Bryony

Bryony #1

by Denise M. Baran-Unland

After her father’s sudden death, seventeen-year-old Melissa Marchellis moves onto the former estate of nineteenth century composer and pianist John Simons, where a mysterious mist stalks her, ghostly piano music invades her bedroom, and lovely visions of John Simons’ young wife Bryony, who died in childbirth, fill her dreams.

So, when John proposes a trade, a trip to the past as Bryony in exchange for her blood, Melissa happily agrees. She soon seesaws between a life of school, slumber parties, and cute boys to dancing at balls, attending formal dinner parties, and hosting garden fetes.

But fantasy and reality blur when her eccentric, middle-aged English teacher penetrates her dreams as Melissa’s dashing vampire chaperone; her brother Brian adopts a peculiar stray cat after a friend disappears in a midnight exploration of the dilapidated mansion; and another girl with a similar vampire pact is gruesomely murdered.

Caught between the danger of her agreement and her escalating infatuation with John Simons, Melissa contends with other vampires and their agendas, while struggling with her feelings for an undead musician.

348 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2011

About the author

Denise M. Baran-Unland is the author of the BryonySeries supernatural/literary trilogy for young and new adults, the Adventures of Cornell Dyer chapter book series for grade school children, and the Bertrand the Mouse series for young children.

She has six adult children, three adult stepchildren, sixteen total grandchildren, six godchildren, and four cats.

She is the co-founder of WriteOn Joliet and previously taught features writing for a homeschool coop, with the students' work published in the co-op magazine and The Herald-News in Joliet.

Denise blogs daily and is currently the features editor at The Herald-News. To read her feature stories, visit www.theherald-news.com. For more information about Denise's fiction and to follow her on social media, visit www.bryonyseries.com.

Reviews

[J.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. Detailed review to come.

[Rose Panieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm an avid reader - and no exaggeration - this book is one of the best thrillers I've read in a very long time. Many female authors who write similar stories - Anne Rice included - obsess over the physical perfection or flaws of their characters, ad nauseum. When writers brandish terms like "slender, soulful blue eyes, long shapely legs, flowing blond tresses, etc.," I dump the book. Like Alfred Hitchcock, this author understands the power of imagination. She provides guidelines, but you'll have to "paint by number" to see the picture clearly. It's far more satisfying than having everything spelled out.

Speaking of imagination, don't expect the author to explain the mysteries. You're a grown up, figure it out. Were Melissa's experiences with John and Henry real, or was she dreaming? Was she anemic because her blood was being drained, or was she typical of many malnourished teens? Were Melissa's fantasies part of her grieving process? How could one of her teachers also be a vampire? You'll swear you've figured it out... until the next chapter. Yet, unlike classic mysteries, you don't feel the author is playing games to deliberately muddy the waters. And skipping to the last page won't help.

The symbolism is rich, satisfying and sometimes frustrating. There are myriad psychological twists and turns that ultimately make the utmost sense. Read the book through once at face value. Then, go back for a second read to seek out the hidden meanings. Each character - even the animals - are something more than they appear to be. They're ordinary, but they're also archetypal. There is much Jungian psychology hidden between the lines that transform a seemingly simple story into something dangerously deep. -

[Sue Merrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampire tales are all the rage these days and though that's not my usual choice, this one is firmly planted in the real world so it was satisfying to a mystery reader like myself. Perfect for young adults, the story focuses on high school senior Melissa who has to move from Chicago to a small Michigan town after her father dies and her mother takes a marketing job for an old mansion about to be restored. Melissa soon gets caught up in the legend of the concert pianist who once lived in the mansion and his wife Bryony who died so young. Before long, Melissa is spending her evenings in the Victorian era with a vampire pianist, his famous author friend and an exciting world of ball gowns and elaborate buffets. The line between reality and imagination is pretty blurred sometimes so it's hard to always know what to believe, but it's clear that everything is real to Melissa. It is certainly fast-paced with good solid family life to fall back on when the fangs and blood are too much to take.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because it is by a local author. The concept and overall story isn’t bad. The editing needs work. I get that it jumps between time and place, but it does so in the middle of paragraphs sometimes. It makes for a very disjointed read. It seems as there should be chapter breaks, a paragraph break, or even *** between paragraphs. The timeline is also out of whack in the current timeline with large jumps forward in time.

The writing and dialogue is also clunky at times; it doesn’t read smoothly.

In the back is a list of references. Wikipedia is not a legit reference. Ever.

If it was cleaned up and re-edited, it could be good. The jumble made it hard to hold my attention and get through.

[Vanessa Cooley-Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting characters and twisting plot kept me turning pages! Brilliantly written! A great book for all ages. :-)