Hello everyone!
Today I'd like to offer up another review from a fellow writer of mine, Mary Theriot.
But before I get into my review, here's a bit about the book.
A surprise inheritance brings Lizzy Bradford and her father to Blackwater Bayou, Louisiana. But the house is the smallest of the surprises in store for young Lizzy.
Growls and snarls, teasing and pranked, Lizzy’s life seems to be going…. Wait... Growls and snarls? That can’t be normal!
Lizzy starts to learn more about her past, and the secrets that her mother had hidden from her father as the past comes back to haunt the future.
With the help of her new friend, Marie, Lizzy must look deep within herself to find the strength to not only believe in, but also battle The Nightmare Witch.
Sounds exciting, right? I thought so too. Now that you have the basic idea of what this book is about, I'd like to share my thoughts on the story and writing.
Mary has woven an intense tale of voodoo and witchcraft, right from the swamps of Louisiana. With the incarnation of the Nightmare Witch, she brings to life such tales as Queen Marie and other practitioners of the early 1800's. Weaving into this the idea of eternal youth through a pact with otherworldly forces to keep her youth, Mary has created a truly frightening antagonist who is obsessed with keeping her youth, even if it means destroying the lives of innocent children.Enter our protagonist, a ten-year-old girl named Lizzy. Having just moved from New York, Lizzy feels more than out of her element as she tries to adjust to a new school and culture. What makes it even worse for her is that her dreams are haunted by the Nightmare Witch. Apparently Lizzy is the only real threat to the Witch, who is bent on destroying her.
Bullied by her new classmates, Lizzy leads a hard life. It doesn't help that she no longer has a mother to confide her fears and problems to. The Nightmare Witch made sure of that. When Lizzy meets an older girl named Marie, things start to fall into place for the young girl, and she begins to realize that she was born with magical abilities.
As incidents of the Nightmare Witch's cruelty continue, Lizzy can no longer ignore what is going, or her birthright. With Marie's help, she unlocks her powers and confronts the Witch.
The Nightmare Witch Saga: Lizzy Comes To Town is an intense folk legend that reminds me of the Goosebumps stories of my childhood. If you are not up to an intense ghost/witch story, this is probably not the read for you, as the author does describe various rituals and practices in more detail than I care for.
Mary weaves a very convincing tale of evil in the swamps, embroidering detail upon detail about the Witch living inside them, while trying to balance it out with Lizzy's increased understanding and growth in her craft.
As for pacing, I think that there could definitely be some tweaking done as some parts felt more rushed than others, and some were a bit too long.
Overall, though the tone is appropriate for ghost loving young adults, though I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under the age of thirteen. Just be prepared for a bit of a bumpy ride as you read through this rather interesting tale that is, admittedly, a bit antagonist heavy. I give it three stars.
Now that you know a bit more about the story, here's a bit about the author:
A
Louisiana native and have had the wonderful opportunity of living in
various states during my husband's 20-year career in the United
States Coast Guard.
I
have been happily married for over twenty years and am the proud
mother of two wonderful children. My youngest encouraged me to begin
writing this year.
Until
my diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2001, I worked in the Legal
Field. Writing is great therapy for my own personal fight against MS.
I
truly hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I have enjoyed
writing them.
Mary Theriot's books are available at the following locations:
Amazon:
Barnes
& Noble:
Smashwords:
Tour Schedule:
November
24 http://sweet-n-sassy-book-a-holics.blogspot.com/
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25 http://authorcandyodonnell.blogspot.com/
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26 http://mehousdonblog.weebly.com
November
27 julkbearreads.wordpress.com
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27 http://authorsandralove.blogspot.com/
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29 http://www.facebook.com/mommyneedstoread
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30 www.aclosetfullofbooks.com
November
30 http://taliasreviews.blogspot.com/
