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ericaroseeberhart's review against another edition
4.0
The deep south, the heat of summer, swamps, crocodiles and voodoo. Something that's always piqued my interest but I have very little experience with. When I had the chance to read Bayou Myth I jumped for the opportunity. It sounded like a fun, entertaining, if maybe a little creepy book to read and it seemed to hit on all that I was interested in.
Joan Renault is a typical teenager, desperate to be normal while very much feeling not normal. Granted, not all teenage girls are voodoo queens in the making but what teenage girl doesn't feel abnormal every now and then? I was relieved to read a supernatural book where the odd teenage girl isn't involved in vampires or werewolves. This stems on something very real but still gives that edge that supernatural YA books provide. Throw in a crush for her best friend and ex-friends and you have a character that teenage girls can relate to (and adults can recall the general feelings they had as teens as well!).
But the use of voodoo and notes (of which I am assuming are accurate) about the religion and its rituals were fascinating for me. Then I got to the awesome point of Greek mythology being tied into the story and I was simply hooked. See, I know my fair share of Greek myths and my knowledge of Voodoo deities is very small but I do recognize a lot of the deity names. To read something where faces and characteristics were placed in present day scenarios with the personalities of mortals was great entertainment and with every little oddity that occurred I thought, "What now?"
With all that was going on I was entertained and wanting more. In fact, I was a little disappointed when the book came to its end. I wanted more. I wanted to keep going. And for me? If my biggest upset with a book is that it is over then that is a good sign. The novel had a few grammatical errors and proof reading misses but due to my past job experiences I tend to zero in on that stuff. It never did anything to upset the plot and could easily be overlooked. All and all, I really adored this book and I've already suggested it to a number of close friends. For having little to no experience with fiction pertaining to voodoo I think this was a wonderful start. I loved the characters (Joan and Dave forever!) and I just couldn't get enough of it. This very well may end up on my re-read pile for future literary adventures.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising*
Joan Renault is a typical teenager, desperate to be normal while very much feeling not normal. Granted, not all teenage girls are voodoo queens in the making but what teenage girl doesn't feel abnormal every now and then? I was relieved to read a supernatural book where the odd teenage girl isn't involved in vampires or werewolves. This stems on something very real but still gives that edge that supernatural YA books provide. Throw in a crush for her best friend and ex-friends and you have a character that teenage girls can relate to (and adults can recall the general feelings they had as teens as well!).
But the use of voodoo and notes (of which I am assuming are accurate) about the religion and its rituals were fascinating for me. Then I got to the awesome point of Greek mythology being tied into the story and I was simply hooked. See, I know my fair share of Greek myths and my knowledge of Voodoo deities is very small but I do recognize a lot of the deity names. To read something where faces and characteristics were placed in present day scenarios with the personalities of mortals was great entertainment and with every little oddity that occurred I thought, "What now?"
With all that was going on I was entertained and wanting more. In fact, I was a little disappointed when the book came to its end. I wanted more. I wanted to keep going. And for me? If my biggest upset with a book is that it is over then that is a good sign. The novel had a few grammatical errors and proof reading misses but due to my past job experiences I tend to zero in on that stuff. It never did anything to upset the plot and could easily be overlooked. All and all, I really adored this book and I've already suggested it to a number of close friends. For having little to no experience with fiction pertaining to voodoo I think this was a wonderful start. I loved the characters (Joan and Dave forever!) and I just couldn't get enough of it. This very well may end up on my re-read pile for future literary adventures.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising*
groovykathy's review against another edition
4.0
This is another book I started, then somehow got sidetracked and never finished. I finally returned to it today and devoured it. I think sometimes simply mood affects my response to a story. Today, I was looking for a read just like this one. It was spooky and intriguing. The bayou, voodoo, a mystery. All great stuff. If you are looking for a story with some creepiness and like the mysteries of voodoo and the Deep South, you'll enjoy this one.
katrinamarie's review against another edition
4.0
I know the cover looks really creepy, and like it will scare the pants off you, but it's not. It's a pretty great book with a lot of "who is actually who" going on. This book is kind of short. It took me a day to read. If I could have sat uninterrupted I would have finished it sooner.
Joan is a very likeable character. She's a typical teenager. She only wants to hang out with her BFF and be normal. Being a voodoo priestess, that will likely never happen. She is pretty level headed and tries to do the right thing. A lot of times she ends up under public scrutiny because of this. Joan is constantly mocked and ridiculed because of her religion. I wanted to scream at these kids that picked on her. But she takes it all in stride and handles thing quite nicely.
The story line is fast paced and definitely kept my interest. You have the voodoo religion mixed in with Greek mythology. At first I thought it might be too weird to combine these two, but it fed right into the story line. The two thoughts melded great.
I was also happy to see a strong family unit. The father was present, and the parents were married. This helped Joan become a strong character because she had a solid foundation based on love. I'm not knocking the family situations in other books, but it was nice to see one that wasn't broken.
I'd recommend Bayou Myth to teens and adults alike. There is a bit of cussing, but it isn't excessive and doesn't take away from the plot.
Joan is a very likeable character. She's a typical teenager. She only wants to hang out with her BFF and be normal. Being a voodoo priestess, that will likely never happen. She is pretty level headed and tries to do the right thing. A lot of times she ends up under public scrutiny because of this. Joan is constantly mocked and ridiculed because of her religion. I wanted to scream at these kids that picked on her. But she takes it all in stride and handles thing quite nicely.
The story line is fast paced and definitely kept my interest. You have the voodoo religion mixed in with Greek mythology. At first I thought it might be too weird to combine these two, but it fed right into the story line. The two thoughts melded great.
I was also happy to see a strong family unit. The father was present, and the parents were married. This helped Joan become a strong character because she had a solid foundation based on love. I'm not knocking the family situations in other books, but it was nice to see one that wasn't broken.
I'd recommend Bayou Myth to teens and adults alike. There is a bit of cussing, but it isn't excessive and doesn't take away from the plot.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Great book, great plot, I loved the magic and yeah, great book!
iilex's review against another edition
1.0
I feel bad giving a self-published book a negative review, but I had some real problems with this book. There are some major issues in this book, including sexism, massive slut-shaming, and racism. And while it wasn't terribly written (for a self-published book), I didn't think it was written particularly well. Plus there are a number of typos.
Do yourself a favor and skip this one. I hate not finishing books so I finished it, but I definitely considered dropping it. If you need clarification on what I found offensive in this book, comment & I'll explain what I found problematic.
Do yourself a favor and skip this one. I hate not finishing books so I finished it, but I definitely considered dropping it. If you need clarification on what I found offensive in this book, comment & I'll explain what I found problematic.
eattanread's review
4.0
Young Adult, Paranormal Romantic Thriller
“You can’t be no great priestess if you are always walking on the safe side of the path. Take risks even if that might mean fighting against normal.”
16 year old Joan Renault is the great granddaughter of the legendary voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, whose magical gifts have been past down to Joan. Teased her whole life by the other kids and called “hoodoo hag”, she just wishes she was normal but what comes to her little town is anything but normal and she must rely on all her training in order to put a stop to the evil.
For years, Joan has been taking lessons from her dead Grandmere Marie to become the next great voodoo priestess. While on a midnight astral walk, Joan witnesses a small child being devoured by a great tree called the Old One, leaving only the boy’s head behind. When she wakes up in bed, she hopes that it was just a dream. That is until a couple days later at her frienemy’s house they discover on the back porch, the body of a little boy with his head sown back on, and a bloody alter in the shed. After that, Joan knows that something evil has been unleashed in her little community and she must use all the powers she has to fight it. She must first find out from her Grandmere exactly what it is that she is fighting.
“A long time ago, I trapped an ancient voodoo spirit in the Old One. Powerful, dangerous, and manipulative, it told the prettiest lies in its quest to regain lost powers. Took a lot to get it trapped in the tree. Cost me the love of a friend and the life of a child. Now someone has come along and set this evil creature free. I suspect it is searching for a permanent home, a new body, and its long lost powers. My spell book holds both the secret of trapping it again, and how to make it stay in its new physical form.”
Joan must decipher who she can trust and who could be possessed by an evil spirit.
“I’m used to spirits getting physical, but usually they are cold beings who just can’t keep their ghostly little hands to themselves. This was something different. It smelled like sulfur and dried blood and the sense of hate it gave off—it sickened me.”
“Trying to summon a woman like Grandmere who has been dead for over a hundred years can be a real pain in the ass. In fact, summoning any dead spirit can be trouble because you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes—well, sometimes you open the door to hell. I try to avoid that one—it’s bad for my hair and draws the wrong kind of attention.”
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This was actually very enjoyable and funny. Being a Young Adult novel, it was a fast and easy read. It included some romance, of course, Joan has a secret crush on her long time best friend Dave but is afraid her feelings will ruin everything between them. This provides a good helping of sexual tension throughout.
I like the characters, they seem very realistic and remind me about what high school life was like. Young kids don’t always make the best decisions and I certainly found myself wanting to shake the characters from time to time, especially Joan, and tell them what they should do. Then I remind myself that they are kids and this is a YA book.
I love the culture in Louisiana around Voodoo and Hoodoo. I have always found these subjects so interesting and enjoy books and movies around it. This book was no exception. I will definitely put book 2 on my TBR list.
“You can’t be no great priestess if you are always walking on the safe side of the path. Take risks even if that might mean fighting against normal.”
16 year old Joan Renault is the great granddaughter of the legendary voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, whose magical gifts have been past down to Joan. Teased her whole life by the other kids and called “hoodoo hag”, she just wishes she was normal but what comes to her little town is anything but normal and she must rely on all her training in order to put a stop to the evil.
For years, Joan has been taking lessons from her dead Grandmere Marie to become the next great voodoo priestess. While on a midnight astral walk, Joan witnesses a small child being devoured by a great tree called the Old One, leaving only the boy’s head behind. When she wakes up in bed, she hopes that it was just a dream. That is until a couple days later at her frienemy’s house they discover on the back porch, the body of a little boy with his head sown back on, and a bloody alter in the shed. After that, Joan knows that something evil has been unleashed in her little community and she must use all the powers she has to fight it. She must first find out from her Grandmere exactly what it is that she is fighting.
“A long time ago, I trapped an ancient voodoo spirit in the Old One. Powerful, dangerous, and manipulative, it told the prettiest lies in its quest to regain lost powers. Took a lot to get it trapped in the tree. Cost me the love of a friend and the life of a child. Now someone has come along and set this evil creature free. I suspect it is searching for a permanent home, a new body, and its long lost powers. My spell book holds both the secret of trapping it again, and how to make it stay in its new physical form.”
Joan must decipher who she can trust and who could be possessed by an evil spirit.
“I’m used to spirits getting physical, but usually they are cold beings who just can’t keep their ghostly little hands to themselves. This was something different. It smelled like sulfur and dried blood and the sense of hate it gave off—it sickened me.”
“Trying to summon a woman like Grandmere who has been dead for over a hundred years can be a real pain in the ass. In fact, summoning any dead spirit can be trouble because you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes—well, sometimes you open the door to hell. I try to avoid that one—it’s bad for my hair and draws the wrong kind of attention.”
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This was actually very enjoyable and funny. Being a Young Adult novel, it was a fast and easy read. It included some romance, of course, Joan has a secret crush on her long time best friend Dave but is afraid her feelings will ruin everything between them. This provides a good helping of sexual tension throughout.
I like the characters, they seem very realistic and remind me about what high school life was like. Young kids don’t always make the best decisions and I certainly found myself wanting to shake the characters from time to time, especially Joan, and tell them what they should do. Then I remind myself that they are kids and this is a YA book.
I love the culture in Louisiana around Voodoo and Hoodoo. I have always found these subjects so interesting and enjoy books and movies around it. This book was no exception. I will definitely put book 2 on my TBR list.
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