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Book Review: Deep in Providence by Riss M. Neilson

cover art for Deep in Providence by Riss L. Neilson

Deep in Providence by Riss m. Neilson.

Henry Holt and Company Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250788528

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

Buy:  Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com

 

 

Taking place in Providence, Rhode Island, Deep in Providence introduces Miliani, Natalie, and Inez, whose friend Jasmine was recently killed suddenly in a car accident, Miliani is determined to bring her back. Inez and Natalie are skittish about it, but it seems so important to Miliani they agree and swear a blood pact. The story is told from the alternating points of view of the three girls.

 

Miliani’s family is Filipino. She has witchcraft in her blood but did not learn how to use it before her grandfather died, and her mother has forbidden it, and visits to her “dangerous” aunt, Lindy. Despite this, Miliani visits Lindy, who says it may be possible to anchor Jasmine’s spirit to another person if Miliani and her friends will do enough spells to thin the boundaries between worlds. Knowing her friends would not consent to anchoring Jasmine to another person, when she tells them, she omits that from her explanation.

 

Natalie is a half-Black, half-white biracial girl with a younger brother, Devin and an emancipated older half-sister. Her mother is a heroin addict and disappears for long periods of time. Her sister contributes to the household financially and wants Natalie and Devin to stay with her. Natalie refuses, and does a locator spell to find her mother, who they discover fatally overdosing. The girls do a spell and reverse her mother’s coma, but Natalie can’t control her mother’s addiction long-term. Natalie also does a truth spell on her sister and learns that she is a stripper and that’s how she is able to make the money to help them.

 

Inez is a Dominican-American citizen whose father was deported. She plans to sponsor him once she turns 18, but she has unprotected sex with her boyfriend and becomes pregnant. She tells him, and finds he is selling drugs. She does a spell to stop her boyfriend, and he is arrested and jailed for armed robbery. Inez also casts a spell to cause a miscarriage that nearly kills her.

 

Although her friends are seeing spirits, Miliani’s mother has been casting spells of protection to keep spirits away, so Miliani doesn’t see the damage her plan is causing. The issue of consent hung over the book and I was relieved to see it resolved.

 

The book goes into some pretty dark places: drug addiction, abandonment, grief, miscarriage and abortion are never easy to read about. But the girls’ friendship as they navigate  difficult situations and their grief over Jasmine is powerful, regardless of their magic.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

 

Book Review: They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

Cover art for They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

Poisoned Pen Press, 2022

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1728248202

Available: Paperback, audiobook, audio CD, Kindle edition

Buy:  Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com

 

 

The women of Cape Disappointment, descended from Regina Holm, all meet a singular fate: drowning. In 1881, Regina, hoping to prevent her husband from leaving, was placing a charm when she was interrupted by her 14 year old niece Liza, who realized it was witchcraft and threatened to tell Regina’s husband. In the resulting conflict, Liza was killed, and Regina rolled her up in a rug and dumped her in the nearby ocean. Regina’s daughter Marina witnessed it, and followed Liza into the water, where she drowned. Mothers and daughters in every generation since have been affected by this trauma, tempted into the water where they are drowned by a malevolent ghost girl.

 

Meredith has been long absent, but is now returning with her 7 year old daughter Alice to live with her  estranged mother, Judith, as Meredith finalizes a separation with her wife. Meredith left Cape Disappointment not just because of her difficult relationship with her mother, but to escape the way she was drawn to the water. Now that she’s returned, she feels the pull again, and Alice does, too. Judith and Meredith must decide how far they are willing to go to protect Alice and end the curse. The novel is thoughtful about motherhood, and the way it depicts mothers’ choices and sacrifices.

 

This atmospheric, haunting tale brims with historical detail and vividly depicts the waters and environment of Cape Disappointment, and the fear the women experience, especially the fear of drowning. Highly recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

 

Book Review: The Man Who Killed His Wife (and What Happened Afterward) by Wol-vriey

cover art for The Man Who KIlled His Wife (and What Happened Afterward) by Wol-vriey

 

The Man Who Killed His Wife (and What Happened Afterward) by Wol-vriey

Blood Bound Publishing, 2023

ISBN: 9781948278690

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.orgAmazon..com

 

Wol-vriey’s latest is so nutty that readers might just laugh at the absurdity of it all, and that’s not a bad thing.  It’s a merry-go-round of horror craziness, like his last one.

 

Maryanne Wilson wants to get pregnant, but her poor, overworked husband Bob simply doesn’t have the energy for bedroom fun.  So, she turns to her neighbor (who of course happens to be a witch) for a demon sex charm.  That works until an argument with Bob ends in her accidental death.  Unfortunately, the charm causes Bob to have sex with her corpse, which makes him leery of calling the cops.  So, he enlists the help of another neighbor (who of course is a top-level computer hacker) to dispose of the body and come up with a viable explanation.  Naturally, nothing goes right for Bob.  Ashley, the hacker, is a psychotic sadist who wants payment in pain, the corpse won’t stay dead, and there’s the matter of the little blue demon who eats everyone he finds.  It’s a tragic comedy of errors for everyone involved.

 

Enjoying this means not taking it too seriously, as Bob constantly makes boneheaded decisions that no rational person would.  While skipping details to avoid spoilers, let’s say Bob probably could have got out of his mess in less painful ways.  Plus, this must be some apartment building, as it has a witch with real powers and an ace computer whiz with government connections under the same roof.  Who knew they were this common?  That’s why it’s important to remember, none of that matters in this type of fiction.  It’s meant to be fun and not taken too seriously, much like some of the pulp writing of yesteryear.  And, fun this is.

 

As always with this author, the book speeds along, with no deep soliloquies or wasted time.  Despite the pain and gore that show up (and, if you’ve read Wol-vriey before, this isn’t as brutal as some of his other works) the book still has a somewhat lighthearted touch compared to some of his darker, more ‘serious’ efforts.  The little blue demon goes a long way towards keeping this from getting too ugly: it’s such an obnoxious eating machine that you have to chuckle at it, and its final fate is hilarious.  Some of Ashley’s ridiculously painful ideas of a good time (and her amusing notes afterwards) also keep the story trending that way.  Quite over the top, but still entertaining.

 

Bottom line?  This isn’t a book to terrify readers, or bowl them over with its profound nature.  It’s just big, goofy horror fun, and should keep the author’s fans happy until the next one.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson