I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. I really enjoyed the First Impression on BookishFirst and was drawn in to the immediacy of Luke's and Stoney's situation. But from there it just meandered a bit too much.
Maybe Southern Gothic isn't my thing, but I struggled to get emotionally invested in this story.
The setting is gorgeous. It's so incredibly atmospheric - dark, gritty, makes you want to take a shower at the end to get clean. Author George Dawes Green draws such a convincing picture of Savannah that vividly jumps off the page (yet at the same time makes me never want to take a visit there).
But the story itself fell a little flat for me. It lacked the tension I was hoping for and there were so many POV switches that it left me scrambling to remember who was who and what their role was in the story. I guess I wish that there were fewer people that were fleshed out more. For example, the book revolves around how horrible Morgana was and how she destroyed her children, but we never really see that--we're told, but in the book itself, Morgana doesn't really seen like the evil demon woman she supposedly is.
It just all left me with a very "so what?" feeling.
I wouldn't *not* recommend this book. The writing is lovely and that's what kept me involved. I also appreciated the history and obvious attention to detail the author had for his former home. Those who love this type of Southern noir would like it I'm sure. It just wasn't the book for me.
Thanks very much to Celadon and BookishFirst for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for a review.
Maybe Southern Gothic isn't my thing, but I struggled to get emotionally invested in this story.
The setting is gorgeous. It's so incredibly atmospheric - dark, gritty, makes you want to take a shower at the end to get clean. Author George Dawes Green draws such a convincing picture of Savannah that vividly jumps off the page (yet at the same time makes me never want to take a visit there).
But the story itself fell a little flat for me. It lacked the tension I was hoping for and there were so many POV switches that it left me scrambling to remember who was who and what their role was in the story. I guess I wish that there were fewer people that were fleshed out more. For example, the book revolves around how horrible Morgana was and how she destroyed her children, but we never really see that--we're told, but in the book itself, Morgana doesn't really seen like the evil demon woman she supposedly is.
It just all left me with a very "so what?" feeling.
I wouldn't *not* recommend this book. The writing is lovely and that's what kept me involved. I also appreciated the history and obvious attention to detail the author had for his former home. Those who love this type of Southern noir would like it I'm sure. It just wasn't the book for me.
Thanks very much to Celadon and BookishFirst for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for a review.