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k_a_y_l_a's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
(Apologies in advance if I use any pejorative terms, please correct me and I will alter.)
Baton Noir is a city of magic, gods and spirits known as legba. Sadly, not all the magic is good or kind. Jude finds herself caught up in vengeance from beyond the grave when a cajou queen locks on to her, determined to see her plans carried out even after death. Unraveling it will take luck, strange allies - and maybe a little magic.
Alex Bell is the queen of horror stories. This is less bone chilling than [b:Frozen Charlotte|23357071|Frozen Charlotte|Alex Bell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413110648s/23357071.jpg|42913516], more creepy than downright terrifying, but it's a fascinating world and Alex has clearly done her homework on Southern magic. There's a level of detail here that really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to reading more in this universe; there's a lot to unpick.
The romance story didn't do much for me, although I liked the male character in all other respects; I just thought the romance part was kind of tacked on. That's entirely like me when it comes to romance, though. I liked the characters, and a twist near the end took me by surprise, which I always love.
I'll be looking out for more in this series, I'm very eager to find out what happens next.
An hour or so after she'd laid down, she realised Beau was on the bed with her, curling his large body round her in a way that was strangely comforting.
"How did he get here?" Jude asked. "And how did he appear before, in the Ghost Station?"
He can sense where I am, and so where you are, Ivory said. He's never far away. And he can use the spirit world to travel around. It seems like he's taken a bit of a shine to you. In fact, he's been more affectionate to you than he was with me in recent years. She sighed. I suppose he never quite forgave me for killing Betty.
"But...then why didn't he appear at the Blue Lady?" Jude asked. "When you were murdered?"
The cajou queen was silent for a moment. Then, she said, (sic)"I'm not sure. Perhaps...perhaps he sensed that he wouldn't be able to do anything against a magical attack? It hardly matters now."
The snake tucked his flat head into the groove of Jude's shoulder and she felt the same glow of warmth as before, her fear lessened and so did the piercing pain in her finger. She ran her fingers slowly down the snake's smooth skin. With him there she suddenly felt safer and the thought of bats no longer troubled her.
"Thank you, Beau," she said.
The warmth from the snake glowed a little brighter and, soon afterwards, Jude fell asleep.
Baton Noir is a city of magic, gods and spirits known as legba. Sadly, not all the magic is good or kind. Jude finds herself caught up in vengeance from beyond the grave when a cajou queen locks on to her, determined to see her plans carried out even after death. Unraveling it will take luck, strange allies - and maybe a little magic.
Alex Bell is the queen of horror stories. This is less bone chilling than [b:Frozen Charlotte|23357071|Frozen Charlotte|Alex Bell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413110648s/23357071.jpg|42913516], more creepy than downright terrifying, but it's a fascinating world and Alex has clearly done her homework on Southern magic. There's a level of detail here that really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to reading more in this universe; there's a lot to unpick.
The romance story didn't do much for me, although I liked the male character in all other respects; I just thought the romance part was kind of tacked on. That's entirely like me when it comes to romance, though. I liked the characters, and a twist near the end took me by surprise, which I always love.
I'll be looking out for more in this series, I'm very eager to find out what happens next.
An hour or so after she'd laid down, she realised Beau was on the bed with her, curling his large body round her in a way that was strangely comforting.
"How did he get here?" Jude asked. "And how did he appear before, in the Ghost Station?"
He can sense where I am, and so where you are, Ivory said. He's never far away. And he can use the spirit world to travel around. It seems like he's taken a bit of a shine to you. In fact, he's been more affectionate to you than he was with me in recent years. She sighed. I suppose he never quite forgave me for killing Betty.
"But...then why didn't he appear at the Blue Lady?" Jude asked. "When you were murdered?"
The cajou queen was silent for a moment. Then, she said, (sic)"I'm not sure. Perhaps...perhaps he sensed that he wouldn't be able to do anything against a magical attack? It hardly matters now."
The snake tucked his flat head into the groove of Jude's shoulder and she felt the same glow of warmth as before, her fear lessened and so did the piercing pain in her finger. She ran her fingers slowly down the snake's smooth skin. With him there she suddenly felt safer and the thought of bats no longer troubled her.
"Thank you, Beau," she said.
The warmth from the snake glowed a little brighter and, soon afterwards, Jude fell asleep.
bookbrowsingblog's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 - Very fun read that had an extremely interesting setting! Looking forward to the next in the series!
tashatan's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
leasaurusrex's review against another edition
1.0
C’était vraiment pas top.
Déjà, Alex Bell est britannique et blanche, et elle décide d’écrire un roman inspiré de la Nouvelle-Orléans et de la magie vaudou. Combien de fois faudra-t-il répéter que la culture des uns n’est pas là pour divertir les autres ?
En plus de ça, j’ai été très déçue à la fois par la plume (que je trouve simpliste) et l’intrigue. Qu’on m’entende : je n’ai rien contre les clichés et les tropes. Quand c’est bien fait ça donne de bons bouquins, réconfortants et divertissants. Et j’adore qu’on me fasse découvrir une nouvelle facette d’une intrigue qui me semble pourtant vue et revue. Mais là ça manquait de maîtrise du début à la fin. Les relations entre personnages sont expédiées, il n’y a aucune émotion, aucun suspens, le rythme est (trop) rapide. Quant à la plume, c’était vraiment vraiment vraiment pas recherché et j’ai vraiment grincé des dents à chaque dialogue (et il y en a beaucoup) tellement ça manque de naturel.
Bref, c’est artificiel, peu original, et on est sur un bel exemple d’appropriation culturelle. En gros, rien à sauver.
Déjà, Alex Bell est britannique et blanche, et elle décide d’écrire un roman inspiré de la Nouvelle-Orléans et de la magie vaudou. Combien de fois faudra-t-il répéter que la culture des uns n’est pas là pour divertir les autres ?
En plus de ça, j’ai été très déçue à la fois par la plume (que je trouve simpliste) et l’intrigue. Qu’on m’entende : je n’ai rien contre les clichés et les tropes. Quand c’est bien fait ça donne de bons bouquins, réconfortants et divertissants. Et j’adore qu’on me fasse découvrir une nouvelle facette d’une intrigue qui me semble pourtant vue et revue. Mais là ça manquait de maîtrise du début à la fin. Les relations entre personnages sont expédiées, il n’y a aucune émotion, aucun suspens, le rythme est (trop) rapide. Quant à la plume, c’était vraiment vraiment vraiment pas recherché et j’ai vraiment grincé des dents à chaque dialogue (et il y en a beaucoup) tellement ça manque de naturel.
Bref, c’est artificiel, peu original, et on est sur un bel exemple d’appropriation culturelle. En gros, rien à sauver.
euhnamor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
liisp_cvr2cvr's review against another edition
5.0
Music and Mayhem in Hurricane Town… Picture this:
New Orleans. The vibe is, well, vibrant. There’s jazz and parades and magic and paranormal undertones.
Jude, a young woman, is working hard to earn some cash to pay the rent. In addition to playing in the Done and Dusted Brass Band, she accepts a job playing her trumpet in the Moonfleet Manor which is owned by the Phantom. The estate of Moonfleet Manor and the owner Phantom are each as shady as the other and with a background and past that is only spoken of with horror. It seems like every where Jude goes, or anything she does, is potentially dangerous for her. A human. Classed as ‘scrap’ by the paranormal society.
Jude has a sad past herself and due to tragic accident in the past she is now the main caretaker of her father. A father who cannot survive without Jude’s assistance, but is also a proud man and thus does not make Jude’s task any easier.
Jude- I really started to like this girl. She does NOT have it easy but she’s a great example of how to act when things are already tough… Know the saying ‘when you’re already deep in shit, keep your chin up‘? Yeah, Jude just keeps trucking on. In a way, in certain scenes I felt like she had simply submitted to her fate but even if this resonated through, she still acted. She didn’t complain, whine or throw a tantrum and instead she constantly oozes strength to deal with the situation she finds herself in.
And the Phantom! Man, oh man alive! Did I try to be suspicious of him at the start? Hell yes! Did I succeed? Hell no. I knew that even if he turned out to be bad to the bone, he had already, in some measures earned my admiration. So, I bet you’re wondering- did I have to accept defeat and admit that even though an intriguing character he was not worth the admiration? Weeelll… One for you to find out and decide for yourself.
So, yeah, totally loved the characters in this story. The legbas, the vampire presence (not sparkly ones, by the way!^^ I know that stuff is still important piece of information when reading books that have vamps), the witches, the humans. There was so much interesting detail to each and every one of them without making me glaze over at the infodump. Bravo!
The core of this story is a murder mystery- murder of the cajou queen. The death of the very dangerous and vindictive queen would be cause for celebration for many. Alas, her death is where this story truly begins. Pffffft, I really want to say more but that would just be me telling too bloody much. Please, believe me, this story is worth the read. Actually, If I was to pull a comparison, then think in the vibes of The Vampire Diaries or The Originals (the TV show) except with a lot less direct angst in regards to love.
The pace of the story was bang on perfect- I started the book, I finished it in record time and I enjoyed it so much I immediately wished there was a sequel.. hells, I might even reread this one again because that’s how much I liked it. There are scenes in this book that are wonderfully paranormal- there are legbas and trippy nightmare thingies in the swamp and witchy magic and trickery. The story mesmerised me with the whole of its essence which was dark and thrilling at once.
Anyway, whatever compelled me to request this book on the Netgalley, it must have been fate because please dear swamp-devils, let there be a sequel! Please? *goes off to DM the author*
New Orleans. The vibe is, well, vibrant. There’s jazz and parades and magic and paranormal undertones.
Jude, a young woman, is working hard to earn some cash to pay the rent. In addition to playing in the Done and Dusted Brass Band, she accepts a job playing her trumpet in the Moonfleet Manor which is owned by the Phantom. The estate of Moonfleet Manor and the owner Phantom are each as shady as the other and with a background and past that is only spoken of with horror. It seems like every where Jude goes, or anything she does, is potentially dangerous for her. A human. Classed as ‘scrap’ by the paranormal society.
Jude has a sad past herself and due to tragic accident in the past she is now the main caretaker of her father. A father who cannot survive without Jude’s assistance, but is also a proud man and thus does not make Jude’s task any easier.
But if joining forces with the devils was what it took to save her pa then Jude would damn well march straight into the fiery hells in her swamp boots.
Jude- I really started to like this girl. She does NOT have it easy but she’s a great example of how to act when things are already tough… Know the saying ‘when you’re already deep in shit, keep your chin up‘? Yeah, Jude just keeps trucking on. In a way, in certain scenes I felt like she had simply submitted to her fate but even if this resonated through, she still acted. She didn’t complain, whine or throw a tantrum and instead she constantly oozes strength to deal with the situation she finds herself in.
And the Phantom! Man, oh man alive! Did I try to be suspicious of him at the start? Hell yes! Did I succeed? Hell no. I knew that even if he turned out to be bad to the bone, he had already, in some measures earned my admiration. So, I bet you’re wondering- did I have to accept defeat and admit that even though an intriguing character he was not worth the admiration? Weeelll… One for you to find out and decide for yourself.
So, yeah, totally loved the characters in this story. The legbas, the vampire presence (not sparkly ones, by the way!^^ I know that stuff is still important piece of information when reading books that have vamps), the witches, the humans. There was so much interesting detail to each and every one of them without making me glaze over at the infodump. Bravo!
The core of this story is a murder mystery- murder of the cajou queen. The death of the very dangerous and vindictive queen would be cause for celebration for many. Alas, her death is where this story truly begins. Pffffft, I really want to say more but that would just be me telling too bloody much. Please, believe me, this story is worth the read. Actually, If I was to pull a comparison, then think in the vibes of The Vampire Diaries or The Originals (the TV show) except with a lot less direct angst in regards to love.
The pace of the story was bang on perfect- I started the book, I finished it in record time and I enjoyed it so much I immediately wished there was a sequel.. hells, I might even reread this one again because that’s how much I liked it. There are scenes in this book that are wonderfully paranormal- there are legbas and trippy nightmare thingies in the swamp and witchy magic and trickery. The story mesmerised me with the whole of its essence which was dark and thrilling at once.
Anyway, whatever compelled me to request this book on the Netgalley, it must have been fate because please dear swamp-devils, let there be a sequel! Please? *goes off to DM the author*
zoediane's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. I really enjoyed learning about the old cajou magic and the way the city is run, and the various factions within it. The story is filled with music, love, loss and power. I can't wait to see if there's a sequel!
selina_altair's review against another edition
3.0
Après un début très mitigé, j'ai finalement bien aimé le livre en général.
J'avais trouvé le style d'écriture beaucoup trop descriptif. Il y avait beaucoup de worldbuilding avec des détails qui n'apportaient rien en soit à l'histoire. Ça montrait la richesse de l'univers mais rajoutait surtout des longueurs aux endroits où il n'y avait déjà pas beaucoup d'action. Sinon, j'ai apprécié l'ambiance qui est installée qui me fait penser aux années 1920 avec le jazz et les quartiers mal famés dans lequel il a vu le jour. C'est très dark comme décor et j'adore.
Côté intrigue, j'ai été très déçue au début car le résumé, le titre et la phrase d'accroche insistent beaucoup sur la fameuse Nuit des Reines. Au final, elle ne représente qu'une toute petite partie de l'histoire qui est centralisée sur l'enquête de Jude. Toutefois, c'était intéressant alors j'ai continué ma lecture.
J'avoue que j'ai eu du mal avec les informations qui nous étaient données sur un plateau d'argent. Ça illustre bien le fameux principe "show don't tell". Ici, il y avait beaucoup trop de "tell".
Outre la rédaction, j'ai bien accroché à l'histoire un peu après la moitié du livre. L'action prennait vraiment de l'ampleur et les enjeux aussi. La tournure des évènements a été bien pensée et la résolution des problèmes m'a laissée bouche bée.
La fin m'a encore plus laissée sans voix. J'ai encore trop de questions, il reste pas mal de choses en suspens alors je me demande s'il n'y aura pas de tome deux ? Je parle de la situation de Jude avec André, avec son père et même avec la ville en soi.
En bref, ce n'était pas une lecture époustouflante mais elle m'a fait passer un bon moment dans un univers que j'ai bien apprécié :)
(un tome 2 sivouplé)
J'avais trouvé le style d'écriture beaucoup trop descriptif. Il y avait beaucoup de worldbuilding avec des détails qui n'apportaient rien en soit à l'histoire. Ça montrait la richesse de l'univers mais rajoutait surtout des longueurs aux endroits où il n'y avait déjà pas beaucoup d'action. Sinon, j'ai apprécié l'ambiance qui est installée qui me fait penser aux années 1920 avec le jazz et les quartiers mal famés dans lequel il a vu le jour. C'est très dark comme décor et j'adore.
Côté intrigue, j'ai été très déçue au début car le résumé, le titre et la phrase d'accroche insistent beaucoup sur la fameuse Nuit des Reines. Au final, elle ne représente qu'une toute petite partie de l'histoire qui est centralisée sur l'enquête de Jude. Toutefois, c'était intéressant alors j'ai continué ma lecture.
J'avoue que j'ai eu du mal avec les informations qui nous étaient données sur un plateau d'argent. Ça illustre bien le fameux principe "show don't tell". Ici, il y avait beaucoup trop de "tell".
Outre la rédaction, j'ai bien accroché à l'histoire un peu après la moitié du livre. L'action prennait vraiment de l'ampleur et les enjeux aussi. La tournure des évènements a été bien pensée et la résolution des problèmes m'a laissée bouche bée.
La fin m'a encore plus laissée sans voix. J'ai encore trop de questions, il reste pas mal de choses en suspens alors je me demande s'il n'y aura pas de tome deux ? Je parle de la situation de Jude avec André, avec son père et même avec la ville en soi.
En bref, ce n'était pas une lecture époustouflante mais elle m'a fait passer un bon moment dans un univers que j'ai bien apprécié :)
(un tome 2 sivouplé)