Review: The Gallows Curse by Karen Maitland

"The thirteenth century is just begun and King John has fallen out with the Pope, leaving babies to lie unbaptized int heir cradles and corpses in unconsecrated ground.  Across a fear-ravaged England, the people are dying in sin.

And into the Norfolk village of Gastmere comes a new Lord of the Manor - the cruel and bloodthirsty Osborn, not long returned from crusading.  Spying treachery at every turn, he is prepared on the slightest pretext to damn anyone to hell and the scaffold.

So when Elena, a servant girl, is falsely accused of murdering her child, she is convinced she will be next.  But there are others who will defy Osborn's brutal regime to save a girl who once took part in the secrets and strange rituals of the manor..." (back cover description)

My Take:

This is going to sound super lame but sometimes when I'm having trouble getting a review started, I like to do some word association, and this will get my creativity flowing.  I never include the word association in my review, but since it failed to get me going this time, here it is.  This may give you an idea of my feeling about this book, which are as mixed as a Berry Best Frozen Custard Avalanche (I just got finished eating my Turtle Sundae from BRC's Frozen Custard, so be prepared, there may be many dairy based metaphors in this post.  My apologies to the lactose intolerant.)

(Photo used under creative commons from Sirsnapsalot)

Plot: Interesting...Depressing...Unique...Semi-meandering...

Characters: Eh....Meh...Vienna Boy's Choir candidate...zzzzzz.....

Historical Content: Rich...Detailed...Folklore-ful (yeah, I like to make up a lot of words when I do word association)

Writing Quality: A+...solid...pro...

Did that give you any idea about the book?  No?  Let's dig into the review and maybe...hopefully...I'll circle around to a coherent thought or two :)  

Plot:  The plot was very very interesting, as I said in the association, but also like I said, it was super depressing.  As in depressing like each copy sold should come with a prescription for Prozac.  

(Photo used under creative commons from Carsten Schertzer)

 

These sorts of books, where basically nothing goes right for anyone, aren't usually my thing, but the other positives in the book kept me reading.  For example, the unique narrator kept me riveted.  The narrator was a mandrake root.  A shriveled, gnarly and amoral plant. Intrigued?  You should be.  As for the plot being semi-meandering, I think labyrinthine is more the word I'm searching for.  In the end, the way all the different plot points came together wasn't a big enough payoff to make the work it took to follow everything worth it.

Characters:  I've got to say, I didn't really love any of them.  The main girl, Elena, was weak, annoyingly blinded by love and a bit on the snoozy side (hence the Eh, Meh and zzzzzzz)  Now her unwanted savior is a bit more interesting, he is a fierce eunuch chomping at the bit to get his revenge and save the fair (and boring) maiden with whom he is in love.  I think most of the villains are a little flat, I wanted more layers, maybe some back story to make them more complex.  They felt a little mustache twirling, "I'm evil just because I'm evil" and I'm gunna tie you to a railroad just because I can.  

(Photo used under creative commons from mpeake)

Moving on...

Historical Content:  Awesome.  I wouldn't say accurate, because in the book, the supernatural is very much a real force, but as far as the day to day life, work, clothing, customs, etc., it's pretty spot on.  I loved how this book really brought to life the time period in which the church had left these people.  When you hear about it in history books, you think so what, but this book really made you realize it's a whole lotta what!  These people were genuinely terrified for their souls, and you really get that int he book.  A+.

Writing Quality:  The quality is not on trial here.  It is engaging, natural and down right fascinating.

So there you have my feelings on the book broken down, but what about as a whole?  Well.....

All in all, it was  just too twisted for me.  The dark stuff was too dark.  It had too many of the depressing elements of medieval Europe.  I can usually take it when a book focuses on one thing, but with all of the curses (which are real in the book) the hangings, the child prostitution, the dead baby spirits, the evil evil evil Aristocracy, murders of Monks, etc, it was too much for me.  If you love a good dark novel and don't get squeamish, check it out.  If you are a bit more sensitive, steer way clear of this book.  It'll haunt the crap out of you!  I think I'm going to have to give this book a rating of 3, Find a Used Book Store.  I have  to say that while this book isn't really my favorite, I am very interested in reading more from this author.

Tell me what you think!  

Are you into dark historical novels?

What is your favorite?

How do you feel about this author?

Is this her best work?  

Sound off in the comments!

If this book were a movie it would be rated R for disturbing images, sexual content and violence.

***FTC Disclosure:  The Gallows Curse was provided free of charge by the publishers in exchange for an honest opinions.  No other compensation was given, all opinions are my own and not influenced by any author, publisher, publicist or blogger***

The Wedding Gift

Kathleen McKenna

Kathleen McKenna's explosive third novel The Wedding Gift excels in so many categories, it defies them all.

It is a spine-electrifying supernatural tale where a huge Southern States mansion contains one of the most terrifying, violent and indeed psychopathic ghosts to haunt any town.

It is also a murder mystery--why did Robina Willets apparently kill all five of her young children, and her husband, before stabbing herself to death?

And, if you are in the camp of believing that "justice...just is not," then this will have you frothing at the mouth with righteous social fury.

Add to that the vision of two exceptionally beautiful girls lying on a landing stage in the middle of a secluded lake, sleeping naked in the sun...

...and then see if you fan find any consecutive ten minutes in this book when you don't at least snicker at the herio0ne Leeann;s sly, caustic, sometimes knowing, sometimes "too stupid to live" commentary.

My Take:

The Wedding Gift was an interesting read, to say the least.  I found myself riveted despite the almost total lack of likable characters.  However, I think the rather annoying narrator was written that way intentionally, and I actually found her to be quite funny.  The pacing of the story was really one of its strengths.  There weren't really any lulls to speak of, and the final twists and turns, while disturbing,  definitely did the overall story a favor.  I enjoyed the humor throughout the book, but I definitely think it was a polarizing, slightly off-kilter sort of humor.  You either get it and love it, or you don't get it and hate it.  Overall I very much enjoyed the story, it wasn't perfect, but I honestly can't put my finger on how to make it better, specifically.  Therefore, I rate it a 3, Find a Used Book Store.

Do you agree with my review?  Do you think I'm totally off base?  Either way I'd love to hear from you, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel.

If this book were a movie it would likely be rated R due to strong language throughout, sexual content, some violence (though the violence was more PG-13) and drug use

***FTC Disclosure:  This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review, no other compensation was given, all opinions are my own***

If you are interested in purchasing The Wedding Gift, please consider supporting The Book Buff by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Seth Grahame-Smith

 Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation. 

My Take:

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter was written by the same man that wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  He is the master of successful unexpected horror blending.  He takes a concept that is utterly laughable, and writes it in such an authentic way, that when you are reading his work, you don't think twice; Abraham Lincoln was a vampire hunter, Elizabeth Bennett was a zombie fighter (from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).  He has such a skill for making it work (in the words of Tim Gunn for all you Project Runway fans :), I don't know how else to put it--it works.  The author writes with total respect toward Abraham Lincoln.  He isn't making a joke of his life at all, in fact, the vampire presence in the book caused a new light to be shed on Lincoln.  Obviously, he wasn't a vampire hunter, but having the book written from his secret vampire hunting journals allowed the author to dig deep into the President's inner most thoughts of life, loss, and the pressure he felt throughout his entire life.  This book also "solved" some historical mysteries, such as what happened to the lost settlement of Roanoke, and some insights into Mary Todd Lincoln's insanity after the death of her husband.  Overall, this book is a great piece historical fiction, the history, aside from the vampires, is very well researched and accurate.  The book has pretty good pacing, once you get passed the beginning, which was just a little tiny bit dry.  I will say that just because you love a good vampire/paranormal/supernatural book, does not necessarily mean you will love this book.  There is a lot of action, but it is spread out, it isn't a non stop thriller.  It definitely leans more toward the historical fiction aspect, rather than the paranormal aspect.  It doesn't get as much into the history and mythology of vampires, because it just isn't important for the book.  The focus of the book is all about Abraham Lincoln, and the present vampire/human conflict (by present, I mean Abe Lincoln's present :)  I am giving this book a rating of a 2, Borders with a Coupon.  I couldn't stop talking about it (much to my ever patient hubby's consternation), and it is one to add to your permanent library.

Do you agree with my review?  Do you think I'm totally off base?  Either way I'd love to hear from you, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel!

If this book were a movie it would likely be rated PG-13 for violence and language

If you are interested in purchasing this book, please consider supporting  The Book Buff by purchasing from the following Amazon link!

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red

Rose Red is the setting for Stephen King's ABC mini-series by the same name. At the turn of the century, Ellen Rimbauer, the young bride of Seattle industrialist John Rimbauer, began keeping a remarkable diary.








My Take:

"The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer" gave me the Heebeejeebees, but in an awesome way. It chronicles Ellen Rimbauer's descent into madness and her depressing marriage, which accounts for most of her madness. I have never read a book which more fully makes you understand why someone would go so crazy. If you read just the beginning and just the end, you can see just how eccentric Ellen got, and the contrast is startling, but, when you read it page by page, it just makes so much sense. Living with such a horrible person, who gives you some sort of sexually transmitted disease (which may have caused much of her madness), plus living in a spooky house that may want to kill you (whether out of love or hatred it is difficult to say) would make anyone crazy. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good creepy book. It never really explains why the house is the way it is, because it is Ellen's diary and she herself never truly gets it either. I can't decide between a rating of a 2 or a 3, so if horror is your thing, its a 2, Use a Coupon at Borders, if horror isn't your thing (its not really mine either, and I still enjoyed the book) you should definitely check it out anyway, just Get it at a Used Book Store

Do you agree with my review? Or do you think I am totally off base? Either way I'd love to hear what you've got to say. Be sure to leave me a comment and tell me how you feel!

Like the Supernatural? Check out Witch Child

Looking for something with a bit more action to it? See The Book of Names or The Lake House

If this book were made into a movie, it would likely be rated R for strong sexual content and violence.