortune teller by using mental manipulation and verbal threats to obtain her assistance. Meanwhile, Roulic reunites with some familiar faces: The Witches of Doth, seven sisters and one brother, all gifted with magical abilities and the siblings of Ravenna, Roulic’s intended lover who is stranded in the 1600’s. (They are all long lived. It's not as weird and unlikely as it sounds). The Witches have a proposition for Roulic, go back in time to the 1640’s and fight Mayem before he becomes too powerful then rescue Ravenna before she is cursed by merging with a bridge before Roulic met her in the first volume. 

The book starts out in a satiric, even light hearted vein with some funny moments as Roulic and Mayhem navigate themselves through modern society. One of the cleverest moments occurs as Roulic and Mayhem are walking through Laguna Beach. They are naturally confused and out of their element when metal machines roll by on paved roads, people, particularly women, dress casually and wear revealing clothing, and come up to them to say “hey” and act approachable. 

Funnier still are the people of 1999 who have little to no reaction at all. Aside from some admiring their period style clothing and weaponry (one even asks Roulic who made his authentic boots), but no mass confusion or suspicion. They take the weirdness in stride. Guy wearing a full Medieval-style tunic and leggings? Boring. Carrying ready made polished and clearly been used? See it every Tuesday. Babbling about Destiny, dragons, magical keys, witches, and the end of the world? Look, I got things to do but we can meet later for coffee, kay? 

Fortune tellers and psychics are widely available so all they have to do is find or control the right ones. Not only that but of course someone knows a family of witches, seven sisters and one brother! Who doesn't? They can lead Roulic right to them!

The other thing that Jest excels at in this volume is giving more diverse dimensions and personalities to the Witches. In the previous book, most of the distinction was given largely to Aurora because she guided Roulic on his journey and Ravenna because she was the enchanted love interest. In this volume all of the siblings stand out as individuals and family.  From the maternal leader Aurora, to the serene High Priestess Marlee, the sardonic serious Raine, the quiet dreamy Alison, the bookish intellectual Jillian, the mischievous tricksters Maddy and Agnes, and the affectionate enthusiastic, Jax, they are an interesting family unit that works together even if they don't always agree.

 Much of their individuality has a lot to do with the move to modern day. Many of the siblings adjusted, some more than others. Jax in particular thrives in this new environment  bring trendy, dressing in modern clothing, talking in modern slang and being indistinguishable from any Xer or Millennial growing up in the late ‘90’s. Of course, it is not surprising that he and his sisters would adjust so well. Unlike Roulic who just got there, they lived for centuries in this environment so they had plenty of time to adapt to modern styles, professions, societies, and structures. They fit right in inconspicuous though clearly some are in the know.

The modern setting is so fun and interesting. It even fits well into Roulic and Mayem’s larger journey that reveals what their legacy is and how their actions create ripple effects that change their worlds for centuries. Sometimes those actions have long term consequences that even they can't always see in their lifetime. The modern setting is so odd and yet unique that it's a shame that it doesn't last and Roulic and Mayem reenter the 1640’s Doth and the magical Medieval-like Fantasy world that they left behind in volume one.

The transition isn't bad. There are some suspenseful twists particularly as Roulic has to avoid running into his young self and rescue Ravenna but make sure that they actually get together romantically anyway. Otherwise, Ravenna and her family won't be able to ally with Roulic against Mayem. But they already did and aided him. He wouldn't have been thrown over The Edge with Mayem and visit the present and return to the past-Time Travel is so confusing!

Confusion is one of the bigger issues concerning the rest of Charming Tomorrow. The time travel aspects while well written take out much of the suspense within. Of course, Roulic and Mayem will act the way that they do because they already did. Much of Roulic's tasks are somewhat arbitrary and difficult to keep track of particularly when he encounters the dragons that he once protected and the Pearlytook, the magical key that he once possessed in the previous book.

Also there is an uncertainty within the book which involves retconning many of the events from the previous book. It's less like an adventure that takes the characters into a new setting, presents challenges that raise the stakes, and transforms them in various ways. It seems more like there were things that Jest didn't like in the previous book so used the second to fix them so they would no longer exist in this universe. 

Despite these concerns, the Time Travel angle is an interesting layer that contrasts greatly with the usual plot points in Epic Fantasy. Roulic thrives well in both times and travels back and forth between them. Mayem also thrives and his conversations with his new allies are both charismatic and chilling. He wins them over but he also makes them aware that failure is not an option.

The Witches also are actively involved in Roulic and Mayem’s travel between time periods. They observe their movements from 1999 and are able to provide magical assistance like creating storms and sending telepathic messages. One of the funniest running bits is that, many of the siblings, Maddy and Agnes particularly, watch and discuss these adventures, what Roulic should do or shouldn't have done, and offer predictions about what will happen next like they are binge watching a favorite series on Netflix. So the 1640’s and 1990’s settings aren't bad, they just need work to catch up to each other and be more original.

Since the 1999 portion contains most of the book’s highlights, perhaps Jest could have set most of the book here then returned to Doth in the next book. This would give more story than just reiterating  what happened in the first book and look more like an actual well thought storyline instead of a desperate retcon. But still Charming Tomorrow is a good book and The Witches, the best characters, are definitely worth remembering and rooting for.

Gittel by Laurie Schneider; Speechless in Achten Tan (Book 1 Of The Sands of Achten Tan) by Debbie Iancu-Haddad; Slumber Nevermore by R.J. Garcia

 

Gittel by Laurie Schneider 

This is a brief summary of my review. The main review can be found on LitPick 

Gittel by Laurie Schneider is reminiscent of many coming of age books like Anne of Green Gables and The Little House books. It's not long on plot. It prefers instead to focus on various individual conflicts in Gittel’s life that test her character and teach her various lessons.

13 year old Gittel Borenstein is part of a Jewish family that emigrated from East Europe because of a pogrom to Mill Creek, Wisconsin with 12 other Jewish families. The book focuses on various events in Gittel’s young life such as bullying from Antisemitic classmates, conflicts with her more traditional Orthodox family, a budding romance with a local boy, and her participation in a Chautauqua.  

The book is strong on character, time, and place. The Borensteins emigrated for their safety but still feel out of place in this rural American country. Gittel has to suffer from insults and threats from other students, particularly Karl Leckner, whose religious Antisemitic father takes every opportunity to compare them to demons. Gittel shows her strengths by using witty comebacks and verbally challenging her antagonists. She even describes her mouth as the sharpest weapon that she and her friends, Irene and Emily, have.

Gittel struggles with not only societal conflicts but those within her own family. Gittel is a maturing young woman who is fascinated with the American way of life while her traditional Orthodox family mostly clings to the tight-knit Jewish community around them. Gittel makes gentile friends, develops her interests in singing, dancing, and reading, and uses her talent in public speaking during a Chautauqua. She nurtures aspirations to continue her education and become an actress or writer despite some of her family's concerns and soft objections. 

The most heartwarming moments are when Gittel and her family come to an understanding about her aspirations and interests and she recognizes their own adaptability as well as her own. She recognizes loving bonds which while hidden and not always expressed out loud, but are always felt. 

Gittel is the Yiddish word for “good” which is a decent description of the book. However, it's more than good. Gittel is great.

Speechless in Achten Tan (Book 1 in The Sands of Achten Tan) by Debbie Iancu-Haddad

This is a brief summary of my review. The main review can be found on LitPick. 

Speechless in Achten Tan is a Fantasy novel that will appeal to YA and Adult Readers with its captivating lead character and her search for her personal power.

 Mila, a mute cavern gnome, goes through a test to be considered worthy to study magic. After she fails the test, her mentor, Nora, sends her to the desert world of Achten Tan to study magic under Gerwyn, a wise and powerful witch. While in Achten Tan, Mila finds romance and friendship, becomes involved in a power struggle against the despotic Bone Chief Opu Haku, and discovers her strength and voice.

After her test, Mila is in despair because she doesn't conform to what her community believes are their standards of maturity. She is deprived of the ability to speak and to practice magic. She cannot ascend in their world so she is deprived of her agency. The dramatic irony is the reason behind her failure. Mila’s brother, Turosh, drowned over the same waterfall where she was being tested. She was temporarily overcome with grief, lost control, and failed the test. A moment of emotion remembering a traumatic event that shaped her youth and motivated her to continue studying ended up becoming a barrier in her pursuit of magic and full acceptance into her society.

As with the heroes in many legends and books in the genre, Mila is sent to continue her journey elsewhere. She has to leave to continue her studies. Her journey to Achten Tan also allows her to connect with her past, present, and future. Her boyfriend from the village, Geb, is also in Achten Tan to train as a healer. He provides an emotional center and keeps Mila focused as her abilities increase.

She also befriends Kaii, son of Opu Haku, the Bone Chief. Mila's friendship allows the son to step out from his father's tyrannical shadow and fight against him. Mila widens the scope of her magical pursuits to make long lasting changes with other kingdoms including her own. 

Mila is even able to reconcile her grief over Tarush’s death. She comes to terms with the loss and its aftereffects. While death and loss are still painful for her, she is able to set them aside and move forward on her path to maturity.

This is a Fantasy novel that many, especially young people, will relate to as they follow their own paths, discover their own abilities, and gain their own voices.

Slumber Nevermore by R.J. Garcia

R.J. Garcia knows how to keep Readers up at night. With the anthology, Slumber Nevermore she crosses genres to give the Readers a full effect of dark twisted tales that deliver on chills, ominous energy, and unforgettable mental images. 

There are seven stories but the best are:

“The Stolen Child”-This story is a Dark Fantasy that plays on those frightening magical creatures: Fairies.

Garcia refrains from the wholesome fairytale Disney image of fairies and focuses instead on the variations from myth and legends where they are powerful, capricious, demand to be respected, and should be kept at a safe distance. 

Mae is anxious about her sister, Emmie, who disappeared right in front of her. She has this sensation that they had been watched and out of the corner of her eye, she thinks that strange figures appear and disappear. She always suspected that there were fairies in the woods. Could she be right? Spoiler Alert: She is.

The fairies are written as ominous and secretive. They appear as orbs of light, shrill whistles, or silhouettes. Mae isn't sure if they are dreams or if they are real. Then when she finally talks to them, she isn't sure if they are good, evil, or neutral with their own moral code. They could go either way. Their ambiguity is their strength and while she is with them, Mae is completely at their mercy. As long as she is in their world, they could do whatever they want to her and no one would know about it. 

“The Stolen Child” is a modern fairy tale told to a Horror loving audience. Anyone who reads fairy tales knows that fairies can be sinister or helpful but are rarely the main antagonists. Instead the real villains are often a lot closer to the protagonist’s home than that. Those villains are cruel, malicious, and bring the worst misfortunes. 

“Lipstick”-This story is a Paranormal Horror that should not be read by anyone with coulrophobia. 

10 year old Billy sneaks out one night to see a carnival. The night of rickety rides, junk food, and fun to be scared thrills turns to terror when he encounters a demonic looking clown. The clown not only makes a formidable impression but makes him an offer that haunts him for years.

Dark carnivals might be cliched and scary clowns even more so, but they are used so often because they work. Carnivals can give off a sinister vibe when one thinks about it. These places of supposed amusement contain rides that are quickly put together by people who might have dubious reputations and are certainly in a hurry. A guest’s safety depends on them. Is it any wonder that they inspire fear? If you read books like Something Wicked This Way Comes or saw movies like Freaks or Carnival of Souls among others, you know what I am talking about.

Then there are clowns. They hide their true faces, come up close and face to face with children, seem impossibly cherry, and wear garish makeup. Lest we forget fictional clowns like Pennywise or real ones like John Wayne Gacy who certainly had dark sides. A clown can be terrifying. A carnival can be spooky. A clown in a carnival is frequent but also can give you that instant chill down the spine, the chill that warns you that maybe you should have stayed home.

Billy ignored that chilly warning and ultimately paid a huge price for it. This brief moment changes his life in many disturbing ways that leaves him traumatized and alone. The final paragraphs show the complete impact that this demonic clown had over his life to the point that Billy can't separate himself from him.

“Sister Witches”-It’s rare to have a Horror short story told from the point of view of the monster, but this story does and turns a story that would normally herald fear for the victim instead invites pity and regret for the monster. 

Cassandra is one of three witches. The other two are her sisters, Sheba and Celeste. The trio kill mortals and absorb their youth to remain forever young and beautiful. Their latest victim is Tommy, an aging man who is residing in a nursing home. 

The witches' goal is to preserve their youth. Their absorption of others’s essences is graphic but is comparable to an addiction rather than an unexplainable supernatural or demonic force. It ruins the mortals but also the witches as well.

Cassandra and her sisters absorb the essence not because they want to, but because they think that they have to and are unable to survive without it. This takes a toll on Cassandra in particular. She has become someone who isn't terrifying or frightening. Instead, she's weary and tired of life. She is ready to die but is unable to. 

In a way the fear doesn't come from an outside source, but from within. If we compare their immortality to an addiction, the fear comes from feeling forced to get that immortality and what it would be like to live without it. Cassandra fears what they have done, what they will do, and what would happen if that eternity would end. She is simultaneously longing for death and afraid of what happens if it comes. 

“The Axeman Among Us”-Of the stories, this is the most realistic. Instead of Dark Fantasy or Supernatural Horror, this is more like a Psychological Thriller. It features an infamous real life serial killer. The Axeman of New Orleans was a serial killer who murdered mostly Italian immigrants or Italian-American men from 1918-1919. Most notably, a letter allegedly from The Axeman said that he would not kill anyone on a certain night in homes where jazz played. Musicians played in hundreds of homes that night. The Axeman was never identified and no arrests were made.

Vincent and his friends, Mikey and Dupree are startled one night by the sound of a scream and a dark mysterious figure hastily leaving a building with an ax in hand. They suspect that he might be the Axeman. The trio become obsessed with the case and go to extreme lengths to stop the Axeman's reign of terror.

This story’s tone and atmosphere are on point. The Axeman is certainly human but he carries a demonic aura. He haunts Vincent's dreams and is described more of as an otherworldly presence than an actual human being. He invites the possibility that he might not be human at least in this version. But the fact that he is, somehow makes him even more chilling. He has a human way of planning and analyzing how to commit the murders without getting caught and an inhuman desire to hack a human body to pieces.

There are some interesting twists to the story. Since it is set in New Orleans, we get motifs like voodoo and jazz. Voodoo presents the only supernatural link in the story and even that might just be within the minds of those who believe in it. It also makes sense that in absence of any physical legal help to stop the Axeman, the boys would turn to more esoteric means. Voodoo is a large part of New Orleans life but it is also held in suspicion by non-practitioners. There is something supernatural and eerie about it, the type of thing that would draw someone like the Axeman. The boys are using one unusual potentially dark path to capture one unusual dark person. 

Jazz music also plays a large part most prominently practiced by Vincent's brother, Peter. It not only plays into the physical location but the time period as well. Jazz is improvisation mixed with deep emotion like pain, anger, sadness, and love. While popular, it was also controversial and considered an outsider’s choice of music like rock or rap would be later. The kind of music someone who stands on the outside fringes of society would listen to.

It's also worth noting that Peter is a WWI veteran. This is the time of the Lost Generation, when soldiers returned home with deep trauma. Where flappers and college kids decided to live freely without a care. It was a time where people were aware that life could end at any moment, so might as well grab all that you can. This deep emotion is played by someone who saw death up close and killed people because his government told him to. Maybe Peter feels a disturbing connection to the Axeman, an understanding about what it's like to live on the outside fringe, with longing and emotions that he can't express openly, and living with a violent and bloody past. 

These stories deliver scares to the characters and the Reader making their sleep a truly unpleasant one.

The World As It Should Be by Lee Ann Kostempski; Witches, Kelpies, Demons, and Ghosts Haunt Post Apocalyptic Fantasy Landscape

 The World As It Should Be by Lee Ann Kostempski; Witches, Kelpies, Demons, and Ghosts Haunt Post Apocalyptic Fantasy Landscape 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Lee Ann Kostempski’s The World As It Should Be is a strange but effective mashup of Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction and Dark Fantasy. It's one of those strange concoctions that takes the best of two or more genres and creates an awesome work of its own.

Charity Olmstead is wandering around a wasteland that used to be Salem, Massachusetts. The world ended in earthquakes and dragon-fire 48 hours prior with few survivors. Charity was kicked out of her studio apartment by her ex-boyfriend, Dean and his mother. She also comes from a witch family and has psychic abilities so ghosts have been bothering her, especially those that have recently died because of the attacks. Charity is in despair when she encounters a kelpie, a shape shifting horse creature originated in Irish and Scottish folklore. Since kelpies are known to consume flesh, a suicidal Charity offers herself to the creature. The Kelpie at first refuses but then strikes a bargain with her. His mate has been killed and he can't find his colt so if Charity helps him look for his child and the monster hunters who killed his mate, then he will eat her. As the two unlikely partners travel through the fallen world, powerful authority figures from Salem have their own theories about who or what caused the end of the world and they want to resurrect the trials that once made their town infamous.

The World As It Should Be is definitely among the darkest Fantasies that I have ever read. The post apocalyptic setting pulls out all the stops with its disturbing graphic imagery and the impact of what it means to those who suffer and try to survive through it. The fact that the protagonist is so suicidal that her main goal is to seek death also adds to the grimness. 

What is particularly disturbing about the setting is the immediacy and cause of this scenario. The end just happened only two days prior and it shows. Charity wanders around a world in a daze because she still remembers the stores and houses that were standing there a week ago. Still remembers friends that she kept in touch with a few days prior and still wouldn't have minded meeting for lunch on a typical day. Still remembers the world that was two days ago. It reminds the Reader of tragic events when the world seems to stop and we remember and long for the normal that happened before.

The cause of the end is terrifying and is even more so the longer one thinks about it. For spoiler’s sake, I won't reveal too much. But let's just say that a hurt soul and an errant wish made out of anger, no matter how righteous it is, caused much damage. It's frightening to imagine someone with that much power and was pushed into such a situation that compelled this thought.

Of course what makes the setting stand out is the presence of fantasy characters and magic users. It's also rather clever that the human characters treat their presence as a non-event. They act like talking to Kelpies and hiding from dragons is simply an everyday occurrence which it probably is. The implications are that they weren't created because of the apocalypse. They have always been there and this is a modern fantasy world that just got hit with a science fiction dystopian situation.

This relative ease between humans and fantasy creatures explains the casual acquaintanceship between Charity and the Kelpie. Humans like Charity are aware of the kelpie’s carnivorous situation so they stay away from them, the way most humans stay away from dangerous animals that could attack them. Charity however shows her death seeking tendencies by approaching him and setting herself up as a meal. The Kelpie is part of a species with animalistic instincts but human-like reason and intellect. They have an urge to feast but know when to do so and decide not to. The Kelpie weighs his options and eventually his growing loyalty towards Charity and his concern for her situation causes him to rethink their bargain. 

The presence of witches and witchcraft is brilliantly handled. Charity reacts like her magical and clairvoyant abilities are something that she has always had to the point that she's tired of them. She walks away from ghosts not out of fear but out of annoyance that they keep stalking her. She has a group of childhood friends called The Coven Kids-sounds like a great YA series-who, like her, are the children of prominent witches in this area of Massachusetts. While Charity grew apart from them upon adulthood, she now pleads with and seeks solace from them for magical assistance and to reclaim her spellcasting heritage. 

Of course where there are witches, there are witch hunters and in Salem that is a definite given. The humans of Salem react the way that humans do when they are faced with a deadly situation, look for a scapegoat, a minority to lay all the blame on. Being prominent Salemites, they revert to their past to find the current scapegoats and resurrect the witch trials that made their town so notorious in the annals of history. The misogyny and authoritarianism of the Salemites is laid bare in the present as they try Charity and the past as a frightening spirit seeks violent vengeance for past sins. It will take all of Charity's magic and intelligence and her friendship with the Kelpie to face her enemies and her own deep depression and suicidal tendencies.

The World As It Should Be is a dark, disturbing, but detailed and endlessly fascinating blend of Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction and Dark Fantasy. It brings the best of both genres to make one whole wonderful book.

Weekly Reader: Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie; Female Driven Dark Fantasy Takes on La Llorona

Weekly Reader: Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie; Female Driven Dark Fantasy Takes on La Llorona

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The legend of La Llorona is one that is frequently recounted in Mexico and the American Southwest. The legend is about an indigenous Mexican woman, usually named Maria, who fell in love with a Spanish conquistador or vaquero. They became lovers, married, and she gave birth to two children. One day, Maria caught him with another woman and in a rage drowned her children. Consumed with guilt, she drowned herself. She is then cursed to roam the Earth forever to find her children. Her ghost is usually heard wailing from grief and is seen dressed in a wedding gown and veil. The story goes that if she is seen and heard by water, someone, usually a child or a young single woman, will later drown. 

La Llorona's story has been told in art, books, movies, music, and various tv series. She is one of those fantastic characters from American myth and legend that has entered the national lexicon like Bigfoot, the Ghostly Hitchhiker, the Jersey Devil, Champ the Lake Champlain's monster, The Bell Witch and others. 

Some have interpreted her story as a criticism of colonialism with the Spanish conquistador controlling the indigenous La Llorona and leading to her death. Others have interpreted it to be a feminist tale of a woman drowning by the patriarchy around her. It is an interesting story and opens up many possibilities of what it means and says a lot about the culture that it comes from and the people telling it.

Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie gives her interpretation of the legend from the point of view of two Mexican-American women who are afraid of but at the same time drawn to this mysterious ghost.

Two women, Mercy and Sherry, live in a small desert town in New Mexico near Esperanza. They are dealing with the challenges of puberty and exploring their sexuality while discussing the legend that haunts them.

In this version of the legend, the women who La Llorona drowned don't die. Instead, they become shells of themselves, docile, obedient, God fearing, and submissive women. Mercy thinks of it not as a "drowning but a baptism." Things get worse when as an adult, Sherry is the next woman to go through this odd transformation. Could Mercy be next?

Mercy is the first person narrator and it's clear that she is a woman in great pain and filled with anger. She is surrounded by poverty, domestic violence, and a strict patriarchal society. Sherry has no idea who her father is and often keeps away from her alcoholic mother and her pedophiliac boyfriends. Mercy's father abused and walked out on her and mother, causing her mother to retreat into depression. It's a sad existence in which Mercy and Sherry just survive and dream of better things like marrying rich and wealthy men, traveling, having great careers, and living in big beautiful houses.

They live such dysfunctional lives that when they see Sherry's aunt and her boyfriend, they are surprised that he doesn't beat her. Instead, he kisses her. They have never seen an adult couple act loving and affectionate towards each other in public, even rarely at home.

Mercy tells her story with a dry cynicism that displays a world weary humor. She describes Esperanza as a place "where you went when you want to be forgotten by the place you came from." Her interpretation of the La Llorona story is that the spirit "regretted giving up her power to a man. And she regretted being bested by him….Instead all he brought her was more shame."

Of the women who had been transformed by La Llorona, Mercy describes them as "Jesus loving self-righteous prigs who called themselves Spanish-the closest thing to white they could be ... .Their eyes were forever red rimmed like they'd been crying though they never did. That's because their hearts stopped once they were baptized, and feelings were left at the bottom of the river along with their souls." 

Mercy and Sherry try to avoid being seen or taken by La Llorona, but constantly talk about her. Mercy does everything that she can to not transform like the other women around her do. She makes a blood pact with Sherry that they won't be like the other women. Mercy works on a farm because she is a hard worker and also to take on seemingly "masculine" work to make herself less likely to become one of La Llorona's victims. 

It's significant in this version that those that are taken by La Llorona do not die. Instead, this is more interpreted as a living death, the death of the women's personalities and individuality. 

La Llorona is a metaphor for the patriarchal society in which Mercy and Sherry live. The women's transformation causes them to be willing participants in the system around them. They are like Stepford clones deprived of their thoughts and independence. 

There's a possibility that La Llorona isn't real and is the product of a developing mind filled with PTSD from her abused past and anxiety about womanhood in such a restricted situation. After all, since the women's transformation is described as a baptism, it could be a reflection of Mercy's feelings towards religion, particularly Christianity, and the limitations towards women when they follow such dogma. They go to church, get baptized, and conform to the patriarchal society surrounding them. 

As she matures, Mercy has few options: allow La Llorona to take her and conform, retreat into depression, alcoholism, and defeat like hers and Sherry's mother, or live an independent life. In retaliation against the spirit and the patriarchy around her, Mercy opts for independence.

Mercy lives on a farm outside of town that she runs herself. She makes herbal and homeopathic medicines and health and beauty aids. The price that she has to pay for rebelling against the society around her is to live outside of it. She is referred to by the locals as a "spinster, "whore," and "witch" (which she wonders how someone can be described as both a whore and a spinster). Mercy lives a lifetime of solitude knowing that La Llorona (or her fears and anxieties) is out there waiting for her to drown. She also tries to maintain her friendship with Sherry even though they have emotionally grown apart and Sherry is in an unhappy marriage with an abusive philanderer. She leaves gifts and words of strength and encouragement. 

In trying to live her life to spite La Llorona, Mercy ends up living her life more authentically than most other women around her.

Weep, Woman, Weep transforms the legend of La Llorona into a feminist novel of women who are given the option of falling into the patriarchy or turning away from it and be themselves.