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Eden Moore #2
Eden Moore Wings to the Kingdom
At the Civil War battlefield at Chickamauga, Georgia, there have long been tales of sighting Old Green Eyes, said to be the guardian of the battle's dead, and now there's a new wrinkle. To wit, sightings of ghosts pointing frustratedly across the battlefield. The spirits need someone who can speak to them, and for them. Eden Moore is not interested. But the ghosts aren't taking no for an answer
387 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2006
22 people are currently reading
871 people want to read
About the author
Cherie Priest
73 books4,374 followersCherie Priest is the author of about thirty books and novellas, most recently the modern gothics It Was Her House First, The Drowning House, and Cinderwich. She's also the author of the Booking Agents mysteries, horror projects The Toll and The Family Plot – and the hit YA graphic novel mash-ups I Am Princess X and its follow up, The Agony House. But she is perhaps best known for the steampunk pulp adventures of the Clockwork Century, beginning with Boneshaker. She has been nominated for the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, and the Locus award – which she won with Boneshaker.
Cherie has also written a number of urban fantasy titles, and composed pieces (large and small) for George R. R. Martin’s shared world universe, the Wild Cards. Her short stories and nonfiction articles have appeared in such fine publications as Weird Tales, Publishers Weekly, and numerous anthologies – and her books have been translated into nine languages in eleven countries.
Although she was born in Florida on the day Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, for the last twenty years Cherie has largely divided her time between Chattanooga, TN, and Seattle, WA – where she presently lives with her husband and a menagerie of exceedingly photogenic pets.
Cherie has also written a number of urban fantasy titles, and composed pieces (large and small) for George R. R. Martin’s shared world universe, the Wild Cards. Her short stories and nonfiction articles have appeared in such fine publications as Weird Tales, Publishers Weekly, and numerous anthologies – and her books have been translated into nine languages in eleven countries.
Although she was born in Florida on the day Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, for the last twenty years Cherie has largely divided her time between Chattanooga, TN, and Seattle, WA – where she presently lives with her husband and a menagerie of exceedingly photogenic pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
August 30, 2016
A solid ghost story that successfully veers into Lovecraftian territory in a terrifically Southern way. Eden and Benny and Dana are a good time, and the villain is complicated and sad in a way I appreciated.
The story's let down by a couple major plotholes and the really off-kilter way in which the two POVs are woven together; the second POV starts off interesting, gets more interesting as the book progresses and then... disappears entirely? No bueno. Also something felt really off about the time differential between the two POVs.
But Chattanooga needs more historical ghost stories. Or at least, I need to read them.
The story's let down by a couple major plotholes and the really off-kilter way in which the two POVs are woven together; the second POV starts off interesting, gets more interesting as the book progresses and then... disappears entirely? No bueno. Also something felt really off about the time differential between the two POVs.
But Chattanooga needs more historical ghost stories. Or at least, I need to read them.
August 2, 2013
The second Eden Moore is much lighter than the first. She still sees ghosts, people harass her expecting her to help them. She isn't the centre of everything in this book. Nobody is trying to kill her and this story starts properly much later.
Ghosts from the Civil war (both sides) are awake and everyone can see them. They keep pointing in certain direction, but nobody knows what they want. I like who ended up being a monster in the end.
Ghosts from the Civil war (both sides) are awake and everyone can see them. They keep pointing in certain direction, but nobody knows what they want. I like who ended up being a monster in the end.
May 26, 2017
I actually really liked this one. Who cares that Old Green Eyes is still a bit homicidal? This book introduces us to Dana Marshall, who turned out to be a better character than I thought she would be. I expected her to be hoighty toighty (much like Masako from Ghost Hunt when we first meet her). To my surprise Dana was solid and human.
And Benny? FrankenHal? Demon Detective Neuro anyone? No, seriously.
But really Pete, didn't you learn when you were in prison?
But seeing how this book turned out, I guess you didn't.
And Benny? FrankenHal? Demon Detective Neuro anyone? No, seriously.
But really Pete, didn't you learn when you were in prison?
But seeing how this book turned out, I guess you didn't.
April 3, 2015
As with the first book in this series, the second book stands on its own. There are references to the first book, but nothing that would interfere with understanding the story in this book. The story is that something has happened at the historical Chickamauga battlefield in Georgia to make the ghosts of the dead soldiers restless. They’ve started showing up and startling visitors in broad daylight, pointing toward something in the distance. Our main character, Eden, is trying to figure out what’s happened and how to solve the problem.
I enjoyed this book, but I liked it a bit less than the first book in the series. This story was more straight-forward than the first one and it was pretty easy to guess the answers to the main questions from early on. I missed the suspense from the first book that propelled me through it almost against my will in search of the answers to all my questions. Also, even though the first book wasn’t terribly creepy, it was definitely creepier than this one and I missed that creepier atmosphere. Despite all this, the book was still well-written and interesting. I still had some trouble putting it down because I was interested in the story even if I did always feel like I knew what was going to happen next.
As with the first book, the story is told from the first-person perspective of our main character, Eden. However, unlike the first book, there are a few chapters where we read from the third-person perspective of a different character. From the first chapter with this other character it’s easy to understand what’s going on and, from that point, make a good guess about the shape of the rest of the story. Especially since his story begins a few weeks in the past compared to the other chapters. When there are only two character perspectives, you know that their two stories are intertwined in some way and there are usually only so many ways to put the two pieces together so it makes the story more predictable. I think, when it comes to perspectives, I prefer either a single perspective or else a whole bunch of perspectives.
In this book, Eden isn’t working alone as much as she was in the first book. She has some friends her age, although I certainly have no idea where she found them since she didn’t seem to have any long-term friends at all in the previous book, she doesn’t go to school, she doesn’t have a job, and these mysterious friends don’t seem to live near her. All Eden seems to do when she’s not hanging out with ghosts is hang out in coffee shops and diners. I guess maybe she met them there, or else she knew them from her school years. This is the one thing that’s still really annoying me about the series – Eden is a likeable character, and her personality is very clear and distinct, but there are some gaping holes in terms of what her life is like beyond the main events of the stories being told.
So, with those complaints, I don’t think I can justify giving this more than 3.5 stars on the sites where I can do so. On Goodreads, I’ll be generous and round up to 4 stars because I did enjoy the story a good bit more than I enjoy a typical 3-star book. I liked this book enough that I plan to continue on to the third and final book in the series.
I enjoyed this book, but I liked it a bit less than the first book in the series. This story was more straight-forward than the first one and it was pretty easy to guess the answers to the main questions from early on. I missed the suspense from the first book that propelled me through it almost against my will in search of the answers to all my questions. Also, even though the first book wasn’t terribly creepy, it was definitely creepier than this one and I missed that creepier atmosphere. Despite all this, the book was still well-written and interesting. I still had some trouble putting it down because I was interested in the story even if I did always feel like I knew what was going to happen next.
As with the first book, the story is told from the first-person perspective of our main character, Eden. However, unlike the first book, there are a few chapters where we read from the third-person perspective of a different character. From the first chapter with this other character it’s easy to understand what’s going on and, from that point, make a good guess about the shape of the rest of the story. Especially since his story begins a few weeks in the past compared to the other chapters. When there are only two character perspectives, you know that their two stories are intertwined in some way and there are usually only so many ways to put the two pieces together so it makes the story more predictable. I think, when it comes to perspectives, I prefer either a single perspective or else a whole bunch of perspectives.
In this book, Eden isn’t working alone as much as she was in the first book. She has some friends her age, although I certainly have no idea where she found them since she didn’t seem to have any long-term friends at all in the previous book, she doesn’t go to school, she doesn’t have a job, and these mysterious friends don’t seem to live near her. All Eden seems to do when she’s not hanging out with ghosts is hang out in coffee shops and diners. I guess maybe she met them there, or else she knew them from her school years. This is the one thing that’s still really annoying me about the series – Eden is a likeable character, and her personality is very clear and distinct, but there are some gaping holes in terms of what her life is like beyond the main events of the stories being told.
So, with those complaints, I don’t think I can justify giving this more than 3.5 stars on the sites where I can do so. On Goodreads, I’ll be generous and round up to 4 stars because I did enjoy the story a good bit more than I enjoy a typical 3-star book. I liked this book enough that I plan to continue on to the third and final book in the series.
January 15, 2010
Although it isn't obvious when you pick it up, Wings to the Kingdom is the second book in a series about Eden Moore, a twenty-something resident of Chattanooga, TN who has the ability to see and talk to ghosts. Eden is a reluctant medium, but when the ghosts of the soldiers who died at the battle of Chickamauga start appearing and attempting to communicate with the living, she is drawn into the mystery.
I found Wings to be a very uneven book; on one hand, in a refreshing change from most "I see dead people" stories, Eden can't simply close her eyes and contact anyone at will. Instead she compares being asked to contact a particular individual with trying to find a living person without any idea where to start looking: "...imagine...that she could be anywhere at all in the entire world. But wherever she is, there aren't any phones, and no matter how loud I shout, she won't hear me."
On the other hand, Priest leaves huge holes in the story as Eden's past is used to drive the plot but never explained, leaving a reader who hasn't read the previous book stumbling along trying to understand important characters and situations without any guidance. It's never easy to play catch up for readers who haven't read previous books, but choosing not to explain anything while still using past events as the catalyst for new situations is nothing but confusing. And because the lack of backstory isn't offset by any new clarification of Eden's character she remains two-dimensional and flat. Reading Wings will not answer such basic questions about the main character as: 'Why is she so angry all the time?', 'Does she know anyone she isn't secretly annoyed with?', and 'What does she do for a living?'. I was left with nothing but questions about Eden and very little attachment to her as a character.
And, on a picky note, Priest's characters have an annoying habit of using a "lifted nostril" to convey their feelings. Huh, what? The first time I came across the phrase I was distracted and spent several minutes trying to figure out how someone can lift a nostril, let alone do it while "dipping [their:] chin to the left". Eventually I decided it was a typo and instead of "nostril" it should have read "eyebrow". Unfortunately the phrase comes up again later in the book, indicating that Priest really expects it to convey meaning to the reader. Is it just me, or is it impossible to "lift a nostril"?
As I said, an uneven book but certainly not a bad one. I would definitely pick up another book by Cherie Priest and give her another try.
I found Wings to be a very uneven book; on one hand, in a refreshing change from most "I see dead people" stories, Eden can't simply close her eyes and contact anyone at will. Instead she compares being asked to contact a particular individual with trying to find a living person without any idea where to start looking: "...imagine...that she could be anywhere at all in the entire world. But wherever she is, there aren't any phones, and no matter how loud I shout, she won't hear me."
On the other hand, Priest leaves huge holes in the story as Eden's past is used to drive the plot but never explained, leaving a reader who hasn't read the previous book stumbling along trying to understand important characters and situations without any guidance. It's never easy to play catch up for readers who haven't read previous books, but choosing not to explain anything while still using past events as the catalyst for new situations is nothing but confusing. And because the lack of backstory isn't offset by any new clarification of Eden's character she remains two-dimensional and flat. Reading Wings will not answer such basic questions about the main character as: 'Why is she so angry all the time?', 'Does she know anyone she isn't secretly annoyed with?', and 'What does she do for a living?'. I was left with nothing but questions about Eden and very little attachment to her as a character.
And, on a picky note, Priest's characters have an annoying habit of using a "lifted nostril" to convey their feelings. Huh, what? The first time I came across the phrase I was distracted and spent several minutes trying to figure out how someone can lift a nostril, let alone do it while "dipping [their:] chin to the left". Eventually I decided it was a typo and instead of "nostril" it should have read "eyebrow". Unfortunately the phrase comes up again later in the book, indicating that Priest really expects it to convey meaning to the reader. Is it just me, or is it impossible to "lift a nostril"?
As I said, an uneven book but certainly not a bad one. I would definitely pick up another book by Cherie Priest and give her another try.
January 8, 2015
Preety good follow up to the series.
I still like Eden with all her brazen, free spirited, independent attitude. But Benny is right, it's easier to be like that when you have a trustfund and VERY supportive relatives. The rest of us mortals with no supernatural powers will have to struggle a bit more. Such is life.
The bit where they wanted to prove that the missing kid was Boydon(Boyton?) last living relative was a bit dumb. They thought of every idiot plan except a good old fashioned genalogy tree investigation....which is wierd because the author actually talks about that method earlier in the book. It also made Dana/Eden look more stupid than I believed they were.
Poor Trypp and the unnamed crew guy...stupid, stupid, stupid Peter. Why is it that Peter seems to be a name for "stupid" this days? Maybe it's just me.
Malachai is a bit more interesting this time around. Even if he still seems as dumb as doornail, but on the other hand, being inbred and abused throughout his entire live could have not helped either. The point is, I was more sympathetic towards the fellow this time around. I actually wish he will feature more in the next installment. Which I started today, but have not read enough yet.
I also liked Kitty. Like Malachai, I hope we will see her next time.
What else?.. Eden should be more understanding of people leaving Chattanooga. She is the first to tell us how stagnant that place is. No social or economic evolution in sight for a couple of decades, a crap ton of rednecks and ignorant folks. I'm guessing that for your standart artsy type it would be hell. If you live somewhere like that I don't see the harm in seeing the world for a couple of years before coming back home to live out your days. She should understand that's all.
All in all it's worth it to loose a couple of hours and get to know Eden and her world. Priest does not disappoint in this urban fantasy/southern gothic/ghost story mix.
I still like Eden with all her brazen, free spirited, independent attitude. But Benny is right, it's easier to be like that when you have a trustfund and VERY supportive relatives. The rest of us mortals with no supernatural powers will have to struggle a bit more. Such is life.
The bit where they wanted to prove that the missing kid was Boydon(Boyton?) last living relative was a bit dumb. They thought of every idiot plan except a good old fashioned genalogy tree investigation....which is wierd because the author actually talks about that method earlier in the book. It also made Dana/Eden look more stupid than I believed they were.
Poor Trypp and the unnamed crew guy...stupid, stupid, stupid Peter. Why is it that Peter seems to be a name for "stupid" this days? Maybe it's just me.
Malachai is a bit more interesting this time around. Even if he still seems as dumb as doornail, but on the other hand, being inbred and abused throughout his entire live could have not helped either. The point is, I was more sympathetic towards the fellow this time around. I actually wish he will feature more in the next installment. Which I started today, but have not read enough yet.
I also liked Kitty. Like Malachai, I hope we will see her next time.
What else?.. Eden should be more understanding of people leaving Chattanooga. She is the first to tell us how stagnant that place is. No social or economic evolution in sight for a couple of decades, a crap ton of rednecks and ignorant folks. I'm guessing that for your standart artsy type it would be hell. If you live somewhere like that I don't see the harm in seeing the world for a couple of years before coming back home to live out your days. She should understand that's all.
All in all it's worth it to loose a couple of hours and get to know Eden and her world. Priest does not disappoint in this urban fantasy/southern gothic/ghost story mix.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2010
These books are great. Great, kick-ass heroine. Spooky plot. Creepy covers. Nice action. Mysteries to be solved. Quirky side characters.
Had to travel to northern Georgia recently and detoured to Chattanooga specifically to pick up Cherie Priest's vibe. Very cool.
Love it, love it, love it.
Had to travel to northern Georgia recently and detoured to Chattanooga specifically to pick up Cherie Priest's vibe. Very cool.
Love it, love it, love it.
February 14, 2015
I really really had big hopes that this would redeem the first book. I was wrong. I will read the third and final book because I have it checked out. But this series could have been sooooooo much more. I hate when that happens.
March 20, 2020
There's a big jump in quality between Four and Twenty Blackbirds and Wings to the Kingdom. That's not to say FaTB is bad; it had its foibles, but it was still a solid read with relatable characters. It's easy to chalk those issues up to being a first novel, because with WttK, the dialogue feels more natural, and the plot feels bigger, both in complexity and meaning. (Which is not to say WttK has a Song of Ice and Fire-level complexity to it; it just has more going on, and it's more compelling.) You don't usually see that much growth from one novel to the next, but Priest nails it with this novel.
What I've liked most about Priest's books is how easy it is to get caught up in the story, and how difficult it can be to put one down once you get started. I chalk it up to her easy way of developing her characters, and her deft skills with pacing. I also like how she created Chattanooga. I've never lived there, but I've visited a few times, and passed through it too many times to count, and I recognized a lot of the setting. There's a feel to the city that Priest captures here, and while I can't speak to its accuracy, I can say that it feels genuine.
What I've liked most about Priest's books is how easy it is to get caught up in the story, and how difficult it can be to put one down once you get started. I chalk it up to her easy way of developing her characters, and her deft skills with pacing. I also like how she created Chattanooga. I've never lived there, but I've visited a few times, and passed through it too many times to count, and I recognized a lot of the setting. There's a feel to the city that Priest captures here, and while I can't speak to its accuracy, I can say that it feels genuine.
July 5, 2019
Very interesting book. Haven't read the first in series with Eden Moore, but this one caught my eye for the combination of paranormal and Civil War. Eden and friends Benny and Jaime encounter the legendary "Old Green Eyes" who's said to appear on the battlefield at Chickamauga. The only thing is that he isn't where he is supposed to be. The ghosts on the battlefield are up and active because he has abandoned his post. Eden and the others get involved trying to determine why. In the meantime, someone more dangerous is on the field at night and doesn't want Old Green Eyes to return. Eden and the others work with Dana Marshall to figure out what is going on and how to put things right. I really enjoyed this book and will probably pick up some others in the series, as the characters were quite likeable.
January 17, 2021
Cherie Priest has improved a lot as an author of mystery thrillers in this book, compared to the first. While the mystery of the plot had, at times, predictable outcomes, this narrative chased my adrenaline far more than Four and Twenty Blackbirds did. It can definitely be accused of being little more than a simple ghost story, but the author's mastery of figurative language and candid storytelling make it an engaging and enjoyable read for lovers of simple ghost stories.
June 15, 2017
The writing is servicable, tells the story without getting in the way. The characters are ...different in a pleasant way and the setting is one that I am not familiar with, which I enjoyed. Not great literature, but definitely worth reading for those interested in the South and like a book with a light horror, jus creepy enough but not gross, aspect to it.
June 23, 2017
The story takes place in Chickamaunga, Georgia, on a Civil War battlefield
Some of the story is told from the first person perspective of Eden Moore,
a bi-racial medium.
Priest references the horror movie: "The Blair Witch Project," within the story line.
Some of the story is told from the first person perspective of Eden Moore,
a bi-racial medium.
Priest references the horror movie: "The Blair Witch Project," within the story line.
May 20, 2018
A definite step up from the first Eden Moore book, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, which suffered a bit from confusing genealogy and time-shifting characters. Wings to the Kingdom is more straighforward and an enjoyable read.
September 4, 2022
Cherie Priest is one of my favorite authors and she didn't disappoint with Wings to the Kingdom. The story kept me interested from the start. Ghosts from the Civil War, a local legend, murders, and Eden Moore. What more could I ask for?
June 21, 2017
Didn't bother to finish
April 2, 2018
Lots of crazy in here and also lots of fun.
May 20, 2018
This author tells an excellent ghost story. This one having to do with ghosts from Civil War battlefield.
July 1, 2018
Occasionally slow and over-detailed, but overall a good ghost story.
July 6, 2018
I liked this much better than the first of this series, but it is necessary to read "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" to understand the references in this novel.
August 3, 2018
Not one of the best books I've ever read. Could't connect to the main character at all, or get much of a sense of her. Some of the secondary characters were better developed. Story was just ok.
July 7, 2019
This one didn't feel quite as dark as the first to me and while I enjoyed it I did think the first was better.
July 15, 2019
A great read! Not as good as the first book but a great story just the same.
August 23, 2020
I couldn’t put this down!
The story grabbed me from the first page and kept it up all through the book! Suspenseful and well written, I’ve got to freak the next Eden Moore book.
The story grabbed me from the first page and kept it up all through the book! Suspenseful and well written, I’ve got to freak the next Eden Moore book.
April 27, 2021
Incredible ghost story, read it years ago and tried to push it onto my friends.
September 14, 2025
Somehow the second book was way better than the first. I really liked the support characters and some parts gave me chills.
Easy read with an uncomplicated plot and witty writing.
Easy read with an uncomplicated plot and witty writing.
October 9, 2025
loved it! Now on to the next one!
November 19, 2023
Definitely liked this one WAY more than the first, I think largely because the exposition wasn’t dragging the story down. We just jump in to ghost hunting with Eden and the gang and I love it.
November 3, 2007
As someone with a BA in lit and as someone from Kentucky, I found the book alluring- both in a literary and Southern gothic sense. It didn't hurt that another book of hers received rave reviews in the Baltimore City Paper.
However, the review doesn't do her justice. Priest does an amazing job of setting the scene and mood, her tools for pulling you into the story. Her sense of imagery is amazingly compelling, and so in terms of "fear factor," I have to put it up there with Stoker's Dracula. The way in which Priest describes that famed Chicamauga battlefield, with the fog rolling in, gives old Bram a run for his money in describing the final resting place of Lucy Westenra. It was this skill at imagery, as well as at storytelling, that fully lured me into the folds of her novel. I confess, unfortunately, that it has been a very long time since I have engorged a novel this way. I finished it in little under a week. Given my busy schedule, that's quite a feat, but I did so without any feelings of "I owe it to author to see how this ends." Instead, I was of the mind that I had to find out how in the hell it ends for my own sanity. The storyline is a bit of a detective tale, as well, something that very rarely captivates me, but Wings certaintly avoided this by never reading like a detective story, at least in that classical definition. Not to begrudge detective novels, they just aren't my thing.
Her characterization of Southern life and people is funny but without being offensive. There's no stereotypes here that she doesn't get away with, even if it's the crusty, dry bitch Dana telling Eden, and I paraphrase, that if you're going to say something about how Southerners are related, they're just jokes in North Carolina. Dana, ah yes, she was probably my favorite character. She hails from the Carolinas but speaks and holds herself like a Northeasterner, from her gulping of coffee by the gallons to dressing in a black. The other thing I enjoy is that Priest leaves some descriptive details to the imagination, and so you can freely associate this character with being a New Yorker, even though she's clearly from NC. I often envisioned her as a crustier, unemotional version of an embittered Kathy Bates character. I offer up, as another example, Priest's descriptions of Jamie, a character who, from the start, I stereotyped as homosexual, something that Eden later discloses about him in a poignant perhaps -he's-gay-but-doesn't-know-it-way, or maybe he just likes the gay attention. Yet, when she describes and explains his dates with various women or constant flirting with the ladies, it's completely viable. Both theories do not seem to clash, and you don't even ponder why. She totally pulls it off and totally pulls you in and makes everything, even the ghosts and the green-eyed sentry, seem believable.
Unfortunately, I wish I liked the main character more. To me, she came across as too much of a canned Goth lesbian character from the more recent horror films, and she's not even, as far as I know, a lesbian. She was probably the character I was least interested in and she came across as rather flat throughout most of the novel. That being said, there was some interest. If not, then I wouldn't have this urge to read Priest's first Eden novel, as well as the follow ups. I find myself questioning the character, but since I this is my first novel, I am bit behind in my understanding.
I am intrigued and willing to be taken further into Priest and Eden's world. Who knows, maybe I'll develop an interest in Eden. Even if I don't, I think I'll enjoy the supernatural ride.
However, the review doesn't do her justice. Priest does an amazing job of setting the scene and mood, her tools for pulling you into the story. Her sense of imagery is amazingly compelling, and so in terms of "fear factor," I have to put it up there with Stoker's Dracula. The way in which Priest describes that famed Chicamauga battlefield, with the fog rolling in, gives old Bram a run for his money in describing the final resting place of Lucy Westenra. It was this skill at imagery, as well as at storytelling, that fully lured me into the folds of her novel. I confess, unfortunately, that it has been a very long time since I have engorged a novel this way. I finished it in little under a week. Given my busy schedule, that's quite a feat, but I did so without any feelings of "I owe it to author to see how this ends." Instead, I was of the mind that I had to find out how in the hell it ends for my own sanity. The storyline is a bit of a detective tale, as well, something that very rarely captivates me, but Wings certaintly avoided this by never reading like a detective story, at least in that classical definition. Not to begrudge detective novels, they just aren't my thing.
Her characterization of Southern life and people is funny but without being offensive. There's no stereotypes here that she doesn't get away with, even if it's the crusty, dry bitch Dana telling Eden, and I paraphrase, that if you're going to say something about how Southerners are related, they're just jokes in North Carolina. Dana, ah yes, she was probably my favorite character. She hails from the Carolinas but speaks and holds herself like a Northeasterner, from her gulping of coffee by the gallons to dressing in a black. The other thing I enjoy is that Priest leaves some descriptive details to the imagination, and so you can freely associate this character with being a New Yorker, even though she's clearly from NC. I often envisioned her as a crustier, unemotional version of an embittered Kathy Bates character. I offer up, as another example, Priest's descriptions of Jamie, a character who, from the start, I stereotyped as homosexual, something that Eden later discloses about him in a poignant perhaps -he's-gay-but-doesn't-know-it-way, or maybe he just likes the gay attention. Yet, when she describes and explains his dates with various women or constant flirting with the ladies, it's completely viable. Both theories do not seem to clash, and you don't even ponder why. She totally pulls it off and totally pulls you in and makes everything, even the ghosts and the green-eyed sentry, seem believable.
Unfortunately, I wish I liked the main character more. To me, she came across as too much of a canned Goth lesbian character from the more recent horror films, and she's not even, as far as I know, a lesbian. She was probably the character I was least interested in and she came across as rather flat throughout most of the novel. That being said, there was some interest. If not, then I wouldn't have this urge to read Priest's first Eden novel, as well as the follow ups. I find myself questioning the character, but since I this is my first novel, I am bit behind in my understanding.
I am intrigued and willing to be taken further into Priest and Eden's world. Who knows, maybe I'll develop an interest in Eden. Even if I don't, I think I'll enjoy the supernatural ride.
July 22, 2008
Wings to the Kingdom, the second Eden Moore book by Cherie Priest, is a somewhat lighter-hearted read than its predecessor Four and Twenty Blackbirds. The grimness of the plot of the first book is resolved somewhat as Eden begins to make peace with those events; moreover, since her credentials as one who sees and interacts with ghosts have been established for the reader, more room is left to devote to the plot.
Which is, in this case, Eden's investigation of why ghosts are appearing en masse on a local battlefield, and what's happened to the entity said in local legend to be their guardian. Joining her in her endeavor are two of her friends as well as celebrity investigators of the paranormal--who, as far as Eden is concerned, may or may not be legit. There's just enough followup with the previous plot to show that not only is it having an impact on Eden's relatives, but also that it's bolstered her reputation in the area, and in ways she doesn't particularly like.
The one quibble I have with the story is the time-displaced chapters from the point of view of the mortal antagonist who sets the plot into motion. We don't see him come in until several chapters into the book--and then, we jump back "seven weeks earlier" to see his events. Which didn't quite click for me. I'd have preferred to just tell the story from both his point of view and Eden's linearly in time.
But that's only a minor quibble. All in all the tale is very solid, and I'll much look forward to reading the third book. Three and a half stars.
Which is, in this case, Eden's investigation of why ghosts are appearing en masse on a local battlefield, and what's happened to the entity said in local legend to be their guardian. Joining her in her endeavor are two of her friends as well as celebrity investigators of the paranormal--who, as far as Eden is concerned, may or may not be legit. There's just enough followup with the previous plot to show that not only is it having an impact on Eden's relatives, but also that it's bolstered her reputation in the area, and in ways she doesn't particularly like.
The one quibble I have with the story is the time-displaced chapters from the point of view of the mortal antagonist who sets the plot into motion. We don't see him come in until several chapters into the book--and then, we jump back "seven weeks earlier" to see his events. Which didn't quite click for me. I'd have preferred to just tell the story from both his point of view and Eden's linearly in time.
But that's only a minor quibble. All in all the tale is very solid, and I'll much look forward to reading the third book. Three and a half stars.
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