Review: Servants of the Storm by Delilah S Dawson

Servants of the Storm by Delilah S Dawson

Series: It’s not currently showing up as a series on GoodReads, but considering the ending, I sincerely hope there’s going to be a sequel!

Published: August 5th, 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

384 pages (ARC)

Genre: Young adult paranormal thriller

Acquired this book: Won from Simon & Schuster Canada through First Reads on GoodReads

Warning: May contain spoilers

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A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.

But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real...including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.

As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.

Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly...and everything to do with Dovey herself.

Servants of the Storm is a creepy, atmospheric southern paranormal mystery. I don’t usually read many scary novels, because I’m a total weenie when it comes to being scared. I was drawn in by the cover and synopsis of this one though, and I’m glad I made an exception.

This book was gruesome, twisted, disturbing, and heartbreaking. The first chapter was absolutely horrifying, and it sucked me in instantly. When Hurricane Josephine rips through Savannah, it leaves chaos, devastation, and death in its wake. One of those deaths was Dovey’s best friend, Carly. In the aftermath of the hurricane and the loss of her best friend, Dovey basically has a psychotic break and has to go on mind-numbing medication. She spends the next year living in a fog until she sees Carly and decides to go off the medication so she’ll know what’s real and what not.

I liked Dovey, even though I never really connected with her. I loved that she was a loyal friend and wanted to figure out what was going on so her best friend could be at peace. As much as I liked her, I wanted to shake her on numerous occasions; she was constantly putting herself in dangerous situations. She was impulsive and sometimes downright stupid. Also, most people would have been horrified and traumatized by the things she saw, but at times she barely had any reaction.

Servants of the Storm was filled with great descriptions. You could see the decay, smell the rot, see how post-Josephine Savannah had turned into a place of squalor, dark shadows, and sinister beings. Everything was easy to picture, which often added to the creep-factor of the book, because a lot of the things that happened were so horrific.

I wouldn’t say there was ‘a romance’ in this novel. There were hints of romance, and a kinda-sorta love triangle, but Dovey was so focused on her mission, nothing ever really developed romantically. I liked Baker and Isaac a lot - each of them had great qualities, and they were good to Dovey. I appreciated that it didn’t turn into one of those stories where the heroine is deeply immersed in the action and mystery one minute, but then it turns into a soppy romance where she can’t function without the boy’s help. Dovey maintained her independence, and while one of the guys was often with her, it wasn’t because she needed them.

Overall, Servants of the Storm was a compelling read. It had a great concept, and I think Dawson did a good job executing it. As of right now, I’m not seeing on GoodReads that there’s a sequel, but after the total mindf*ck ending, I sure hope there is! Be sure to give this book a chance if you like eerie, twisted paranormal or horror stories with lots of mystery.

 

 

Eeeep, hide!

  

Have you read Servants of the Storm? What did you think? If you haven't read it, is it on your TBR list? Do you like horror? How about paranormal?

 
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Review: The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

Series: The Dispossessed #1

Published: May 14th, 2013

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

352 pages (ARC)

Genre: Young adult historic fiction/Gothic/paranormal

Acquired this book: Won from Giselle at Book Nerd Canada

Warning: May contain spoilers

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After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.

In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.

And Grayson has gone missing.

No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.

Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

 

 

Gargoyles and angels and demons, oh my!

While I was reading The Beautiful and the Cursed, I had a couple people ask me how it was, and this was my response: YA + historic fiction + Paris + gargoyles + hot Scot + beautiful writing = The Beautiful and the Cursed. Basically it had all the elements of things I love in books, and it didn’t disappoint.

Between the stunning cover and the title of this book, I was instantly drawn to it. When I read the synopsis, I was certain it was something I’d enjoy. I was hooked within the first few pages as we were introduced to Ingrid and Gabriella Waverly, who had just moved to Paris from London with their mother, and discovered their brother Grayson, who had come to Paris early to get things ready, was missing, and that girls were disappearing around the city.

There was so much to like about this book. Ingrid and Gabriella were both strong characters; they sometimes struggled with their propriety, since life in Paris - where people were a little more forward-thinking and open-minded - was so different from sheltered society life in London. Despite that, they were both independent, intelligent, and determined, and I liked them both.

Then there were the gargoyles and all the lore surrounding them, which I found fascinating. I’ve never read any books about gargoyles, but ever since I was 17 and saw the ones perched on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, I’ve had this strange fascination with them, and it was one of the main things that originally drew me to this book. Ms Morgan did a fantastic job of building a world in which gargoyles came to life, and I liked that they had a society of their own, with rules, leaders, punishments, and duties. Luc, the gargoyle in charge of the abbey where the Waverlys were living, was a complex character, and I loved the push and pull between him and Ingrid.

The story alternated between each girl's point of view, as well as Luc’s and occasionally Grayson’s. At first I thought it would be really confusing, but it wasn’t. It was interesting to get the story from different perspectives, know what characters were thinking, and see their progression firsthand rather than through the eyes of another character. Ms Morgan has a really great writing style - beautiful, yet simple, and memorable without being flashy.

Now, I mentioned a hot Scot, right? Nolan was just one of the boys we’re introduced to through the course of the story. While I liked Luc, it was Nolan that I really loved. He was a ‘detective’ helping search for Grayson, and investigating the disappearances around Paris.  

The Beautiful and the Cursed had a bit of everything: romance, action, intrigue, paranormal creatures that will both fascinate and horrify, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. It was beautifully written, rich in detail, and wonderfully originally. The ending left a lot of questions unanswered, so I can’t wait to find out what happens in The Lovely and the Lost. 

 

 

Have you read The Beautiful and the Cursed? What did you think? If you haven't read it, is it on your TBR?

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