March Read: Murder Road by Simone St. James

 

Oh, Simone St. James did it again. Managed to fascinate me while giving me the creeps. She is one of my favorite authors, and I have read every one of her novels, all the way back to discovering her first paperback during my bookseller years a loooong time ago. I'm thrilled she's getting the attention she deserves and becoming more popular with every new novel. 

This one will make you unwilling to drive down a dark, empty road by yourself for quite some time. It takes place in 1995, and starts out with April and Eddie Carter; two newlyweds on their way to a resort for a short honeymoon. It's late at night, and April wakes up in the front seat and discovers Eddie has become lost, and doesn't quite know how he got lost. But lost they are, late at night, on a lonely road with no one in sight. 

Until they see a young woman running down the road, begging for help. There is something very, very wrong with the young woman, and the road. A big black pick up truck comes roaring down the road, chasing after Eddie and April and the injured young woman in the back seat. They get to the town of Coldlake Falls just in time to escape from the black truck, but unfortunately the young woman dies at the hospital. The police are looking at Eddie and April, covered in blood, and in a bit of shock. Strangers in a small town; a dying woman in their back seat. They're forbidden to leave town as the police investigate, and that's where things really take off and get interesting. 

Eddie and April's backgrounds are messy and they both have kept secrets from each other. But murderers they are not, and they become determined to figure out what happened on Atticus Line Road that night. It wasn't natural, what they saw in the back of that black truck...

This is a small town with some eerie back story--hitchhikers found dead, murders unsolved, whispers of strange occurrences on Atticus Line Road. So many unsolved murders on that road, and the police are suspicious of anyone who comes through town. 

Will Eddie and April figure it all out and stay safe and out of jail for a crime they didn't commit? As they unravel the pieces of the puzzle, it becomes clear just why they were drawn to Atticus Line Road that night. It's one heck of a twist!

Anyone who loves eerie thrillers with a definite nod to creepy ghost stories will be all on board with this latest from Simone St. James. I love how her characters are always flawed in some way, and find themselves caught up in bizarre and ghostly events that require them to be stronger and braver than they've ever been. To believe and accept the unbelievable, because it's the only explanation. 

Loved it! Not surprised. I'm never disappointed with this author. 

Rating: 6/6 for a novel that will keep you patiently on the journey with Eddie and April as pieces slowly fall into place. A great ghost story about revenge, redemption, family, and leaving the past behind for a brighter future. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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March Read: Murder Road by Simone St. James

Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier

I've finally read a Juliet Marillier novel, and I feel like I need to make a check on my Science Fiction/Fantasy Authors I Must Read Before I Die list.  I have had so many people recommend her, and I'm sorry to say it's taken me this long.  Thanks to Nita Basu from Penguin, who asked me to review a new series by Juliet Marillier.  Dreamer's Pool is the first in the new Blackthorn and Grim series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  There's something of the fifteen-year old fantasy geek left in me that just loves to read fantasy.  Bring on the curses, mysterious woods, wisewomen, and ancient tales.  You could even toss in a unicorn and I'd be fine with that.  

Dreamer's Pool doesn't have a unicorn, but it does have everything else that makes a great fantasy novel, and a satisfying ending that doesn't leave you on a cliff until the next novel--but makes you look forward to reading more about Blackthorn and Grim.  The story begins with Blackthorn and Grim as two prisoners in quite frankly, a hellish place.  Blackthorn is a woman bent on revenge against Mathuin, a completely corrupt and evil leader.  He's tossed Blackthorn into jail to rot.  Grim is a fellow prisoner, who relies on Blackthorn (although she doesn't know it) to keep him sane.  And just when it looks like Blackthorn is going to be executed, she gets a chance at freedom from Conmael, a fey creature.  But there's a catch:  she must live near the village of Winterfalls and provide care to anyone who asks her.  And she must do this for 7 years; after that, she is free to pursue her vengeance.  

So things happen (I'm not going to tell you!), and Blackthorn finds herself living in a small cottage at the edge of the woods--with Grim.  Prince Oran is preparing to meet his future bride, Lady Flidais.  He's fallen in love with her through her portrait and letters they've exchanged.  He can't wait to meet her.  

Except something strange has happened, and Lady Flidais is not the kind, sweet, loving person who wrote letters to Prince Oran.  Yes, she matches the portrait to a "t", but her personality doesn't fit at all.  What's going on?  And how can Blackthorn and Grim solve the mystery?  And what does it have to do with Dreamer's pool in the woods?

I would recommend this title to a teen starting out in fantasy, or anyone who likes Mercedes Lackey or Juliet Marillier's series Sevenwaters.  It captures you from the first page and keeps you entertained the whole way through.  Blackthorn is a woman who has suffered much, and struggles to keep her desire for revenge under control.  Grim is her stalwart companion, who struggles himself to be rid of the nightmares of prison.  There's a bit of magic, mystery, and mischief.  Perfect for a cool Fall night.  

Rating:  7/10 for an enjoyable start to a new series.  Can't wait to read more adventures of Blackthorn and Grim!

Available in hardcover in November, 2014.  Also will be available in e-book format.   
 

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Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier