All collide at night’s darkest hour.
Seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey has been left at home in Mississippi with a laudanum-addicted stepmother and love-crazed stepsister while her father fights in the war—a war that has already claimed her twin brother.
When she comes across a severely injured Union soldier lying in an abandoned lodge deep in the woods, things begin to change. Thomas is the enemy—one of the men who might have killed her own brother—and yet she's drawn to him. But Violet isn't Thomas's only visitor; someone has been tending to his wounds—keeping him alive—and it becomes chillingly clear that this care hasn't been out of compassion.
Against the dangers of war and ominous powers of voodoo, Violet must fight to protect her home and the people she loves.
From the author of Strands of Bronze and Gold comes a haunting love story and suspenseful thriller based on the ancient fairy tale of “Tam Lin.”
Danger lurks in both those that are outcast in the town as well as those that linger close. Throughout the story there is magic woven in and an otherworldly presence that even after finishing the novel is not quite clear. The voodoo, bees, and snakes are strange but meant to be enchanting. The element of magic added creativity to the book, but it failed to coalesce into something believable for the reader.
There are an abundance of characters the author introduces, many of whom make only fleeting appearances making the story hard to follow at times. The ancillary characters and side stories between them distracts from the main story line of the novel. The wounded soldier, Thomas, doesn't actually appear until about half way through this novel. He is a solid and likable character, although the reader only gets to know him in glimpses through his brief meetings with Violet.
Violet is a southern girl with mixed loyalties and a lot of kindness. Before her father takes off for war he leaves her with a stepmother who spends most of her days on laudanum and a haughty stepsister who goes too far to grasp what she wants. Violet must have the patience of a saint to put up with and forgive the ever cunning deeds of her step-sister. Thrown in the family mix are two cousins - a young boy with curiosity and spirit in abundance, and an older cousin who takes a liking to both Violet and her step-sister. In a family that is very odd on the surface, under the surface they are even more bizarre, and the characters outside the family are stranger still.
The story line gets points for originality, but loses points for lack of focus.
Dorothy Dillingham Blue narrated with a southern accent that matched the novel's setting, but I did not find her engaging as a listener. The reading was clear but was not captivating.
LENGTH: 12 HRS AND 15 MIN
RELEASE DATE 3/11/2014
PUBLISHER: LISTENING LIBRARY