by Suzanne Hayes Palmieri
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Just released: June 30, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Fantasy, Witches
Paperback: 336 pages
Rating: 5
series:
The Witch of Little Italy
The Witch of Belladonna Bay
The Witch of Bourbon Street
First sentence(s):
When Serafina came across the sea
A casket girl of 10 and 3
She conjured for herself a life of dreams
And captured all hearts in New Orleans.
Situated deep in the Louisiana bayou is the formerly opulent Sorrow Estate. Once home to a magical family-the Sorrows-it now sits in ruins, ever since a series of murders in 1902 shocked the entire community. Now the ghosts of girls in white dresses shift in and out of view, stuck in time as they live out the past on repeat.
When Frances Green Sorrow is born carrying the "signs" of the so-called chosen one, it is believed she will bring her family back from the brink of obscurity, finally resurrecting the glory of what it once was and setting the Sorrows ghosts free.
But Frances is no savior.
Fleeing from heartbreak, she seeks solace in the seductive chaos of New Orleans, only to end up married too young in an attempt to live an ordinary life. When her marriage falls apart shortly after having a son, she returns home again-alone-just out of reach from the prying eyes of her family. But when her son disappears, she is forced to rejoin the world she left behind, exposing her darkest secret in order to find him and discovering the truth of what really happened that fateful year in the process.
Set amidst the colorful charm of The French Quarter and remote bayous of Tivoli Parish, Louisiana, Suzanne Palmieri's The Witch of Bourbon Street is a story of family, redemption, and forgiveness. Because sometimes, the most important person you have to forgive.... is yourself.
My two-bits:
Loved how this felt like a cozy read. What made this story cozy were the characters and how they interacted with each other. The sense of family and family herstory really pulled me in with all its the quirks and craziness.
The element of magic and otherworldliness felt natural in the Louisiana setting and with the characters involved. It was interesting to see how there was an acceptance of witches and their presence was not shunned.
About the author:
I always wanted to write books. I wanted to tell stories, and carry readers off with me to strange mysterious places… but life got in the way. At 22, I was a struggling, unwed mother on welfare who moonlighted as a cocktail waitress. My daughter and I collected food stamps and other social entitlements for several years. There never seemed to be enough money, and knowing I had to finish college I hustled to make ends meet. Education, and writing whenever I could, saved me.
I wrote everywhere: in journals, on napkins, on the inside of matchbook covers. After graduating from college, (walking across the stage with my baby on my hip!), I was awarded a Presidential Scholarship to Fordham; this scholarship allowed me to exit the welfare system for good. Also, being a single mother living alone in the Bronx would become the impetus for my debut novel The Witch of Little Italy, which hit shelves in March 2013. The rest is a story still unfolding. Stay tuned!
NEVER GIVE UP ON WHAT YOU LOVE. KEEP READING, KEEP WRITING, AND GRAB LIFE WITH GRABBY HANDS.
* * added this to my Books On The Nightstand Bingo challenge (details) with Time Travel
* added to my COYER challenge/scavenger hunt (details)
* part of my Armchair Summer Travel (details) - check it out to enter Armchair Summer Travel Book Box Giveaway
* review copy courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2015 (details). @booksparks #SRC2015
Destination: Get jazzy in New Orleans
