I would like to thank Celadon Books and Bookishfirst for the opportunity read Kingdoms of Savannah in exchange for an honest review.
My first introduction to The Kingdoms of Savannah, by George Dawes Green, begins with Miltada, better known as Stony, and Luke Kitchens sipping booze at Bo Peeps bar. The playful banter and characterization between them were intriguing. The lively exchange between friends seemed natural and warm. It's unclear why Stony reveals a secret treasure she's discovered, maybe she's seeking attention. All eyes are on her. Enter a couple of unlikely patrons, flashy suits that make it obvious neither is a regular of the pub. They approach Stony and convince her to come with them because their boss wants to see her. Unfortunately, her friend Luke, trails behind hoping to prevent any harm from coming to her.
Jag, the young bartender/journalist often records various stories of interest and has captured Stony's interesting tale. Jag is the granddaughter of the highly respected socialite Morgana Musgrove. It is her grandmother who convinces the estranged family members to join efforts in gathering information that would clear Archie Guzman, the man arrested for a murder everyone believes he has committed. It wasn't until this meeting that I learned the victim was Luke, whose body must have been hauled to the vacant house, rather than left on the street outside of the bar where he'd been murdered. I found myself confused as to why this particular family would be called upon to help and had to backtrack in the book to discover yes, there was mention of Musgrove Investigations. I would have found this more convincing if I'd learned beforehand of prestigious cases they'd handled in the past and that they were still practicing today. Credentials, or bragging rights, you know? As it were I was left with the impression the family had no special training in sleuthing.
And since the family holds little regards for their mother, leads me to believe they are doing it solely for the money. A very shallow reason in my opinion. With the huge payment of $200,000 and the promise of $300,00 more once the man's acquitted, how will the money be divided? Does each one have a dire need for money and if so, what is it?
Ransom, Morgana's son, is an attorney but he lives in a tent with a group of homeless in a local park. He's familiar with Stony, the missing woman, and has concerns over the contrived murder of Luke, who was actually stabbed outside of the bar. I found it odd there was never any mention of a possible connection and I'm left to wonder if I only imagined this suspicious fire as an attempt to cover up a murder that was not a big enough plot line for the author to develop? In my opinion, Ransom never puts his skills into action even after he is almost killed.
The atmosphere itself is entertaining—stringy moss, ghost tours, and a musician who walks around Savannah whistling eerie tunes.
The backstory of the city is fascinating, however, the author takes too many meandering trails to show us the history of Savannah rather than develop a sense of urgency- rescue Stony who is languishing in captivity for over a month in the wet bowels of the city! I am somewhat disappointed with the ending. The characters just dispersed, even Jag, the heroine, wasn't willing to come home for the final hoop-la.
The length of the chapters was troublesome for me. Long chapters make it very hard for me to follow and absorb because there is too much that has to be sorted out.
While this was not a favorite of mine, a voice in the back of my mind kept telling me that my friend was going to love it.
My first introduction to The Kingdoms of Savannah, by George Dawes Green, begins with Miltada, better known as Stony, and Luke Kitchens sipping booze at Bo Peeps bar. The playful banter and characterization between them were intriguing. The lively exchange between friends seemed natural and warm. It's unclear why Stony reveals a secret treasure she's discovered, maybe she's seeking attention. All eyes are on her. Enter a couple of unlikely patrons, flashy suits that make it obvious neither is a regular of the pub. They approach Stony and convince her to come with them because their boss wants to see her. Unfortunately, her friend Luke, trails behind hoping to prevent any harm from coming to her.
Jag, the young bartender/journalist often records various stories of interest and has captured Stony's interesting tale. Jag is the granddaughter of the highly respected socialite Morgana Musgrove. It is her grandmother who convinces the estranged family members to join efforts in gathering information that would clear Archie Guzman, the man arrested for a murder everyone believes he has committed. It wasn't until this meeting that I learned the victim was Luke, whose body must have been hauled to the vacant house, rather than left on the street outside of the bar where he'd been murdered. I found myself confused as to why this particular family would be called upon to help and had to backtrack in the book to discover yes, there was mention of Musgrove Investigations. I would have found this more convincing if I'd learned beforehand of prestigious cases they'd handled in the past and that they were still practicing today. Credentials, or bragging rights, you know? As it were I was left with the impression the family had no special training in sleuthing.
And since the family holds little regards for their mother, leads me to believe they are doing it solely for the money. A very shallow reason in my opinion. With the huge payment of $200,000 and the promise of $300,00 more once the man's acquitted, how will the money be divided? Does each one have a dire need for money and if so, what is it?
Ransom, Morgana's son, is an attorney but he lives in a tent with a group of homeless in a local park. He's familiar with Stony, the missing woman, and has concerns over the contrived murder of Luke, who was actually stabbed outside of the bar. I found it odd there was never any mention of a possible connection and I'm left to wonder if I only imagined this suspicious fire as an attempt to cover up a murder that was not a big enough plot line for the author to develop? In my opinion, Ransom never puts his skills into action even after he is almost killed.
The atmosphere itself is entertaining—stringy moss, ghost tours, and a musician who walks around Savannah whistling eerie tunes.
The backstory of the city is fascinating, however, the author takes too many meandering trails to show us the history of Savannah rather than develop a sense of urgency- rescue Stony who is languishing in captivity for over a month in the wet bowels of the city! I am somewhat disappointed with the ending. The characters just dispersed, even Jag, the heroine, wasn't willing to come home for the final hoop-la.
The length of the chapters was troublesome for me. Long chapters make it very hard for me to follow and absorb because there is too much that has to be sorted out.
While this was not a favorite of mine, a voice in the back of my mind kept telling me that my friend was going to love it.