A briskly entertaining novel with a colorful setting and the right mix of humor and paranormal romance.
An aspiring warlock’s attempt to satisfy a demon’s wager is complicated by zombies and bootleggers in Loebel’s (Keys to the Coven, 2013) new novel.
Clara Woodsen has a major dilemma on her hands. She’s organized a dance contest at the Falstaff Ninepin Fellowship, a witches’ coven that also features a saloon and bowling alley. The contest is part of the festivities celebrating the opening of the Hollywood Grand Hotel, and the main attraction is the actor Beau Beauregard. The promotion attracts some of the most glamorous movie stars of the 1920s, but a disaster threatens to ruin Clara’s plans. While the contest is in full swing, Beau lies in a hotel room on the verge of death from peritonitis. Desperate to save Beau’s life, and the contest, Clara decides to put her family’s supernatural powers to good use. With her cousin Bernard Benjamin as her assistant, she summons a demon named Hans to help save Beau. Hans agrees to help if Bernard teaches his genie, Ruth, to dance well enough to qualify for the contest finals. Beau’s life is spared, but he returns to Clara as a zombie. Can Clara use her powers as a warlock to cater to Beau’s needs and also win her wager with Hans? And will the unexpected arrival of bootleggers derail Clara’s plans? Loebel’s novel offers a frothy paranormal romance anchored by a well-developed setting and a clever narrative structure. Her re-creations of 1920s fashions and high-society parties, complete with references to newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst and actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, are vivid and lively, and the bootlegging subplot blends in seamlessly with the paranormal action. The chapters alternate between the first-person perspectives of Clara and Bernard, and this technique effectively explores the motivations of the lead characters and the consequences of their actions while also introducing a solid supporting cast. Between the zombies and the bootleggers, the action is a bit excessive; however, a robust sense of humor keeps the proceedings from going over the top.
A briskly entertaining novel with a colorful setting and the right mix of humor and paranormal romance.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 199
Publisher: Pentachronistic Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Disturbing and consistent in tone, yet too often weighed down by opaqueness.
In Young’s debut novel, a fugitive writer works feverishly to document his life before his past catches up to him.
For three days Paul sits on his fire escape overlooking the busy streets of New York City, jotting down an account of his life from his humble beginnings to what he sees as his coming end. The overly self-aware Paul has several reasons to be here: He’s found little success as a poet, the woman he loves has left him, and his aimless wanderings have led him to cause, or at least feel responsibility for, the death of a fellow citizen. While these things weigh heavily on Paul, the catalyst for his manic scribbling is merely that he’s been recognized; he’s not Paul, but rather a fugitive man of many names. He writes now of his first identity as Sam, a fatherless Holden Caulfield in the Connecticut suburbs whose annoyance with anything he finds empty or hypocritical takes a violent turn. Young’s debut crosses mediums, utilizing poetry, playwriting and a loose, stream-of-consciousness style that compliments the prose, conveying the urgency and fatigue Paul experiences. This blend can also be distracting, breaking the heavy tension the author establishes with his protagonist’s unique, darkly comic observations of the mundane and the mortifying. The novel can make readers uncomfortable, and doesn’t shy away from the obscene while humoring its unreliable narrator—even when he’s presented as self-centered and detached. Nearly every relationship in Paul’s life has some sexual undertone—from his best friend to figures in the church to his own mother—further magnifying the unnerving atmosphere. The narrator’s verbose style works both for and against the novel: It captures a personality enchanted with words but unable to truly connect with language, a wannabe-wordsmith “trying too hard.” However, as important as this consistency is, its continued use becomes tedious as some of the book’s more impressive flourishes are lost in the shuffle.
Disturbing and consistent in tone, yet too often weighed down by opaqueness.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2010
ISBN: 978-0615430232
Page Count: 398
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A short, candid book that urges girls to pursue their dreams.
In Johnson’s debut picture book, a father encourages his daughter to reach for the stars.
Full of positive affirmations, the book uses short, inspiring statements to build young girls’ confidence. “Anything is within my reach, if I always love myself,” they’re told. These empowering words are accompanied by an illustration of a young girl sitting behind the U.S. president’s desk. Along with these motivational declarations, the book focuses on the importance of familial support: “My daddy says I can be, because my family believes in me.” That message is coupled with illustrations of a father reading to his daughter and a family of four building a sandcastle on a beach. It’s clear that this is a very personal project for the author, as he appears in the book with his two daughters, Nyla and London. The book’s message is a commendable one: All girls should be encouraged to be strong and independent. However, the narrative would be more effective if expanded and enriched with more detail. The book’s simple statements often rely on illustrations for clarification. The message behind “Anything is within my reach, if I always love myself” is only fully understood next to a picture of a young girl president; without the artwork, the sparse text could remain vague and open to interpretation. The basic illustrations—ranging from a girl playing soccer to a girl praying before bed—are full of bright colors and watercolor backgrounds, echoing the happy, simple quality of the prose.
A short, candid book that urges girls to pursue their dreams.Pub Date: March 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1468555967
Page Count: 24
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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