From the 1500s to the 1800s, they imported slaves. During that time, the French successfully gained control of the west of the island of Haiti.King Louis XIV of France was not happy that the slaves were practicing their own religion, so he ruled that they become Roman Catholics.

The slaves still practiced what they believed in, privately, but worshipped as Catholics, openly.

Over the centuries, the two religions merged. This became known as Vodou. One of their practices was to create a cloth doll and fill it with herbs to heal the sick and to communicate with the dead, which was part of their religion.

In 1933 a fictional book was published, which introduced the practice of sticking pins into dolls to harm people. Other books and movies followed which reinforced the idea with the public that this was what Voodoo was all about. But there is no tradition in Vodou of sticking pins in dolls to harm people.

Back to the book.There is no mention of the word 'voodoo' in the book, until the Acknowledgements section at the back of the book. 

Incidentally, if you are unhappy about reading expletives, I am not happy about  seeing them either, be warned, there are many in this story.

Also, if you are not American, you may be put off by some of the vocabulary and grammar in the same way that I was initially, but the story is worth battling on through the American syntax. 

This powerful intriguing story is based in New Orleans and is written through the main characters of the book, similar to Laurence Durrell's "Alexandrian Quartet". It's written in the present tense.

The main characters are teenage twins, brother, Clement, and sister, Cris, and the sister's ex-best friend Valentina. The stage is set with the twins worrying about their mother, who is in her bed suffering from a mysterious illness that the doctor is unable to determine, except all her major organs are failing and the disease appears to be terminal. 

Clement decides, in desperation, to prepare a pouch full of herbs and spell-making ingredients as a last ditch attempt to save his mother. While placing it at the foot of her bed under her mattress, he discovers a hidden 'hex doll', which is a doll meant to cause harm. This sets them on the road to discover who is trying to kill their mother, what was the real reason their father died suddenly last year and how to eliminate this evil they have found.

The heart of the story is that their  mother was a deposed 'Queen of Magic' and someone is plotting to destroy the family, including their mother's four sisters. Along with this is the intrigue of the best friend's grandmother's involvement and a framing for murder

The story weaves in and out of New Orleans, it's people, the politics and the 'magic' Associations, when the twins start unravelling crucial clues as to what happened thirty years ago, when their grandmother, who was the reigning 'Queen of Magic' and grandfather were murdered by a ynch mob on their front lawn. 

Who set up this mob? Why were they targeted? Why did the son-in-law, and father of the twins. die suddenly thirty years later? 

Apart from the aforementioned expletives and the style of grammar, the author is a talented, descriptive writer who skilfuly describes the city, the movement of the characters, the plot, the subterfuge and the eventual outcome which involves the Mississippi Paddle Steamer. The plot is quite believable except for the 'magic' that they all used to further their own ends, but even that was colourful. 

It is entertaining reading and I would recommend this book as an interesting look into the 'other' side of New Orleans, the life and its people.  The diagram of the different factions of magic, those involved with the sun, the moon and in between together with various family trees are interesting but it would have been better to see this during the course of the story, not at the beginning.

The Author

Terry J  Benton-Walker grew up in rural Georgia and now lives in Atlanta with his husband and son, where he writes fantasy and horror for adults, young adults, and children. He has an Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Georgia State.

Reviewed by Ken



This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so.If you Liked this review - Buy me a coffee 

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THESE BOOKS

DON'T MISS OUT

Receive our BookTalk newsletter with all the latest book reviews