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The Brenda and Effie Mysteries #6
Brenda and Effie Forever
'Brenda and Effie Forever!’ is an outrageous Gothic adventure involving ancient vampires, miniature mermaids, the Phantom of the Opera and his hunchbacked boyfriend, a fiendish ghost who drives a limousine, Mr and Mrs Claus and all three Bronte sisters discovered alive and well in a secret base under the parsonage at Haworth with a sentient, stuffed Art Critic called Panda.
Brenda and Effie are living it up on the continent. Holidaying in Paris, they are menaced by a mysterious Peeping Tom with a limp and a hump, who warns them that they must never return home to Whitby again. Untold disaster will take over the world if they go anywhere near the North Yorkshire coast…
But Brenda and Effie know that they simply have to return to Whitby, even if it means the end of everything they hold dear.
Brenda owns a Guest House by the sea and her best friend Effie runs the junk shop next door. But together they have another role as the guardians of Whitby against the vampires, daemons and creatures of the night that continually plague the quaint but terrifying town. Together Brenda and Effie must face the most startling dangers ever as they are engulfed by hideous secrets from their long-hidden pasts.
Can our heroines survive all these fiendish shenanigans and live to fight the powers of darkness another day?
Brenda and Effie are living it up on the continent. Holidaying in Paris, they are menaced by a mysterious Peeping Tom with a limp and a hump, who warns them that they must never return home to Whitby again. Untold disaster will take over the world if they go anywhere near the North Yorkshire coast…
But Brenda and Effie know that they simply have to return to Whitby, even if it means the end of everything they hold dear.
Brenda owns a Guest House by the sea and her best friend Effie runs the junk shop next door. But together they have another role as the guardians of Whitby against the vampires, daemons and creatures of the night that continually plague the quaint but terrifying town. Together Brenda and Effie must face the most startling dangers ever as they are engulfed by hideous secrets from their long-hidden pasts.
Can our heroines survive all these fiendish shenanigans and live to fight the powers of darkness another day?
428 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
9 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 11, 2017
Brenda and Effie Forever, is described on the cover as being "... an outrageous Gothic adventure..." a good look at the description plus a quick riffle through the pages indicated that the writing is lush and literate, the characters light and humorous while engaging in an adventure that, most engagingly, never takes itself seriously at all. The writing style takes itself so very lightly that I was occasionally reminded of some of the better steampunk, where no attempt is ever made to explain things, because it is happening for the fun of it, not out of any desire to make the world-building realistic.
The characters and the adventures make for a very fun read, it is creative and hilarious seeing vampires and the supernatural treated so very tongue in cheek.
Why only three stars? Sorry, I know it deserves more, it really does.
A couple of small faults (like the erratic world-building), are not really an issue. The writing style, taking Baroque to an extreme sport level, also not an issue. The style is best suited to slower readers I believe, at a few chapters a day it would have been perfect, but I finished it in a day and the style was wearing a bit thin by the end.
No, my real problem with it is not the book's fault nor the author's. My problem was the damned publishing company, who were so utterly incompetent and unworthy of their salary, that they never posted any warning, of any sort, anywhere on the cover that this was not a standalone book.
Not only is it not a standalone, it is apparently (see GoodReads knows this) the FINAL one in the six novel series!
Honestly, I hope there is a special circle of hell reserved for incompetent publishers who do this sort of thing. By page 70 I was suspecting there had been previous books but by then I was committed, I liked it, I did not want to put it down. But throughout the story, especially once Brenda and Effie got home, it was more and more clear that all the characters had been thoroughly introduced in the past. There were constant references to previous novels and however well done this was (and it was, very well done!) neither the narrative nor the author were completely able to compensate for the poor reader not having a clue about five previous books.
So, may the publishers and cover designers of Snowbooks rot, or be fired, or both.
Great book. I hope one day forgetfulness will set in enough that I can read all five, sequentially, without remembering the ending of Brenda and Effie.
The characters and the adventures make for a very fun read, it is creative and hilarious seeing vampires and the supernatural treated so very tongue in cheek.
Why only three stars? Sorry, I know it deserves more, it really does.
A couple of small faults (like the erratic world-building), are not really an issue. The writing style, taking Baroque to an extreme sport level, also not an issue. The style is best suited to slower readers I believe, at a few chapters a day it would have been perfect, but I finished it in a day and the style was wearing a bit thin by the end.
No, my real problem with it is not the book's fault nor the author's. My problem was the damned publishing company, who were so utterly incompetent and unworthy of their salary, that they never posted any warning, of any sort, anywhere on the cover that this was not a standalone book.
Not only is it not a standalone, it is apparently (see GoodReads knows this) the FINAL one in the six novel series!
Honestly, I hope there is a special circle of hell reserved for incompetent publishers who do this sort of thing. By page 70 I was suspecting there had been previous books but by then I was committed, I liked it, I did not want to put it down. But throughout the story, especially once Brenda and Effie got home, it was more and more clear that all the characters had been thoroughly introduced in the past. There were constant references to previous novels and however well done this was (and it was, very well done!) neither the narrative nor the author were completely able to compensate for the poor reader not having a clue about five previous books.
So, may the publishers and cover designers of Snowbooks rot, or be fired, or both.
Great book. I hope one day forgetfulness will set in enough that I can read all five, sequentially, without remembering the ending of Brenda and Effie.
March 11, 2015
Brenda and Effie are taking in the sights on the continent. Of course the sights happen to consist of an odd man obsessed with Opera and a hunchback giving them dire warnings. It wouldn't be a true holiday without something weird coming along and reminding them of their true calling as defenders of Whitby. Even if the hunchback is telling them to never return there. His insistence spurs them homeward where once again they will face their foes and keep the seaside city safe for another day. But there's a dark secret in Effie's past lurking beneath the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth that might destroy everything. There's also a Panda there too, he wouldn't want to be forgotten. Again. This will be their deadliest battle with revelations and danger, and hopefully a nice cup of spicy tea.
I love Paul's books. There's something about reading them that makes you feel like you're home. When I think of a happy place while stuck in the mundanities of real life I think of Brenda's little jewel box of a room at the top of her B and B. But what strikes me most about Paul's books is that he has a looseness to his worldbuilding. Things change, facts get a little distorted, the story of the moment is more pressing then the story that came before. While I am usually a stickler for a rigid adherence to plots and facts, there's something about Brenda and Effie that make this work. Brenda's inability to remember her past in anything other then bits and pieces might be one reason why this works, but I think the truth is far more complex and human.
The truth is that we, as people, aren't the best at remembering things as they happened. We change facts to fit our memories. We remember what is convenient. Of course we also remember in excruciating detail that which we would care to forget. Minds, always playing tricks on us, making what we thought concrete nothing more then daydreams. Brains are fickle, so why can't narratives of books be fickle as well? Stick to the general plot, keep some through lines, but don't worry about what came before or what will come after, just enjoy the ride.
This fluidity to his world has allowed Paul to make a greater universe that his characters inhabit. I love that people drift in and out from one book to the next, and not even within the same series, but within Paul's whole oeuvre. It's like that scene in one of the later Jasper Fforde Thursday Next books where Temperance Brennan wanders out of Kathy Reichs's books and right into his. But while the characters come and go they are never exactly the same. It's almost as if Paul has not only created this huge interconnected world, but also all these parallel interconnected universes where everything connects but it's always just slightly different. Just look to the Danbys... In Brenda and Effie Forever one of my most favorite characters from Paul's universes pays us a visit. Yes, I'm talking about Panda. I adore Panda. There's something so wonderful about this gruff little guy that I think he should just be everywhere.
Yet, despite Panda trying his hardest, the Brontes stole the show. Just the conceit that the Brontes aren't dead but are living in a secret base underneath Haworth? I can't stop laughing at this idea. The idea that they ran an unholy school set by fairy standards (a year and a day), seriously, this is brilliant. Oh, and sacrifices to the Brontes! How can this get better? How about add to that the "Charlotte's Angels" aspect that they were training up girls, including Effie, to be witches on the side of good. AND they were basically training Effie for the time she'd meet Brenda and have to kill her! So not only do we get this amazing humor, we get an answer to why, despite Brenda and Effie being the best of friends, there has always been an underlying tension. It wasn't because of men getting in their way or magic improperly used, it was their destiny to be adversaries, and I adore that instead of following their destinies they have both bucked them. They have decided to be what they want to be NOT what others wanted them to be. Isn't that the best message of all?
For a "final" chapter in their stories despite the amorphous nature of details between books we get several loose ends tied up. Mrs. Claus, Frank, a certain limo... we get an ending. But the truth is I don't want an ending. I am here to scream "MORE" like a petulant little five year old or a drunk Panda at a bar! I could read endless pages and pages of the gang just sitting in Brenda's garret drinking tea. There's rarely books out that revel in good people having a good time. Think of all the negativity being produced on pages and pages of books. I read to escape, to be taken on a ride, and as Brenda and Effie Thelma and Louise it out into the sunset, I want to reiterate how much I've enjoyed the ride.
I love Paul's books. There's something about reading them that makes you feel like you're home. When I think of a happy place while stuck in the mundanities of real life I think of Brenda's little jewel box of a room at the top of her B and B. But what strikes me most about Paul's books is that he has a looseness to his worldbuilding. Things change, facts get a little distorted, the story of the moment is more pressing then the story that came before. While I am usually a stickler for a rigid adherence to plots and facts, there's something about Brenda and Effie that make this work. Brenda's inability to remember her past in anything other then bits and pieces might be one reason why this works, but I think the truth is far more complex and human.
The truth is that we, as people, aren't the best at remembering things as they happened. We change facts to fit our memories. We remember what is convenient. Of course we also remember in excruciating detail that which we would care to forget. Minds, always playing tricks on us, making what we thought concrete nothing more then daydreams. Brains are fickle, so why can't narratives of books be fickle as well? Stick to the general plot, keep some through lines, but don't worry about what came before or what will come after, just enjoy the ride.
This fluidity to his world has allowed Paul to make a greater universe that his characters inhabit. I love that people drift in and out from one book to the next, and not even within the same series, but within Paul's whole oeuvre. It's like that scene in one of the later Jasper Fforde Thursday Next books where Temperance Brennan wanders out of Kathy Reichs's books and right into his. But while the characters come and go they are never exactly the same. It's almost as if Paul has not only created this huge interconnected world, but also all these parallel interconnected universes where everything connects but it's always just slightly different. Just look to the Danbys... In Brenda and Effie Forever one of my most favorite characters from Paul's universes pays us a visit. Yes, I'm talking about Panda. I adore Panda. There's something so wonderful about this gruff little guy that I think he should just be everywhere.
Yet, despite Panda trying his hardest, the Brontes stole the show. Just the conceit that the Brontes aren't dead but are living in a secret base underneath Haworth? I can't stop laughing at this idea. The idea that they ran an unholy school set by fairy standards (a year and a day), seriously, this is brilliant. Oh, and sacrifices to the Brontes! How can this get better? How about add to that the "Charlotte's Angels" aspect that they were training up girls, including Effie, to be witches on the side of good. AND they were basically training Effie for the time she'd meet Brenda and have to kill her! So not only do we get this amazing humor, we get an answer to why, despite Brenda and Effie being the best of friends, there has always been an underlying tension. It wasn't because of men getting in their way or magic improperly used, it was their destiny to be adversaries, and I adore that instead of following their destinies they have both bucked them. They have decided to be what they want to be NOT what others wanted them to be. Isn't that the best message of all?
For a "final" chapter in their stories despite the amorphous nature of details between books we get several loose ends tied up. Mrs. Claus, Frank, a certain limo... we get an ending. But the truth is I don't want an ending. I am here to scream "MORE" like a petulant little five year old or a drunk Panda at a bar! I could read endless pages and pages of the gang just sitting in Brenda's garret drinking tea. There's rarely books out that revel in good people having a good time. Think of all the negativity being produced on pages and pages of books. I read to escape, to be taken on a ride, and as Brenda and Effie Thelma and Louise it out into the sunset, I want to reiterate how much I've enjoyed the ride.
February 12, 2013
After a brief stop in Paris, Effie and Brenda head back to Whitby, home of all things gothic. Would love to go there for the day and find out if Cod Almighty exists.
More madcap adventures with the bride of Frankenstein, a witch, the lizard man and the rest. There's also the limbosine, not the sort of car you want to take for a spin.
More madcap adventures with the bride of Frankenstein, a witch, the lizard man and the rest. There's also the limbosine, not the sort of car you want to take for a spin.
June 13, 2018
Brenda and Effie are two old ladies living in Whitby. There is more to these women than meets the eye, Effie is a powerful witch and Brenda is, in fact, the Bride of Frankenstein. Their job is to protect the town from the various monsters that are drawn to the town by the gates of hell which is under the Abbey.
In this adventure, the spirits of the Bronte Sisters, witches who have been taking and training up young girls from Haworth, take Effie (their star pupil) and set her against Brenda. Will she be able to over-ride the will of the sisters for the sake of her best friend?
Great fun, as always.
In this adventure, the spirits of the Bronte Sisters, witches who have been taking and training up young girls from Haworth, take Effie (their star pupil) and set her against Brenda. Will she be able to over-ride the will of the sisters for the sake of her best friend?
Great fun, as always.
October 14, 2019
These Brenda & Effie books are always good for some easy no brainer reading fun. This one is as enjoyable as the others but I’m never exactly gripped to a degree of desperately needing to read more. It is well written but above all it’s quirky and filled with unexpected events, which I guess is fair enough when the central character is the bride of Frankenstein.
January 29, 2018
Maybe it is because I did not start with the first book in the series, but this did not click with me. The Brenda and Effie dynamic is the heart of this book, but the plot is rambling and wandering, just as most characters, including Effie for the second half of the book.
May 27, 2018
Great stuff
I adore Brenda and Effie and have followed their adventures since the beginning although I don't get to read as much as I used to so am late to the party with this one. A great addition to the series.
I adore Brenda and Effie and have followed their adventures since the beginning although I don't get to read as much as I used to so am late to the party with this one. A great addition to the series.
December 13, 2021
This was the most exciting Brenda and Effie installment yet! And what an ending! Looking forward to the next book which is the last one thus far.
September 29, 2013
This is the latest in a series about Brenda, who happens to be the Bride of Frankenstein, running a B&B in Whitby and, with her best friend, the witch Effrygia, protecting the world from creatures that are drawn to, or try to escape from, the hellmouth under Whitby Abbey. Really, don't start here - it makes so much more sense if you read from the beginning of the series, and I've managed to miss one or two before this book. He seems to have changed publisher, so the list at the front of the book gives multiple editions of this work, but none of the preceeding titles, and I spotted it in the library without realising I'd had a gap! There were quite a lot of references to recent events that I just didn't get. However, to tempt you to give the series a try, here's the first paragraph from the blurb: "an outrageous Gothic adventure involving ancient vampires, miniature mermaids, the Phantom of the Opera and his hunchbacked boyfriend, a fiendish ghost who drives a limousine, Mr and Mrs Claus and all three Bronte sisters discovered alive and well in a secret base under the parsonage at Howarth with a sentient, stuffed Art Critic called Panda." A fun series and each book is so twisty that I defy anyone to actually guess what's going to happen next!
November 7, 2013
I've been saving this last book in Paul Magrs' 'Brenda and Effie' series for a while now, but decided it was time to finally finish what has been a very enjoyable series. The tale picks up some time after the end of Magrs' previous book in the series, seeing Brenda and her best friend Effie holidaying across the continent - meeting strange and curious creatures along the way. Eventually they end up back on home turf, among the dark and brooding streets of Whitby, and have to face what may be their toughest challenges yet.
I have to admit I did get a bit confused and forgetful about what had happened previously in the series, with several characters cropping up who I only vaguely remembered, not being able to recall their story/origins etc. For newcomers to the series, this is probably not the best book to start with, as it does assume a large extent of previous knowledge regarding characters and plots, but for long-time fans it will definitely not disappoint. I only wish Magrs would change his mind and continue writing more of these books for years to come!
I have to admit I did get a bit confused and forgetful about what had happened previously in the series, with several characters cropping up who I only vaguely remembered, not being able to recall their story/origins etc. For newcomers to the series, this is probably not the best book to start with, as it does assume a large extent of previous knowledge regarding characters and plots, but for long-time fans it will definitely not disappoint. I only wish Magrs would change his mind and continue writing more of these books for years to come!
July 10, 2014
Brenda and Effie are living it up on the continent. Holidaying in Paris, they are menaced by a mysterious Peeping Tom with a limp and a hump, who warns them that they must never return home to Whitby again. Untold disaster will take over the world if they go anywhere near the North Yorkshire coast…
But Brenda and Effie know that they simply have to return to Whitby, even if it means the end of everything they hold dear.
Brenda owns a Guest House by the sea and her best friend Effie runs the junk shop next door. But together they have another role as the guardians of Whitby against the vampires, daemons and creatures of the night that continually plague the quaint but terrifying town. Together Brenda and Effie must face the most startling dangers ever as they are engulfed by hideous secrets from their long-hidden pasts.
Can our heroines survive all these fiendish shenanigans and live to fight the powers of darkness another day?
But Brenda and Effie know that they simply have to return to Whitby, even if it means the end of everything they hold dear.
Brenda owns a Guest House by the sea and her best friend Effie runs the junk shop next door. But together they have another role as the guardians of Whitby against the vampires, daemons and creatures of the night that continually plague the quaint but terrifying town. Together Brenda and Effie must face the most startling dangers ever as they are engulfed by hideous secrets from their long-hidden pasts.
Can our heroines survive all these fiendish shenanigans and live to fight the powers of darkness another day?
October 31, 2012
Strong latest instalment for Whitby's favourite lady adventurers
This book is a warm hearted celebration of Brenda and Effie's stories. It's not a jumping on point for the series - if you're new to Brenda and Effie go back to the earlier books, preferably from the very beginning, to get the most out of them. This book is most effective when you are familiar with their past adventures.
There's a sense of doom hanging over the whole of this story, and I'm not going to give away the ending here. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens. But it builds a very effective atmosphere as you read.
Look out for some interesting new characters, both friends and foes. And the return of some old favourites.
Thoroughly recommended to all fans of the gothic and macabre. But enjoy the series from the very beginning.
And I really must visit Whitby some day ...
This book is a warm hearted celebration of Brenda and Effie's stories. It's not a jumping on point for the series - if you're new to Brenda and Effie go back to the earlier books, preferably from the very beginning, to get the most out of them. This book is most effective when you are familiar with their past adventures.
There's a sense of doom hanging over the whole of this story, and I'm not going to give away the ending here. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens. But it builds a very effective atmosphere as you read.
Look out for some interesting new characters, both friends and foes. And the return of some old favourites.
Thoroughly recommended to all fans of the gothic and macabre. But enjoy the series from the very beginning.
And I really must visit Whitby some day ...
April 19, 2013
Brenda and Effie are enjoying a European tour, but they can't get away from supernatural goings-on even in Paris. They return to Whitby with dire warnings ringing in their ears and Effie has a run-in with the infamous limbosine.
Effie's childhood comes back to haunt her culminating in a trip to Haworth for her and Brenda, where the Bronte sisters turn out to be not quite as nice as Brenda would hope.
This adventure sees Brenda in mortal danger (and beyond) and she needs her friends; Effie, Robert, Penny and Gila (plus new friend and guest star Panda) as never before. Especially when some of their old nemeses crawl out of the woodwork...
A bitter-sweet culmination of the adventures of those magical old biddies from Whitby.
Effie's childhood comes back to haunt her culminating in a trip to Haworth for her and Brenda, where the Bronte sisters turn out to be not quite as nice as Brenda would hope.
This adventure sees Brenda in mortal danger (and beyond) and she needs her friends; Effie, Robert, Penny and Gila (plus new friend and guest star Panda) as never before. Especially when some of their old nemeses crawl out of the woodwork...
A bitter-sweet culmination of the adventures of those magical old biddies from Whitby.
November 16, 2012
Another fantastic instalment in the adventures of Brenda &Effie. Perhaps it's only because its so fresh in the mind, but it definitely feels like the best...and somehow...I doubt the last!
Just in case you are reading this and wondering if you should try a 'Brenda & Effie' adventure, make sure you read them in order. This should be read last...
Just in case you are reading this and wondering if you should try a 'Brenda & Effie' adventure, make sure you read them in order. This should be read last...
January 19, 2014
A brilliant ending to a terrific series of books. Brenda and Effie and their gang of young friends have saved the world time after time but fate intervened and the end came. This book was filled with so many surprises from the appearance of Panda (from Magrs' Iris Wildthyme stories) to the demise of beloved characters. It's too bad the journey had to come to an end.
January 4, 2013
I just love the Brenda and Effie books and this book was no let down. Just like all the other books it is full laughs and gothic horror. I love the way that his books deal with friendship and I hope that this is not the last of the Brenda and Effie series.
November 1, 2012
Just wonderful.
January 11, 2013
Possibly the best Brenda and Effie book yet! Love the inclusion of old and new characters. Made me laugh and cry at parts.
January 29, 2014
Am gutted that the Brenda and Effie series is over, however the ending does leave it open for more adventures with our favourite Whitby twosome (please, Mr Magrs?)
February 15, 2015
awesome but a very sad ending
December 9, 2014
If you haven't read these WHY NOT. they are fantastic books ones i would love to read over and over again. Fun and really worth it. campy and ridiculous. these are just excellent
May 8, 2013
The most bizarre book I've ever read! Brilliant!! :D
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April 6, 2017I liked it, but I was disappointed because the end was quite abrupt.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews