Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The House of Crimson & Clover Box Set Volumes I-IV –by Sara M. Cradit

Fiction / Modern Gothic
840 pages / 3501 KB
5 Stars

The trouble with getting a box set for my kindle is I never stopped reading between books. I actually read the whole set in two days. Pulling my nose out of the kindle came only when I got to the end of Vol IV!

I don't normally read modern gothic, or gothic at all, but I thought I'd give this series a try, and I was not disappointed. I've already bought Volumes 5 & 6!

The first book, The Illusions of Eventide almost lost me at the beginning. It starts off with a primo #1 jerk about to off himself. Obviously, he didn't, as he was telling the story, but still.... Because I was settled on the sofa, with a fresh cup of coffee and a snuggly cat, I decided to keep reading, and was introduced to a cast of characters that were and are some of the most interesting folk around. By the time I finished Book 1, I could hardly wait to get into Book II to find out what happened. Alas, Book II went in a different, though connected direction. I'm hoping Books 5 & 6 bring us full circle and tie up the loose ends ;-)

These stories are told by the characters, each chapter is by a different character, some chapters go back in time, most are modern. I enjoy this style of story telling, and had no problem keeping up as Ms. Cradit did a great job of telling us who was speaking, chapter-by-chapter. The world of gothic New Orleans is expertly crafted as the families Deschanel and Sullivan work to solve, and end, the Curse their ancestress, Brigitte placed upon them shortly after the War Between the States.

It has been many years since I've read Anne Rice, and I'm not sure how accurate my memory of her books are, and these books take place primarily in New Orleans and surrounding area, but I am reminded of Ms. Rice's books – in a positive way. Make no mistake, Ms. Cradit tells her own story, and she does it well. But, if you are a fan of Anne Rice, I truly think you will enjoy these books.


Volumes 5 & 6 await in my Kindle, so please forgive me for not writing more here, I have important words to read, curses to end, friends who are calling for my attention.

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