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Book Review: Yesternight by Cat Winters

Yesternight by Cat Winters

William Morrow Books, 2016

ISBN-13: 978-0062440860

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, Audible, Audio CD

 

In this age of instant gratification, the slow burn novel can be a tough sell for commercial audiences. Horror and suspense readers generally expect the action to move along, but fans of historical novels thankfully are used to this more measured pace, allowing the beauty of the setting to wash over them, building up and surrounding them.  Cat Winters strikes gold with Yesternight, a gem of a novel that straddles genres, and has emerged as one of 2016’s strongest efforts in all three genres.

 

Winters hit the scene running with the impressive Uninvited and Shadow of Blackbirds, writing for both adult and YA audiences. Yesternight leans more towards the adult crowd, fitting easily in the “new adult” genre, but could easily find favor with the high school crowd. It’s the perfect choice for a chilly day when you are trapped at home, looking for a good read.

 

Set in 1925 Oregon, Yesternight introduces us to Alice Lind, who has the unlikely role of being a female school psychologist, tasked with administering IQ tests to school children. At that time, a woman holding such a job was rare, and succeeding as a professional for the state which depended on providing services for needy students would have been definitely uncommon. Alice arrives and immediately finds a strange task– a seven year old girl who appears to be a mathematical genius, and may be the reincarnation of a woman who was murdered several years prior. Alice, caught between the opposing wishes of the girl’s separated parents, must find a way to solve the mystery of who little Janie O’Daire really is, opening up a dark secret within herself that may destroy who she is. Janie and Alice steal the show as they both struggle to find who they really are, both literally and figuratively, in a world that would rather keep women under the surface.

 

Gothic in nature, but simmering in its building of the characters, Yesternight is a complex tale with a serpentine plot. The many layers of the characters peel away, leaving the reader to delve into something much deeper, and more enjoyable, than expected. Recommended.

 

Contains: violence and gore.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms.


Posted on February 1, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: The Gambling Bug by Dan Graffeo

The Gambling Bug by Dan Graffeo

Great Old Ones Publishing, 2015

ISBN-13: 978-0692532294

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

“My name is Lance, and I’m a gambling addict.” A chorus of five voices call out a welcome in unison at the weekly meeting of Gamblers’ Anonymous, held in the small back room of St. Reese’s Church. Lance, Eve, Isabelle, Everett and Suzanna are conflicted gamblers that have dug themselves in deep. They are led by Cliff Ronicah, the only gambler of the bunch who has beaten “The Bug”. They need all the help and support they can get. The Gambling Bug will not let go without a fight. No one is safe from his tools of temptation. He wants them all back in his fold. It is a fight for their lives!

I thought this story had a really interesting premise: a group of gambling addicts trying to get help and reform are tempted by Satan to continue to slip. Unfortunately, this work was just not up to the task of telling the story. I only read to page 120 of 281 before calling it quits. Each page had at least two errors in either grammar, spelling, or style. The author did too much “telling” and not enough “showing”, the pacing was sluggish, and the plot was not going much of anywhere. The book did have some good points. The characters were distinctive and easy to keep separate from each other. The Gambling Bug/Satan in particular was a strong, well-written character. While The Gambling Bug has a promising idea behind it, and some interesting characters, the book needs a lot of editing before it is readable and ready for public consumption. I have not read any of this author’s previous work. Not Recommended.

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

Posted on January 17, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: B.P.R.D Hell on Earth volume 14: The Exorcist

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Volume 14: The Exorcist  by Mike Mignola, Cameron Stewart, Chris Roberson, and Mike Norton

Dark Horse, 2016

ISBN: 9781506700113

Available: Trade paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology ebook

 

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Volume 14: The Exorcist collects B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #1–#2 and B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #140–#142.

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism was a 2 issue mini-series published from June to July 2012. The plot focuses on field agent Ashley Strode as she investigates a series of exorcisms in a rural Indiana town. After a failed exorcism, and angering the priest in control of the ritual, Agent Strode is deployed to a Mexican village after a demon commands her to release one of its brethren, or lose the soul of a child. Strode attempts to purge a demon from an aged, retired, exorcist, using a deadly rite that sends both of them into a spiritual hell.

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Exorcist continues Agent Strode’s career. Strode is searching for missing children in a town called Yamsay, a small mining town that has fallen on hard times. She discovers the reason for the missing children in the abandoned, dilapidated house of the town’s founder, Eustice Coupland. His daughter, long deceased, tells Strode the story of her father’s secrets, and what happened to the missing children of Yamsay. What she doesn’t reveal is more sinister and dangerous than Agent Strode could ever imagine.

I was really impressed with the storytelling in this volume, especially when it comes to Agent Strode’s character development: she begins as a freshly minted rookie in the first story arc, and becomes a confident and capable field agent in the second. In The Exorcism storyline, she puts herself, and others, in danger: she can’t even bring herself to hand the priest the holy water, and then directly addresses the demon, who may or may not be lying to her. Her following interaction with the retired exorcist is what helps form her into the agent she becomes later. He warns her that she needs to be alert and trust in her abilities, especially when they enter the spiritual realm. In the second storyline, she’s working independently in Yamsay, and holds her own very well. I’m finding that I want to read more about her.

The book is also visually appealing. The demons, in particular, are unique and well-rendered. At the end of this volume is an artist’s sketchbook with notes about the creation of Ashely Strode, the demons, and more. This is a nice addition that allows you to see the creative energy that went into these storylines. Recommended.

Contains: some blood

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker



Posted on November 30, 2016 by , Reply
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