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Strands #2
The Mirk and Midnight Hour
A Southern girl. A wounded soldier. A chilling force deep in the forest.
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.”
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.”
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
33 people are currently reading
4668 people want to read
About the author
Jane Nickerson
4 books200 followersFor many years Jane Nickerson and her family lived in a big old house in Aberdeen, Mississippi, where she was also the children’s librarian. She has always loved the South, “the olden days,” gothic tales, houses, kids, writing, and interesting villains. After a few years in Ontario, Canada, Jane and her husband have returned to Mississippi where Jane lives in a little old house and writes, mostly about the old days and the never-were days.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
April 20, 2014
The Mirk and Midnight Hour is blurbed as a retelling of the Scottish ballad of Tam Lin. I have read and loved several versions of Tam Lin (including Jane Yolen's beautifully illustrated retelling), so I am familiar with the story, and I was curious how author Jane Nickerson would translate the ballad to a Civil War setting.
In Nickerson's version, the heroine is seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey. When Violet's father joins the Confederate Army, he leaves her behind in Mississippi to adjust to life with a new stepmother, stepsister, and two cousins she barely knows. I am generally drawn to historical fiction, so I enjoyed the portion of the story dedicated to Violet's life, how she adjusts to the war-induced changes in her life and how she comes to love and care for her cobbled-together family. Her changing views on slavery and her relationship with the family's slaves, if not entirely believable in a historical sense, were at least portrayed with a little more depth and subtlety than in Nickerson's previous novel Strands of Bronze and Gold.
The flaw in this novel, I think, was in trying to force it to be a retelling. Throughout the story, the author borrows very little from the ballad. The dark fairies are introduced but do not seem all that sinister, and Tam Lin himself does not make an appearance until halfway through the story. His relationship with Violet seemed rushed and unrealistic. The author dropped the sexual aspect of the ballad, which I can understand given that she wanted to write a PG-version for young adults, but the story loses that edgier element that could have introduced flaws in both main characters as well as strengthened Violet's motivations, her reasons for wanting to save her lover. The ending solidly parallels the ballad, but by that point, the hoodoo and the supernaturally-charged climax seemed like deus ex machina and strangely out of place. Given the historical setting and the source material, this should have been a five-star book, but the combination of the two ideas just didn't work for me.
In Nickerson's version, the heroine is seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey. When Violet's father joins the Confederate Army, he leaves her behind in Mississippi to adjust to life with a new stepmother, stepsister, and two cousins she barely knows. I am generally drawn to historical fiction, so I enjoyed the portion of the story dedicated to Violet's life, how she adjusts to the war-induced changes in her life and how she comes to love and care for her cobbled-together family. Her changing views on slavery and her relationship with the family's slaves, if not entirely believable in a historical sense, were at least portrayed with a little more depth and subtlety than in Nickerson's previous novel Strands of Bronze and Gold.
The flaw in this novel, I think, was in trying to force it to be a retelling. Throughout the story, the author borrows very little from the ballad. The dark fairies are introduced but do not seem all that sinister, and Tam Lin himself does not make an appearance until halfway through the story. His relationship with Violet seemed rushed and unrealistic. The author dropped the sexual aspect of the ballad, which I can understand given that she wanted to write a PG-version for young adults, but the story loses that edgier element that could have introduced flaws in both main characters as well as strengthened Violet's motivations, her reasons for wanting to save her lover. The ending solidly parallels the ballad, but by that point, the hoodoo and the supernaturally-charged climax seemed like deus ex machina and strangely out of place. Given the historical setting and the source material, this should have been a five-star book, but the combination of the two ideas just didn't work for me.
May 8, 2014
Also reviewed for Addicted2Heroines
At first, I was a tad disappointed that there wasn't much magic in this one. I mean, it's supposed to be a retelling of Tam Lin, right? Maaaagic!
But Tam Lin's fairies are replaced with practitioners of voodoo, and the magic hoodoo stuff doesn't come into play (much) until the end.
So, not a story steeped in magic.
Well, unless you count the fact that Violet has some sort of affinity with bees. And let's face it, unless you can order them to ATTACK! , how freaking useful is that?
What she can do is call the bees, and they sorta sit on her and give her a feeling of calm. And I think once or twice they hovered around an area that she needed to go or something.
GPS? Useful.
Bees? Not quite so much.
Ok. Strip all the expectations I originally had away, and this turns into a pretty decent book about a young southern girl during the Civil War.
She doesn't meet Thomas (the Union soldier) until mid-way through the story, and in the meantime you get a feel for what her life is like on a small southern farm. Her mother is long dead, and she lives with her father and their two slaves, Lainey and her husband Michael. Violet and Lainey grew up together like sisters, and both she and Michael are treated like family. Now that Lainey has a child, Violet can feel a gap widening between them. And the possibility that the War may free Lainey is also a source of unspoken tension. While Violet doesn't think of Lainey as her slave, she's still afraid to talk to her about her feelings and fears. On one hand she wants Lainey to be free, but on the other she doesn't want to lose her friend.
I think Nickerson did a good job with Violet's character. She didn't truly understand why slavery was wrong, because not only was she raised in an era that had condoned it, but her personal experience slavery was relatively benign. Of course, benign to her because she wasn't a slave.
It was interesting to see her grow, and have her feelings on all sorts of things (including slavery) change over the course of the book. She was a good person, and when confronted with the truth of things, she was willing to bend her opinions.
As far as a story about a girl goes, this was a fine way to pass the time.
Ok. I live in South Carolina, which in in the Heart of Dixie and gateway to the Bible Belt. I'm not technically southern, because I spent the majority of my life in Florida. And while that state may be geographically southern, it ain't part of the South. Or so I've been told. On numerous occasions.
Still, I've lived here (read: True South) long enough to find myself sort of wanting to defend these guys somewhat.
See, there was this one line in the book that got under my skin and crawled around. It was an innocent enough statement made by Thomas to Violet, in order to calm her fears. This isn't a quote, but it went something like this:
Don't worry the Union soldiers won't burn down (civilian) houses. And if they do they will make sure no one is inside...
First, get real, dude. This was a war. Shit like that happened all the time.
Besides, every southerner I know has a grandma. And that grandma has a friggin list. And on that list is every family home burned, every woman raped, and every item stolen from them...by those Damn Yankees.
Nobody holds a grudge like the Rebels. Seriously.
Second, it seems to be a prevailing theme in some of these books that Union soldiers were the Good Guys, fighting on God's side for nothing other than the freedom of the oppressed.
Again. Get real.
While freeing slaves might have been the battle cry, it wasn't the only objective. Now, I don't think anyone in their right mind thinks that it didn't need to happen. Slavery is an ugly blight on our history, and we're still feeling the repercussions of it today.
But there were lots of factors involved, slavery was just the official reason.
Kind of like 9/11 was the battle cry for invading Iraq.
Oil and grudges didn't have anything to do with that one...
On the whole, though, I thought Nickerson wrote an interesting story. It might be a little slower than I wanted it to be, and it was definitely lighter on the retelling part than I was hoping, but it was still well-written. The characters stand out as the high point, with very few being truly good or evil. The stepmother and stepsister are both examples of how people can straddle that line, since they each turned out to be wildly different than I originally believed.
The reviews for this book run the gamut between Totally-Lurved to DNF'd-the-Sucker. If you're thinking of buying this one, you might want to paw through some of the other reviews and make sure this lines up with your taste.
At first, I was a tad disappointed that there wasn't much magic in this one. I mean, it's supposed to be a retelling of Tam Lin, right? Maaaagic!
But Tam Lin's fairies are replaced with practitioners of voodoo, and the magic hoodoo stuff doesn't come into play (much) until the end.
So, not a story steeped in magic.
Well, unless you count the fact that Violet has some sort of affinity with bees. And let's face it, unless you can order them to ATTACK! , how freaking useful is that?
What she can do is call the bees, and they sorta sit on her and give her a feeling of calm. And I think once or twice they hovered around an area that she needed to go or something.
GPS? Useful.
Bees? Not quite so much.
Ok. Strip all the expectations I originally had away, and this turns into a pretty decent book about a young southern girl during the Civil War.
She doesn't meet Thomas (the Union soldier) until mid-way through the story, and in the meantime you get a feel for what her life is like on a small southern farm. Her mother is long dead, and she lives with her father and their two slaves, Lainey and her husband Michael. Violet and Lainey grew up together like sisters, and both she and Michael are treated like family. Now that Lainey has a child, Violet can feel a gap widening between them. And the possibility that the War may free Lainey is also a source of unspoken tension. While Violet doesn't think of Lainey as her slave, she's still afraid to talk to her about her feelings and fears. On one hand she wants Lainey to be free, but on the other she doesn't want to lose her friend.
I think Nickerson did a good job with Violet's character. She didn't truly understand why slavery was wrong, because not only was she raised in an era that had condoned it, but her personal experience slavery was relatively benign. Of course, benign to her because she wasn't a slave.
It was interesting to see her grow, and have her feelings on all sorts of things (including slavery) change over the course of the book. She was a good person, and when confronted with the truth of things, she was willing to bend her opinions.
As far as a story about a girl goes, this was a fine way to pass the time.
Ok. I live in South Carolina, which in in the Heart of Dixie and gateway to the Bible Belt. I'm not technically southern, because I spent the majority of my life in Florida. And while that state may be geographically southern, it ain't part of the South. Or so I've been told. On numerous occasions.
Still, I've lived here (read: True South) long enough to find myself sort of wanting to defend these guys somewhat.
See, there was this one line in the book that got under my skin and crawled around. It was an innocent enough statement made by Thomas to Violet, in order to calm her fears. This isn't a quote, but it went something like this:
Don't worry the Union soldiers won't burn down (civilian) houses. And if they do they will make sure no one is inside...
First, get real, dude. This was a war. Shit like that happened all the time.
Besides, every southerner I know has a grandma. And that grandma has a friggin list. And on that list is every family home burned, every woman raped, and every item stolen from them...by those Damn Yankees.
Nobody holds a grudge like the Rebels. Seriously.
Second, it seems to be a prevailing theme in some of these books that Union soldiers were the Good Guys, fighting on God's side for nothing other than the freedom of the oppressed.
Again. Get real.
While freeing slaves might have been the battle cry, it wasn't the only objective. Now, I don't think anyone in their right mind thinks that it didn't need to happen. Slavery is an ugly blight on our history, and we're still feeling the repercussions of it today.
But there were lots of factors involved, slavery was just the official reason.
Kind of like 9/11 was the battle cry for invading Iraq.
Oil and grudges didn't have anything to do with that one...
On the whole, though, I thought Nickerson wrote an interesting story. It might be a little slower than I wanted it to be, and it was definitely lighter on the retelling part than I was hoping, but it was still well-written. The characters stand out as the high point, with very few being truly good or evil. The stepmother and stepsister are both examples of how people can straddle that line, since they each turned out to be wildly different than I originally believed.
The reviews for this book run the gamut between Totally-Lurved to DNF'd-the-Sucker. If you're thinking of buying this one, you might want to paw through some of the other reviews and make sure this lines up with your taste.
May 6, 2025
"Just at the mirk and midnight hour
The fairy folk will ride,
And they that would their true-love win,
At Miles Cross they must bide." - The Ballad of Tam Lin
3.5 out of 5 stars
While this book deserves a round of applause for retelling such an obscure folk tale, it didn’t quite live up to the hype of its sibling, Strands of Bronze and Gold.
It's 1862, and with the Civil War blasting full steam ahead, it's starting to take its toll on everyone
”We were free and independent. We hoped for little or no bloodshed, that they’d let us depart from the Union peacefully. We were innocent and stupid then. And sinful to be jolly over such a terrible thing. But we didn’t know.”. Violet Dancey is one of those individuals; she lost her beloved twin brother Rush in battle. Grieving at the loss
of her best friend and closest confidant, she is taken aback by news from her father that not only will he be serving for the Confederate Army, he is getting remarried. Now, Violet has to deal with a drug-addicted stepmother, a crazy stepsister, and two cousins she barely even knows. With so much change going on, it's a bit hard for her to keep a hold of her sanity. But as she starts to befriend her newfound relatives (especially Seely, the youngest boy), she comes to realize she enjoys their company. Things drastically change though when she comes upon a wounded soldier in the woods. Even worse, he's a Northerner. The enemy. And with more strange happenings going about in the woods and on the farm, will Violet be able to keep her sanity and her secrets?
One thing about Jane Nickerson is that she gives a little love to some of the lesser known fairy and folk tales. In a world chock full Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast retellings, some really well known fairy-tales get overlooked in favor of their famous cousins. This time, she retells the old Scottish ballad Tam Lin, with some elements of Cinderella mixed into it. Having not read the original source material at all, I don't know exactly what the original was about. The Mirk and Midnight Hour is not a continuation of the first book in the Strands series, Strands of Bronze and Gold, but it is set in the same universe.
Once again, Jane Nickerson is consistent with her sumptuous writing when it comes to settings and atmosphere. Her writing of the environment her characters inhabit is exquisite. Her descriptions of the settings and time period are so lush and evocative it's almost like you're really there. You can feel the heat of the bayou, the swarm of the honey bees, taste the honey milk they all drink before bedtime, and hear the cool gentle caress of the sultry Southern wind on your face. But in this installment, I felt like she kind of got too carried away to the point that the pacing of the book suffered. The beginning was kind of slow and one of the main plot points doesn’t appear until about the 150 page mark. Most readers will have pooped out by then, but if you persist, the pacing does pick up.
Another consistent element about her writing is her broad character development. Violet Dancey is a spirited, feisty protagonist who is set in her beliefs when it comes to politics and the whole idea of the Civil War in general.
”When I thought of the Federals, my appetite fled. I resented the space they took up in my brain but couldn’t drive them from it. We had done them no harm, and yet they swarmed down to invade our homes and murder our brothers and fathers.”Her views change over time as she begins to experience new things, but she still stays the same strong, spirited individual. I quite liked her as a main character, even though I thought she could be a tad bit stubborn and willful. But at least she had a good head on her shoulders and wasn't totally oblivious to her surroundings. Unlike her stepsister Sunny. Speaking of which...
Sunny is Violet's new stepsister. The best way I can describe her is that she is exactly like Charlotte from The Princess and the Frog. As in; she may look like she's dumb, she may act like she's dumb, and she may seem dumb, but don't be fooled....
She's dumb.
”Pretty, petty, spoiled, stupid Sunny Sluder, who always got anything she wanted- and anything anyone else wanted, for that matter- was to be my stepsister.”And also extremely boy crazy. If I could compare her to one person, it’d be Charlotte from The Princess and the Frog, except I liked Charlotte.
The romance between Sunny and Dorian, Violet's cousin, is extremely lustful and warped. She is lovesick for him, and when I mean lovesick, I mean she has it BAD. It quickly gets to a point where it's more dangerous than silly, which is kind of frightening considering the author wants you to sympathize with her. But what she did was so reprehensible that it was kind of hard for me to do that. Violet was much more forgiving than I ever could have been, made even worse by the fact that she doesn’t learn from her mistakes. But if you can be like Violet and take her with her faults, warts and all, you’ll learn to tolerate her.
”Miss Elsa was kind and sweet in her own wistful way, a far cry from a cruel stepmother. And yes, Sunny was too pretty, too flirtatious, and too wain, and not the most clever girl in the world, but if I could accept her as she was and expect nothing more, I might actually enjoy her company.”The stepmother kind of just sits there in a drug induced haze, so there isn’t much to talk about in the way of her; I would have liked to have seen more of her in the book though, as I feel she had the potential to be an interesting character.
Thomas is the Union soldier Violet finds in the woodlands near her house and whom she eventually falls in love with, despite their obvious differences and obstacles facing them. The romance between them is heartwarming, as with their relationship, Thomas helps Violet grow and change not only as a person but in her character as well. I really can't think of a bad thing to say about the man. He was the perfect gentleman in every sense of the word. Kind, intelligent, resilient, and always willing to help, even when he is helpless himself.
”’It was my first kiss too. I never had much time for romance before. I wanted to be in love for it, so I waited until I was in love.’”Gee, maybe he was too perfect, LOL!!
One other thing that kind of irked me with this book was that there was so little voodoo and magic. If you’re going to market a book about voodoo and magic, than it kind of should have those elements. And they were almost COMPLETELY missing, apart from the grand finale (and that’s no excuse for it to suddenly reappear, either). And from what I’ve read of the ballad that inspired this story, there’s plenty of magic to go around. Voodoo and hoodoo is so interesting that it’s such a shame it played such a tiny role in this book.
For those of you who find the pacing of this book slow in the beginning, I would encourage you to stick with it, because it does pick up after the first 100 pages or so (and yes, Thomas will appear, I promise you.) And while it doesn't excuse it entirely for its lack of magic and voodoo, this installment proves once again that the author has a knack for retelling fairytales. It's such a shame she's overlooked.
August 1, 2015
This was one of the most racist stories I've had the misfortune of experiencing and is also one of the most boring and badly written. I would rate it zero stars if I could. In fact I created an account on this website to hopefully warn potential readers against getting anywhere near this book. The only reason I finished this story was because it was actually in a book-on-CD form and I had to travel over 30 hours with not much else to listen to. Firstly, the white actress who read this story out loud was painful to listen to whenever she tried to struggle and stumble her way through the AAVE dialect of the enslaved characters, but her narration was NOWHERE NEAR how cringe-worthy Jane Nickerson's book actually ended up being.
The fact that this story takes place in Mississippi during the Civil War and centers around a white girl and is written by a white author probably should have probably tipped me off that this is the type of historical fiction that has way too much in common with the likes of Gone With the Wind and Uncle Tom's Cabin. Sadly I gave it a chance because I thought (FOOLISHLY!) that the "severely injured Union soldier" mentioned in the summary would have been black and there'd be some kind of profound type of racial dialogue on the status of the country when she meets him and that the person who was tending to Thomas before Violet encounters him was doing so so that they could force him into slavery. WOW was I way off!
Allow me to specify, when Violent FINALLY meets Thomas (which happens not in the first 3 chapters like you would expect, but nearly at the story's HALFWAY POINT-talk about pacing issues) he's white and his captors are the VanZeldts, an African family who willingly chose to come to America a few years prior despite of the fact that they knew black people in the country were held in bondage and treated worse than animals. Just couldn't resist that spirit of American "freedom" I guess! More specifically, this "free" African family in the South was tending to a Union solider's wounds not out of compassion for the Union cause, but because they wanted to use him as a sacrifice in a Voodoo ritual! Who let this be published...?
That's just the tip of iceberg when it comes to how mind-bendingly racist this book is. For one, Violet's slave Laney is referred to as a "servant" and Violet considers her one of her best friends! After all that's how my relationships with my friends always go-I force them to work for me and I consider them subhuman! Funnily enough, Laney even seems to support the confederate cause, and shows no support for the Union whenever Violet talks to her (I WONDER WHY?). There’s even a scene where Violet finds out her step-sister Sunny had slapped Laney, and Violet makes sure to give Sunny a stern talking-to about not doing that again. So glad the author included that scene to show readers that Violet is a GOOD slave owner, not a nasty mean one! THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD OR KIND SLAVE OWNER NICKERSON! Although that certainly doesn’t stop her from trying to convince us otherwise in other Violet-Laney instances and through the character of Ruby Jewel and her slave.
Some noteworthy instances also included when Violent remarked on how the VanZeldts seemed "alien" and "snake-like" to her because of their African ways-and this was before she knew they were antagonistic. Yet, who could forget the part where a VanZeldt man attempted (and nearly succeeded) in raping Violet? The myth of the black evil rapist that fueled the lynching of thousands of innocent black men after the Civil War is encapsulated marvelously in Nickerson's prose. After escaping the attempted assault a VanZeldt woman even makes sure to tell Violet that if she doesn't let her near-rapist have his way with her, she'll eventually be drugged so that she'll be easier for him to rape! I hope the author is ashamed!
And this is only what the VanZeldts were written as doing when they WEREN'T casting malicious Voodoo spells on the poor unsuspecting white Southerners (magical black people trope: check), stripping down to loincloths to dance around a fire, drinking snake blood, or beating up an Injured Union Solider! I can’t believe I’m not joking!
Characters were boring and unsurprising when they weren’t racist caricatures and book was obviously double or triple the length it should have been. The author’s writing may in some instances be unusually atmospheric and descriptive, but that in no way makes up for every other gaping flaw it has. In short, this story was blatantly racist and made me depressed to know it was published in 2014. It’s sad to see that few other reviews mention the racism, but this book is pretty obviously historical fiction for one of the two Americas- and it’s not the black one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2014
Nickerson's still coming up short on what should be fantastic books, given the setting and source material she draws from--seriously, y'all know I adore a good Southern gothic, and Bluebeard and Tam Lin are two of my favourite folklore pieces. But Strands of Bronze and Gold didn't work, and neither did this. Not enough Tam Lin--the plot didn't know what it wanted to be; so much of the narrative was spent on the domestic drama, the supernatural elements felt seriously shoehoerned in, especially since our Tam doesn't show up until at least a third of the way through (closer to half, I think0. More egregiously, Nickerson's approach to slavery and racial politics remains so antiquated and paternalistic I am made seriously uncomfortable and am left not only questioning her own values but also those of her editors. For all of her other sins, this is what made me decide tonight not to pick up another book by her in the future. So, you know. Good job.
November 25, 2020
It's racist. Don't bother.
July 26, 2015
Before this book, I was not familiar with the tale of Tam Lin, so I came into this with no expectations. I was just hoping for a good book set during the civil war. This wasn't that.
Most of the book was normal civil war era, historical fiction, and then these paranormal elements were spattered in, until the end when it was laid on heavy. It just felt totally out of place within this book. I didn't get it. And I thought it was stupid. Without all that, this book would have been much better. And I think it could have been done.
The book also seriously lags in places, it took forever for any action to happen. It wasn't even until the half way mark that she finds the Union soldier. I got a little bored at times.
Most of the book was normal civil war era, historical fiction, and then these paranormal elements were spattered in, until the end when it was laid on heavy. It just felt totally out of place within this book. I didn't get it. And I thought it was stupid. Without all that, this book would have been much better. And I think it could have been done.
The book also seriously lags in places, it took forever for any action to happen. It wasn't even until the half way mark that she finds the Union soldier. I got a little bored at times.
August 14, 2016
Excellent civil-war era story that kept me on the edge of my seat and deftly incorporates fairy tale themes.
Violet Dancey is a Mississippi girl, mourning the death of her twin brother, Rush, and trying to keep her family together as the war drags on. Suddenly confronted with a new stepmother and stepsister, an absent father, and mysterious rumors of voodoo practitioners, she manages to find her way with strength and intelligence. Everything I could tell you about this book would give the impression of fantasy, but in the end, it's a subtle portrait of a troubled time and wonderfully wrought story.
Violet Dancey is a Mississippi girl, mourning the death of her twin brother, Rush, and trying to keep her family together as the war drags on. Suddenly confronted with a new stepmother and stepsister, an absent father, and mysterious rumors of voodoo practitioners, she manages to find her way with strength and intelligence. Everything I could tell you about this book would give the impression of fantasy, but in the end, it's a subtle portrait of a troubled time and wonderfully wrought story.
August 16, 2013
Darkly delightful Tam Lin retelling! The language of the writing was wonderful, fit the setting perfectly, and the characters were all so alive. At times it felt like I was reading a southern, civil war-era Downton Abbey. Except with magic. I'm not sure how to classify the magic, either; was it magical realism? Fantasy? I don't know, but I loved it. Definitely a must-read. I think this will also have strong appeal to adults.
December 15, 2019
NOPE
(Literally got the racist vibes in the first few pages, and judging from other reviews I then immediately read it does not improve. Clearly I did not read the cover blurb when I picked this up either.)
(Literally got the racist vibes in the first few pages, and judging from other reviews I then immediately read it does not improve. Clearly I did not read the cover blurb when I picked this up either.)
March 20, 2019
As a historical novel set during the second year of the US Civil War, this would have got a higher rating because its plotline isn't so bad, but as a retelling of Tam Lin it simply doesn't work. And it's unfortunate, because anyone familiar with the ballad would probably scramble to get this book owing to the uniqueness of the setting only to find out it's not up to expectations.
There's not really much to say about the causes other than it's essentially the poor execution of the "retelling" part that felt artificially forced into a mainstream war story that draws more from Gone with the Wind than from Tam Lin, specifically how the relationship between Violet Dancey (our "Janet" character) and Lieutenant Thomas Lynd (our "Tam Lin" character) is depicted. To give you an idea, Thomas appears at last in Chapter 15, which in a novel of only 23 chapters is a no-no. No eleventh hour ambush-like "romance" is going to be believable. I do think the Voodoo would've worked just fine as a substitute for the Faerie in the original, and the slavery-related uncomfortable bits do work given the divisive context, but then when the novel tries to suddenly become a retelling after being the story of a Confederate's daily life for over half the book, it flops.
There's not really much to say about the causes other than it's essentially the poor execution of the "retelling" part that felt artificially forced into a mainstream war story that draws more from Gone with the Wind than from Tam Lin, specifically how the relationship between Violet Dancey (our "Janet" character) and Lieutenant Thomas Lynd (our "Tam Lin" character) is depicted. To give you an idea, Thomas appears at last in Chapter 15, which in a novel of only 23 chapters is a no-no. No eleventh hour ambush-like "romance" is going to be believable. I do think the Voodoo would've worked just fine as a substitute for the Faerie in the original, and the slavery-related uncomfortable bits do work given the divisive context, but then when the novel tries to suddenly become a retelling after being the story of a Confederate's daily life for over half the book, it flops.
Want to read
April 7, 2013I did not particularly enjoy Strands of Bronze and Gold. However, I am fascinated by Tam Lin (I did a bunch of research on this mythology for my thesis in college), so I will likely give this one a whirl.
November 15, 2013
Unlike the great majority of people here, I actually really liked Strands of Bronze and Gold. I thought it was mesmerizing, deeply atmospheric and with one of the most compelling antagonist I've read about in a while. It certainly had its problems, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. The Mirk and Midnight Hour suffers from quite the opposite problem for me: its craft is superior to SoBaG, but the few problems that were in there bothered me too much, namely, a very rapid love connection, predictability, an irritating gullibility on the main character's part, and just how loose of a retelling of The Ballad of Tam Lin this novel actually is.
This is a well-written novel with a beautiful setting used to its full advantage and a great atmosphere. Violet, the protagonist, is a likable person all the way through, and the love interest was likable enough as well. Also, this novel handled the theme of slavery in a more graceful manner than it did in SoBaG, which bothered a lot of people about Nickerson's first novel. But the progression of the plot, which was very heavy with so many different things going on at the same time, was slow and then, at the end, picks up its pace forgetting some other threads and relying on convenience to find a solution. There was a bit of wasted potential in this novel, and I had a very hard time finding connections to the original Ballad that were more than passing references. At the end there is a solid parallel to the Ballad, but for the most part, this felt like a work with references to the Ballad rather than an actual retelling.
This is, by no means, a bad novel. It is a beautiful novel that is nonetheless entertaining, but some things just didn't work for me. I still look forward to any other retelling that Nickerson writes.
This is a well-written novel with a beautiful setting used to its full advantage and a great atmosphere. Violet, the protagonist, is a likable person all the way through, and the love interest was likable enough as well. Also, this novel handled the theme of slavery in a more graceful manner than it did in SoBaG, which bothered a lot of people about Nickerson's first novel. But the progression of the plot, which was very heavy with so many different things going on at the same time, was slow and then, at the end, picks up its pace forgetting some other threads and relying on convenience to find a solution. There was a bit of wasted potential in this novel, and I had a very hard time finding connections to the original Ballad that were more than passing references. At the end there is a solid parallel to the Ballad, but for the most part, this felt like a work with references to the Ballad rather than an actual retelling.
This is, by no means, a bad novel. It is a beautiful novel that is nonetheless entertaining, but some things just didn't work for me. I still look forward to any other retelling that Nickerson writes.
April 16, 2014
For all its atmospheric and mysterious flavor, this story is actually very straightforward. I kept waiting for some kind of twist, something to surprise me, but what you think will happen pretty much is what happens. I wasn't shocked by someone's actions since I had thought all along that this person wasn't honest or decent and had plans that weren't being shared.
Still, I did enjoy the story a lot. The characters are interesting from Violet, to her new step-family, to Seeley and Laney and her family, plus people and places of the area. They are clearly described and I could see and feel the action.
There is great character growth during the course of the story; Violet, most of all, but also Seeley and Sunny, as well. I felt the relationship that Violet developed with Seeley was so lovely, reminding her in some ways of her lost brother and sharing with Seeley the special things they had done as children helped her heal from his loss.
I particularly liked how thoughtful Violet is, not only being kind to people, which she is, but that she thinks about things, like slavery and the war, right and wrong.
The romantic relationship which develops for Violet seemed very natural in the way they got to know each other. There isn't insta-love as so often occurs in YA books these days. There feelings emerge from time spent together talking. This was refreshing.
I'm not sure I liked the hoo-doo stuff, not sure it was that well integrated into the story. I kept waiting for something shocking to come about, but nope. I guess that's okay. It lacked some tension until almost the end and then the resolution seemed too easy.
I'm unfamiliar with the story of Tam Lin so I can't say whether this is a good re-telling of that tale or not.
But I enjoyed it.
Still, I did enjoy the story a lot. The characters are interesting from Violet, to her new step-family, to Seeley and Laney and her family, plus people and places of the area. They are clearly described and I could see and feel the action.
There is great character growth during the course of the story; Violet, most of all, but also Seeley and Sunny, as well. I felt the relationship that Violet developed with Seeley was so lovely, reminding her in some ways of her lost brother and sharing with Seeley the special things they had done as children helped her heal from his loss.
I particularly liked how thoughtful Violet is, not only being kind to people, which she is, but that she thinks about things, like slavery and the war, right and wrong.
The romantic relationship which develops for Violet seemed very natural in the way they got to know each other. There isn't insta-love as so often occurs in YA books these days. There feelings emerge from time spent together talking. This was refreshing.
I'm not sure I liked the hoo-doo stuff, not sure it was that well integrated into the story. I kept waiting for something shocking to come about, but nope. I guess that's okay. It lacked some tension until almost the end and then the resolution seemed too easy.
I'm unfamiliar with the story of Tam Lin so I can't say whether this is a good re-telling of that tale or not.
But I enjoyed it.
June 25, 2017
I have a lot of mixed feelings concerning this book. The book started off painfully slow. It kept dragging on and on without anything significant happening. We just kept reading about the war and Sunny and Dorian's relationship. I even had half a mind to just DNF this book and be done with it. But I'm glad I didn't because the second half of the book, really picked up.
Another problem I encountered with this book was Sunny. It was difficult to read a book where you hated one of the main characters and I hated her. She was a spoiled pompous girl who did nothing but complain!
I loved Strands of Bronze and Gold. I read that book in a day. I even remember not studying in order to finish it but this book fell flat for me. It had good aspects to it but the bad still outweighs the good.
Overall, It was an okay read. It was another case of a book with so much potential but failed to live up to it.
Another problem I encountered with this book was Sunny. It was difficult to read a book where you hated one of the main characters and I hated her. She was a spoiled pompous girl who did nothing but complain!
I loved Strands of Bronze and Gold. I read that book in a day. I even remember not studying in order to finish it but this book fell flat for me. It had good aspects to it but the bad still outweighs the good.
Overall, It was an okay read. It was another case of a book with so much potential but failed to live up to it.
November 25, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book. It did an interesting re-casting of a Scottish folk tale in which a maiden must save her lover from the faeries, transforming it into the Civil War where the maiden is Violet, left brotherless and fatherless by the war; the lover is a Union soldier; and the faeries are hoodoo priests. I liked the story-- there was mystery and action, warmth and mood, Southern and Gothic. But. BUT. The portrayal of slavery and voodoo made me uncomfortable. Violet believes slavery isn't bad, and the author indulges Violet's fantasies about it, even having her refuse to listen to Thomas and shut down the conversation because she, despite being a great character, gets to be fragile and white. Portraying voodoo as wicked and sinister is problematic, and Violet goes full-on-Marlow-in-Heart-of-Darkness when she hears their music and sees them dance.
January 22, 2017
This book really felt like it needed to decide what it was all about. Was it a Southern romance? Was it Southern gothic? Was it a supernatural horror story? What the hell was it? It was all of these but nothing felt cohesive. It just felt like an uncoordinated jumble.
Violet Dancey is a sad Southern girl living in Mississippi at the end of the first year of the Civil War. Her twin brother has recently been killed and her father is about to leave for the war himself. But first, he has to get married to a new lady and her daughter, whom Violet hates! So, I'm like, "Okay, this book is going to be about them -- lady relationships, cool." But wait! Also, Violet's eight-year-old cousin is coming to stay with them because war is dangerous. Okay. So it's about them and the little boy? But wait! Escorting little cousin Seeley is older, handsomer other cousin Dorian! First of all, you should never trust someone named Dorian. Secondly, he's their cousin but not a brother to Seeley, so it's like three sets of cousins altogether. He seems terribly harsh with the little one, so I'm like, "Oh, so this is about all these disparate people coming together in the face of adversity to form a family?" But wait! One day, Violet and Seeley are looking for Violet's childhood hideout in the woods and lo and behold -- there's a Union soldier recuperating from a wound there! And he might have a hole in his hip but dagnabit, he's handsome! And has a winning personality! Turns out, also, he's being taken care of by a weird voodoo family who are sort of outcasts and came from Africa proper and do all kinds of weird stuff. So... this book is about... romance? Family? Voodoo? AND THEN it turns out that Dorian is a terrible character and also the voodoo people are using the Union soldier for evil but they don't see it as evil so once they're thwarted it's like, "no hard feelings!" and what?
Ultimately, the plot was cumbersome and unwieldy. It really felt like the voodoo plotline was shoved in there. I would have been happy with a story about a cad of a cousin and a romance with a forbidden soldier without all the shoehorned in voodoo.
And then there was all this other, weird, shoehorned in stuff. Like, Violet's family has two slaves: Laney and Michael, who are married and have a baby. But repeatedly, Violet is like, "But we're family, you're not really slaves, but we own you, and that's weird, and we should free you anyway, and I feel weird about slavery EVEN THOUGH I WAS RAISED IN MISSISSIPPI IN THE ANTEBELLUM PERIOD." Are you kidding me? I know that you and I know slavery is bad. I know I have white guilt, sure. I feel damn bad about slavery and the long-lasting repercussions of that vile institution. But realize that there were probably better ways to deal with this than, "Oh, I've always felt off about this in my gut" and do you really expect me to believe that? That Violet is so easily persuaded against slavery, when she has grown up in a community that believes in slavery and her friends and family are literally dying to protect it? Are you really trying to tell me that her slaves are so forgiving and good that they don't resent at all being owned by others? Are you genuinely telling me that they all grew up together with no racism, no distinction, no resentment or hard feelings or even with this issue coming up? Because I don't believe it. There is something to be said for trying to make your white characters better than they probably were then, but it made me hurt for Laney and Michael. It made me indignant that they were so passive, that the issue was so easy for Violet to even forget about. That she had no real, true struggle with the issue. It was all too easy. It was all too convenient. It was all about relieving white guilt. "Look, I feel bad about slavery and the fact that I ought to include it in my Civil War historical fiction even though it wouldn't make sense without it, so I'm just going to have the main character be as cool and progressive as possible."
The same was the case for the voodoo. There was this odd, jarring war between "voodoo is evil and is the crux of this plot" and "their beliefs are just different than ours". What? Which one is it? Is it the bad guy, here, or is it not? To be so flippant and back-and-forth felt inconsistent, not understanding. It was like the author was saying, "I needed to include something exotic and supernatural but I also don't want to be criticized for stereotyping predominantly black practices of hoodoo so I'm going to say nice things about it and how it's just different and not bad". But then it's not the bad guy. And I'm not saying it should be, but the waffling left me cold. It felt like it was pandering.
Am I saying you should fall back on stereotypes? No. Am I saying I know what to do with the topic of slavery in a historical fiction written today? Hell no. I don't know how to deal with it. And clearly this author doesn't either. I guess what I'm complaining about is that there are ways to address these issues that doesn't feel like apologizing or falling over yourself to make sure people get that you're not a racist. These topics are uncomfortable. We can hit them head on, feel uncomfortable, and still come out to a positive place on the other side. The inclusion of the topic and the side-stepping nature of its engagement with the topic felt wasted and overbearing.
Ultimately, it wasn't the novel I was hoping for. I wouldn't recommend it. There's much better Southern gothic romances.
Violet Dancey is a sad Southern girl living in Mississippi at the end of the first year of the Civil War. Her twin brother has recently been killed and her father is about to leave for the war himself. But first, he has to get married to a new lady and her daughter, whom Violet hates! So, I'm like, "Okay, this book is going to be about them -- lady relationships, cool." But wait! Also, Violet's eight-year-old cousin is coming to stay with them because war is dangerous. Okay. So it's about them and the little boy? But wait! Escorting little cousin Seeley is older, handsomer other cousin Dorian! First of all, you should never trust someone named Dorian. Secondly, he's their cousin but not a brother to Seeley, so it's like three sets of cousins altogether. He seems terribly harsh with the little one, so I'm like, "Oh, so this is about all these disparate people coming together in the face of adversity to form a family?" But wait! One day, Violet and Seeley are looking for Violet's childhood hideout in the woods and lo and behold -- there's a Union soldier recuperating from a wound there! And he might have a hole in his hip but dagnabit, he's handsome! And has a winning personality! Turns out, also, he's being taken care of by a weird voodoo family who are sort of outcasts and came from Africa proper and do all kinds of weird stuff. So... this book is about... romance? Family? Voodoo? AND THEN it turns out that Dorian is a terrible character and also the voodoo people are using the Union soldier for evil but they don't see it as evil so once they're thwarted it's like, "no hard feelings!" and what?
Ultimately, the plot was cumbersome and unwieldy. It really felt like the voodoo plotline was shoved in there. I would have been happy with a story about a cad of a cousin and a romance with a forbidden soldier without all the shoehorned in voodoo.
And then there was all this other, weird, shoehorned in stuff. Like, Violet's family has two slaves: Laney and Michael, who are married and have a baby. But repeatedly, Violet is like, "But we're family, you're not really slaves, but we own you, and that's weird, and we should free you anyway, and I feel weird about slavery EVEN THOUGH I WAS RAISED IN MISSISSIPPI IN THE ANTEBELLUM PERIOD." Are you kidding me? I know that you and I know slavery is bad. I know I have white guilt, sure. I feel damn bad about slavery and the long-lasting repercussions of that vile institution. But realize that there were probably better ways to deal with this than, "Oh, I've always felt off about this in my gut" and do you really expect me to believe that? That Violet is so easily persuaded against slavery, when she has grown up in a community that believes in slavery and her friends and family are literally dying to protect it? Are you really trying to tell me that her slaves are so forgiving and good that they don't resent at all being owned by others? Are you genuinely telling me that they all grew up together with no racism, no distinction, no resentment or hard feelings or even with this issue coming up? Because I don't believe it. There is something to be said for trying to make your white characters better than they probably were then, but it made me hurt for Laney and Michael. It made me indignant that they were so passive, that the issue was so easy for Violet to even forget about. That she had no real, true struggle with the issue. It was all too easy. It was all too convenient. It was all about relieving white guilt. "Look, I feel bad about slavery and the fact that I ought to include it in my Civil War historical fiction even though it wouldn't make sense without it, so I'm just going to have the main character be as cool and progressive as possible."
The same was the case for the voodoo. There was this odd, jarring war between "voodoo is evil and is the crux of this plot" and "their beliefs are just different than ours". What? Which one is it? Is it the bad guy, here, or is it not? To be so flippant and back-and-forth felt inconsistent, not understanding. It was like the author was saying, "I needed to include something exotic and supernatural but I also don't want to be criticized for stereotyping predominantly black practices of hoodoo so I'm going to say nice things about it and how it's just different and not bad". But then it's not the bad guy. And I'm not saying it should be, but the waffling left me cold. It felt like it was pandering.
Am I saying you should fall back on stereotypes? No. Am I saying I know what to do with the topic of slavery in a historical fiction written today? Hell no. I don't know how to deal with it. And clearly this author doesn't either. I guess what I'm complaining about is that there are ways to address these issues that doesn't feel like apologizing or falling over yourself to make sure people get that you're not a racist. These topics are uncomfortable. We can hit them head on, feel uncomfortable, and still come out to a positive place on the other side. The inclusion of the topic and the side-stepping nature of its engagement with the topic felt wasted and overbearing.
Ultimately, it wasn't the novel I was hoping for. I wouldn't recommend it. There's much better Southern gothic romances.
October 22, 2014
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? I love, love, love the cover! It sets the right ambiance; all mysterious and surreal and dreamlike.
Characters: I loved Violet. She was sensible and intelligent and practical and just so very relatable. I never once got frustrated with her. She was an awesome protagonist. Her initial dislike for her stepsister Sunny and laudanum-addicted stepmother made absolute sense; it took me awhile to warm up to Sunny. And I appreciated her perceptiveness when it came to Dorian's true character. The other characters were all equally amazing. Like I said, it took me awhile to warm up to Sunny; she was pushy and kind of rude and jealous of Violet at first. But as the story progressed, Sunny showed her better nature, and like Violet I was able to take her as she was. I was intensely suspicious of Dorian the moment he stepped into the story. He was too charming, too apt at slipping into whatever persona he needed depending on what company he kept, and too quick to accept what Violet said about his behavior towards Seeley. I enjoyed hating him. Seeley was an adorable, shy, curious kid; I immediately loved him. Then there's Thomas, the wounded Union soldier. There was nothing to not like about him. Also intelligent, kind, and sensible, I loved him the moment he came into the story. The Mirk and Midnight Hour kind of lacks a villain. There are people with harmful intent, but they're not exactly evil. Even so, they were scary.
The Romance: Violet and Thomas fall in love with each other. In terms of page-length, it doesn't take very long. But a fair amount of time is supposed to have passed in the book, the romance isn't completely rushed. I loved Violet and Thomas together, and I loved their relationship. It felt genuine, deep, and heartfelt. The romance was the weak point in Strands of Bronze and Gold, but it is the strong point in The Mirk and Midnight Hour.
Plot: Violet Dancey lost her twin brother to the War Between the States. And now her father is off to join the rebels, too, leaving her at Scuppernong Farm in Mississippi with a laudanum-addicted stepmother and prim stepsister whom she didn't like as a child. Then her young cousin Seeley comes to live with them, taking Violet's brother's place, and with him comes their older cousin Dorian. Charming, handsome, eligible. Violet doesn't want this new family, but over time she begins to accept them. But then she and Seeley find a wounded Union soldier in an abandoned hunting lodge in the woods. Violet knows she should hate Thomas - he might have very well killed her brother - but as she furthers her acquaintanceship, she finds that she can't. And then it becomes very apparent that she and Seeley are not the only visitors Thomas has. Someone has been healing his wound. But it isn't out of kindness. This is a retelling of the Scottish ballad Tam Lin, which splashes of Cinderella. Tam Lin was never one of my favorite ballads. I liked it well enough, but could never rank it among my favvies. I've read a lot of retellings of it, some good and some rather lame. The Perilous Gard is the best, but The Mirk and Midnight Hour now sits as a strong rival on my list. It was awesome! The Civil War setting worked astonishingly well, and replacing the Fey with voodoo actually added a much, much creepier feel to the whole thing. Let's face it - voodoo is creepy! In a totally awesome way, of course, but it's got to be some of the scariest stuff ever. My biggest complaint with the plot was that it took a little too long for Violet and Seeley to find Thomas. The Author spent a good portion of the book's beginning setting up dynamics with Sunny and Violet, and then the situation with Dorian and Seeley. It all worked in the end; all of this setup fleshed out the characters, the world, the situations. But I did spend a long time just wanting Thomas to show up. This is probably my own impatience and anticipation getting the better of me. And it will probably happen to all of you. But I can't fault the Author for taking the time to let her Readers know her characters and the world. Once we meet Thomas, things really start to pick up with everything. No one is as they seem, things become quite perilous, and so on and so forth. I didn't get bored, even when I was wishing it would introduce Thomas sooner.
Believability: Not really applicable, though the Author's historical details were done quite well.
Writing Style: First person, past tense. Jane Nickerson is a really good writer. She can conjure up vivid images with her stunning descriptions. I was totally swept away by her writing. This book pulsed with voodoo ambiance and richness.
Content: Violet and Thomas almost do it (sort of; it would be a bit of a spoiler if I explained what really happened). But no details are given.
Conclusion: Strands of Bronze and Gold is, so far, my favorite Jane Nickerson book simply because it was so creepy and so vivid. But this is my favorite Tam Lin retelling, and it's just as wonderful as Strands of Bronze and Gold. I have found my new favorite author, without a doubt!
Recommended Audience: Girl-read, seventeen-and-up, fans of fairy tale retellings, Tam Lin, and historical fantasy.
Characters: I loved Violet. She was sensible and intelligent and practical and just so very relatable. I never once got frustrated with her. She was an awesome protagonist. Her initial dislike for her stepsister Sunny and laudanum-addicted stepmother made absolute sense; it took me awhile to warm up to Sunny. And I appreciated her perceptiveness when it came to Dorian's true character. The other characters were all equally amazing. Like I said, it took me awhile to warm up to Sunny; she was pushy and kind of rude and jealous of Violet at first. But as the story progressed, Sunny showed her better nature, and like Violet I was able to take her as she was. I was intensely suspicious of Dorian the moment he stepped into the story. He was too charming, too apt at slipping into whatever persona he needed depending on what company he kept, and too quick to accept what Violet said about his behavior towards Seeley. I enjoyed hating him. Seeley was an adorable, shy, curious kid; I immediately loved him. Then there's Thomas, the wounded Union soldier. There was nothing to not like about him. Also intelligent, kind, and sensible, I loved him the moment he came into the story. The Mirk and Midnight Hour kind of lacks a villain. There are people with harmful intent, but they're not exactly evil. Even so, they were scary.
The Romance: Violet and Thomas fall in love with each other. In terms of page-length, it doesn't take very long. But a fair amount of time is supposed to have passed in the book, the romance isn't completely rushed. I loved Violet and Thomas together, and I loved their relationship. It felt genuine, deep, and heartfelt. The romance was the weak point in Strands of Bronze and Gold, but it is the strong point in The Mirk and Midnight Hour.
Plot: Violet Dancey lost her twin brother to the War Between the States. And now her father is off to join the rebels, too, leaving her at Scuppernong Farm in Mississippi with a laudanum-addicted stepmother and prim stepsister whom she didn't like as a child. Then her young cousin Seeley comes to live with them, taking Violet's brother's place, and with him comes their older cousin Dorian. Charming, handsome, eligible. Violet doesn't want this new family, but over time she begins to accept them. But then she and Seeley find a wounded Union soldier in an abandoned hunting lodge in the woods. Violet knows she should hate Thomas - he might have very well killed her brother - but as she furthers her acquaintanceship, she finds that she can't. And then it becomes very apparent that she and Seeley are not the only visitors Thomas has. Someone has been healing his wound. But it isn't out of kindness. This is a retelling of the Scottish ballad Tam Lin, which splashes of Cinderella. Tam Lin was never one of my favorite ballads. I liked it well enough, but could never rank it among my favvies. I've read a lot of retellings of it, some good and some rather lame. The Perilous Gard is the best, but The Mirk and Midnight Hour now sits as a strong rival on my list. It was awesome! The Civil War setting worked astonishingly well, and replacing the Fey with voodoo actually added a much, much creepier feel to the whole thing. Let's face it - voodoo is creepy! In a totally awesome way, of course, but it's got to be some of the scariest stuff ever. My biggest complaint with the plot was that it took a little too long for Violet and Seeley to find Thomas. The Author spent a good portion of the book's beginning setting up dynamics with Sunny and Violet, and then the situation with Dorian and Seeley. It all worked in the end; all of this setup fleshed out the characters, the world, the situations. But I did spend a long time just wanting Thomas to show up. This is probably my own impatience and anticipation getting the better of me. And it will probably happen to all of you. But I can't fault the Author for taking the time to let her Readers know her characters and the world. Once we meet Thomas, things really start to pick up with everything. No one is as they seem, things become quite perilous, and so on and so forth. I didn't get bored, even when I was wishing it would introduce Thomas sooner.
Believability: Not really applicable, though the Author's historical details were done quite well.
Writing Style: First person, past tense. Jane Nickerson is a really good writer. She can conjure up vivid images with her stunning descriptions. I was totally swept away by her writing. This book pulsed with voodoo ambiance and richness.
Content: Violet and Thomas almost do it (sort of; it would be a bit of a spoiler if I explained what really happened). But no details are given.
Conclusion: Strands of Bronze and Gold is, so far, my favorite Jane Nickerson book simply because it was so creepy and so vivid. But this is my favorite Tam Lin retelling, and it's just as wonderful as Strands of Bronze and Gold. I have found my new favorite author, without a doubt!
Recommended Audience: Girl-read, seventeen-and-up, fans of fairy tale retellings, Tam Lin, and historical fantasy.
August 10, 2016
I don't know why this book has a lowish rating, I thought it was excellent... perhaps it is because I have never heard of Tam Lin and wasn't expecting anything when I decided to read it.
I loved the setting of this, and the characters, the Civil War has always fascinated me so that helped draw me in.
There were a few moments when I felt a tiny bit lost but not from the story, there were a few moments in the book with a sentence or two that I wasn't sure why they were there. Perhaps they had some tie in with the Tam Lin thing and I just didn't know it... but it was very rare in the story... just enough for me to notice... but I also could have been reading too fast cause I just wanted to know what was going to happen lol
This so much reminded me of In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters, as far as style goes, I think the authors write similarly :) and I loved that book so there you go!
I loved the setting of this, and the characters, the Civil War has always fascinated me so that helped draw me in.
There were a few moments when I felt a tiny bit lost but not from the story, there were a few moments in the book with a sentence or two that I wasn't sure why they were there. Perhaps they had some tie in with the Tam Lin thing and I just didn't know it... but it was very rare in the story... just enough for me to notice... but I also could have been reading too fast cause I just wanted to know what was going to happen lol
This so much reminded me of In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters, as far as style goes, I think the authors write similarly :) and I loved that book so there you go!
wishlist
April 16, 2013Yay, a retelling of Tam Lin! My hear is so happy right now it could burst.
January 14, 2021
I very much liked this book. It was a strange plot something I had never really read before but thought hey why not! It was a quick read and was enjoyable.
May 1, 2014
I was incredibly excited when I found a copy of The Mirk and the Midnight Hour by Jane Nickerson in the "Just Released" section of my local library. I read her previous work, Strands of Bronze and Gold, at the behest of Misty I THINK during a previous Fairy Tale Fortnight and while I didn't absolutely LOVE it, I did enjoy the atmosphere of the novel. I had heard pretty much nothing about The Mirk and the Midnight Hour, but liked enough about that first novel to give this one a go as well. My excitement was pretty much through the roof when I realized it was a Tam Lin retelling set in the South during the Civil War. I love Tam Lin and retellings of it, and I think that period of history is incredibly interesting and rife with potential for story goodness.
I was absolutely not disappointed. This is the story 17-year-old Violet Dancey, a girl from Mississippi who is living during the Civil War. Her twin brother, Rush, has been killed in the war and her father is about to head off into the fighting as well. Her best friend and confidant is a slave girl, Laney, who is also 17 and lives and works in the Dancey home along with her husband and young child. Just as her father leaves for the war, three things happen that change the course of Violet's life. First, her father remarries, bringing into the home her new "sister", the flighty and flirtatious Summer, and a step-mother who is so addicted to laudanum that she is barely there. Second, distant Virginian relatives decide to send her young cousin, Seeley, to Mississippi for safety. And finally, later in the summer, Seeley and Violet discover a wounded Union soldier living in the woods near her home. Her reaction to this discovery is overshadowed only by the realization that someone is caring for this man and that their intentions may not be entirely pure.
Overall, I found this effort from Nickerson really fun and engaging reading. It combined so many disparate things - the historical fiction atmosphere of the Civil War, an exploration of the strength of family bonds, a touch of voodoo, and a splash of Tam Lin -- into a really compelling narrative. It was lighter in tone, overall, than her first work, was hard to put down (I read it in two evenings!) and left me feeling really satisfied once I had finished reading it. (Note: Which isn't to say I wouldn't mind an Epilogue or short story featuring the characters down the road. Jane? Are you listening?)
That is not to say, of course, that it was completely without weakness -- few books are! I actually wanted a bit more of the myth and retelling portion than there was; it seemed to be mostly put into the last portion of the book. Of course if you are familiar with the Tam Lin story, you will know part of how this one ends, but how she gets there is interesting enough to forgive that small weakness. I might need to re-read Tam Lin again to see if there were other references to it (I did note the roses!), but I certainly wouldn't call it the focus of the story. I also thought the use of the magic was interesting, but also not always explained as well as I might have liked. That said, it was mysterious to the narrator, so maybe it was ok to be mysterious to the reader (but what was with the bees...).
All that said, I think some of the criticism I have seen levied in other reviews falls into the "mistakes a writer for her characters" trap that is easy to fall in to. In fact, I think in my previous reading of Strands of Bronze and Gold I may have fallen into this trap a bit. Most notably, some reviews accuse Nickerson of a surface level treatment of the racial issues at play during the Civil War or of the oft-criticized "insta-love". I actually thought both were handled in a pitch perfect way given who the narrator was and where she lived at the time. About the Civil War -- this is an ugly time in America's history and I think that was shown here, but this story also wasn't ABOUT that. It was about Violet's comprehension of what was going on around her, and I imagine that a 17-year-old girl living at the time would have a very different reaction to the War than you or I would now in retrospect. And about the insta-love; I'm as loud of a critic as any, but this didn't feel like that to me. It felt like two people living in a different time were courting and fell for each other very naturally. Yes, it felt like things happened off the page, but that doesn't bother me. It felt like a natural coming together and I was swept away by it.
One major weakness, to me, and something that I think is resulting in some confusion among the readers of this novel is not within the novel itself, but in the summary of the story on the back of the book and on Goodreads. This summary focuses entirely on the romance between Violet and Thomas, which makes people pick this up expecting a romance tale between a Southern girl and a Union soldier. But please know, although there is romance in this story, this is not a tale of romance. It's honestly only barely a Tam Lin story in some ways. To me, what is beautiful about this book is seeing Violet's development within its pages. Seeing her come to understand the War, her family, Seeley; to find her strength, let go of her grief and learn to love and to be loved; that is the strength of this book. Focusing the summary on Thomas alone I think has caused some to be disappointed that he does not appear until almost halfway through the tale. But this is not his story (just like, I would argue, the tale is not Tam Lin's story). It's a story of a girl who is strong enough to hang on and to keep holding on until all the many disparate pieces of her loved ones are pieced back together. And she shows up on the first page.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this book. It was stronger for me than her first effort, while still making the best use of all the things I thought were strong in that novel -- creepy, gothic atmosphere; spunky and intelligent female protagonist; realistic take on the time period in question -- and added to that list some really fun and interesting side characters and a perfect-for-the-time-period romance that I really enjoyed. Violet was a great main character and I would definitely recommend this read.
I was absolutely not disappointed. This is the story 17-year-old Violet Dancey, a girl from Mississippi who is living during the Civil War. Her twin brother, Rush, has been killed in the war and her father is about to head off into the fighting as well. Her best friend and confidant is a slave girl, Laney, who is also 17 and lives and works in the Dancey home along with her husband and young child. Just as her father leaves for the war, three things happen that change the course of Violet's life. First, her father remarries, bringing into the home her new "sister", the flighty and flirtatious Summer, and a step-mother who is so addicted to laudanum that she is barely there. Second, distant Virginian relatives decide to send her young cousin, Seeley, to Mississippi for safety. And finally, later in the summer, Seeley and Violet discover a wounded Union soldier living in the woods near her home. Her reaction to this discovery is overshadowed only by the realization that someone is caring for this man and that their intentions may not be entirely pure.
Overall, I found this effort from Nickerson really fun and engaging reading. It combined so many disparate things - the historical fiction atmosphere of the Civil War, an exploration of the strength of family bonds, a touch of voodoo, and a splash of Tam Lin -- into a really compelling narrative. It was lighter in tone, overall, than her first work, was hard to put down (I read it in two evenings!) and left me feeling really satisfied once I had finished reading it. (Note: Which isn't to say I wouldn't mind an Epilogue or short story featuring the characters down the road. Jane? Are you listening?)
That is not to say, of course, that it was completely without weakness -- few books are! I actually wanted a bit more of the myth and retelling portion than there was; it seemed to be mostly put into the last portion of the book. Of course if you are familiar with the Tam Lin story, you will know part of how this one ends, but how she gets there is interesting enough to forgive that small weakness. I might need to re-read Tam Lin again to see if there were other references to it (I did note the roses!), but I certainly wouldn't call it the focus of the story. I also thought the use of the magic was interesting, but also not always explained as well as I might have liked. That said, it was mysterious to the narrator, so maybe it was ok to be mysterious to the reader (but what was with the bees...).
All that said, I think some of the criticism I have seen levied in other reviews falls into the "mistakes a writer for her characters" trap that is easy to fall in to. In fact, I think in my previous reading of Strands of Bronze and Gold I may have fallen into this trap a bit. Most notably, some reviews accuse Nickerson of a surface level treatment of the racial issues at play during the Civil War or of the oft-criticized "insta-love". I actually thought both were handled in a pitch perfect way given who the narrator was and where she lived at the time. About the Civil War -- this is an ugly time in America's history and I think that was shown here, but this story also wasn't ABOUT that. It was about Violet's comprehension of what was going on around her, and I imagine that a 17-year-old girl living at the time would have a very different reaction to the War than you or I would now in retrospect. And about the insta-love; I'm as loud of a critic as any, but this didn't feel like that to me. It felt like two people living in a different time were courting and fell for each other very naturally. Yes, it felt like things happened off the page, but that doesn't bother me. It felt like a natural coming together and I was swept away by it.
One major weakness, to me, and something that I think is resulting in some confusion among the readers of this novel is not within the novel itself, but in the summary of the story on the back of the book and on Goodreads. This summary focuses entirely on the romance between Violet and Thomas, which makes people pick this up expecting a romance tale between a Southern girl and a Union soldier. But please know, although there is romance in this story, this is not a tale of romance. It's honestly only barely a Tam Lin story in some ways. To me, what is beautiful about this book is seeing Violet's development within its pages. Seeing her come to understand the War, her family, Seeley; to find her strength, let go of her grief and learn to love and to be loved; that is the strength of this book. Focusing the summary on Thomas alone I think has caused some to be disappointed that he does not appear until almost halfway through the tale. But this is not his story (just like, I would argue, the tale is not Tam Lin's story). It's a story of a girl who is strong enough to hang on and to keep holding on until all the many disparate pieces of her loved ones are pieced back together. And she shows up on the first page.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this book. It was stronger for me than her first effort, while still making the best use of all the things I thought were strong in that novel -- creepy, gothic atmosphere; spunky and intelligent female protagonist; realistic take on the time period in question -- and added to that list some really fun and interesting side characters and a perfect-for-the-time-period romance that I really enjoyed. Violet was a great main character and I would definitely recommend this read.
July 26, 2017
Whoa what an interesting turn of events! I picked this up being under the impression that it was loosely based off a fairy tale so I was totally expecting magic. I did get that, but not the way I was expecting at all! What I received was more a historical fiction mixed with Cinderella and some good southern charm with some supernatural properties. A delightful surprise regardless!
So we have this lovely young woman named Violet who has been left in her home with her new stepmother and stepsister while her father goes off to war. Along comes 2 of her cousins to stay for a while. Tending to the younger she ends up finding an injured soldier hidden in a lodge she used to visit as a child. Not just any soldier but a Union one. As a woman who lost her twin brother to the cause she's full of mixed feelings about everything. Who can she really trust?
It's full of interesting characters, a close to home villain, a girl questioning her preconceived notions about the war, the love of enemies, and a child's innocence. Throw in some weird Voodoo and you've got everything you need to know about this book.
So we have this lovely young woman named Violet who has been left in her home with her new stepmother and stepsister while her father goes off to war. Along comes 2 of her cousins to stay for a while. Tending to the younger she ends up finding an injured soldier hidden in a lodge she used to visit as a child. Not just any soldier but a Union one. As a woman who lost her twin brother to the cause she's full of mixed feelings about everything. Who can she really trust?
It's full of interesting characters, a close to home villain, a girl questioning her preconceived notions about the war, the love of enemies, and a child's innocence. Throw in some weird Voodoo and you've got everything you need to know about this book.
July 19, 2014
Thoughts on the Overall Book: After enjoying Strands of Bronze and Gold I was really excited to start another book by Jane Nickerson, and I was not disappointed with The Mirk and Midnight Hour In fact, I think, overall, I liked it better than Strands. It had an awesome atmosphere, creepy themes, and, in my opinion, more likable characters.
Cover--Yea or Nay: Yes! It's a lovely cover, when I got the book from the library I actually just sat and stared at it for several minutes. It's something about the lighting of the picture that I really like :)
Characters: Violet was just the kind of female protagonist I enjoy reading about in historical fiction. She's capable, she's a strong character, but she's not overbearing with an attitude. The reason I liked her more than Sophie from Strands was because she wasn't as trusting and naive as Sophie was. She seemed much more mature and capable of looking after herself and, overall, I liked her a lot more as a protagonist. Thomas was obviously a favorite character. He was quiet and sweet, and just a very gentlemanly guy, and I really loved him. I do kind of wish he had been introduced earlier on in the story, but while reading it, I really didn't notice that I was so far in and it served to get to know the other characters better. I never did like Dorian, I thought he was a jerk and I was glad that Violet, while I think she really wanted to believe he was doing good, never really seemed to. She was never so ready to trust him that she got in trouble for it. Seely on the other hand, I loved. He was such an adorable little boy, and I just wanted to give him a big hug. I LOVED his relationship with Violet. She was so sweet taking care of him like a little brother, and that won her over to me even more. I liked Laney too, who kind of acted as an older sister to Violet, her voice of reason when she needed it. I also really liked Swallow, I thought she was cute, and I thought it was nice how her and Seely became good friends. Violet's stepmother, Miss Elsa, was kind of useless, but she wasn't a terrible character either. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of Sunny. I came to terms with her by the end of the book The VanZeldts are very interesting characters as well. Very mysterious and creepy. I got chills up my spine reading about them. I also liked seeing characters from Strands that made it kind of fun. Because, while it's not really necessary to read this book after Strands if you did read it, you will appreciate the inclusions of certain characters.
The Romance: I really liked the romance between Violet and Thomas. It was sweet, and nice to read. It made you want to see them get together. All issues that occurred were worked out swiftly and without too much trouble.
Writing Style: Again, as with Strands this was really the highlight of the book. Jane Nickerson writes so lovely. She is so suited to historical fiction, that her writing style seems like something authentic to the time period. I'm going to admit right now that the South is not my favorite place in the world, I can appreciate parts of it, but I would rather be other places. The way Jane Nickerson writes it makes it come alive and seem magical. Like old world magic, and I love that about her books. I love when an author can take a place or a setting I'm indifferent to, and make me fall in love with it. The only problem I can mark in her books at all, that really wasn't an issue for me personally, is that they do tend to start out slow. It takes a while to get into the actual plot of the story, but she does that to acquaint the reader with the characters, and that is a mark of an author who cares about the people in her books. Because of this, the reader becomes attached to the characters in turn, and really cares about them and what happens to them. And this is a Tam Lin retelling. Tam Lin is actually one of my favorite ballads, but I have problems with it. If that makes any sense at all. I have long been looking for a retelling I like (I'm actually in the course of writing my own) but this is the first one, in a very unlikely place, that I have loved honestly. Yeah, there's no faeries, which is the main reason I love the ballad in the first place, but incorporating Voodoo and Hoodoo and African folklore was totally awesome, and definitely original. I was very impressed. The illusion to Tam Lin are actually rather subtle, and to catch them, you'll have to know the story well, and I think that made me appreciate it even more at the end. It was creepy and wonderful and I really loved every page of it.
Accuracy/ Believability: The historical accuracy is very believable and sound. I don't know a whole lot about the African folklore talked about here, I don't know a lot about it at all, so I can't say whether that was accurate or not. What I do know about Voodoo and Hoodoo seemed to fit in with this book. Again, not my forte, but I do like keep myself appraised of all things strange and creepy ;)
Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really bothered me in this book, I enjoyed it a lot!
Conclusion: 5 stars. So far my favorite Tam Lin retelling, and another wonderful book by Jane Nickerson. I cannot wait to see what she has in store next!
Recommended Audience: If you love Tam Lin retellings, you have to try this one, because it is so different that it is just really awesome, and I don't think you'll be disappointed! Girl read, ages 15 and up.
Cover--Yea or Nay: Yes! It's a lovely cover, when I got the book from the library I actually just sat and stared at it for several minutes. It's something about the lighting of the picture that I really like :)
Characters: Violet was just the kind of female protagonist I enjoy reading about in historical fiction. She's capable, she's a strong character, but she's not overbearing with an attitude. The reason I liked her more than Sophie from Strands was because she wasn't as trusting and naive as Sophie was. She seemed much more mature and capable of looking after herself and, overall, I liked her a lot more as a protagonist. Thomas was obviously a favorite character. He was quiet and sweet, and just a very gentlemanly guy, and I really loved him. I do kind of wish he had been introduced earlier on in the story, but while reading it, I really didn't notice that I was so far in and it served to get to know the other characters better. I never did like Dorian, I thought he was a jerk and I was glad that Violet, while I think she really wanted to believe he was doing good, never really seemed to. She was never so ready to trust him that she got in trouble for it. Seely on the other hand, I loved. He was such an adorable little boy, and I just wanted to give him a big hug. I LOVED his relationship with Violet. She was so sweet taking care of him like a little brother, and that won her over to me even more. I liked Laney too, who kind of acted as an older sister to Violet, her voice of reason when she needed it. I also really liked Swallow, I thought she was cute, and I thought it was nice how her and Seely became good friends. Violet's stepmother, Miss Elsa, was kind of useless, but she wasn't a terrible character either. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of Sunny. I came to terms with her by the end of the book The VanZeldts are very interesting characters as well. Very mysterious and creepy. I got chills up my spine reading about them. I also liked seeing characters from Strands that made it kind of fun. Because, while it's not really necessary to read this book after Strands if you did read it, you will appreciate the inclusions of certain characters.
The Romance: I really liked the romance between Violet and Thomas. It was sweet, and nice to read. It made you want to see them get together. All issues that occurred were worked out swiftly and without too much trouble.
Writing Style: Again, as with Strands this was really the highlight of the book. Jane Nickerson writes so lovely. She is so suited to historical fiction, that her writing style seems like something authentic to the time period. I'm going to admit right now that the South is not my favorite place in the world, I can appreciate parts of it, but I would rather be other places. The way Jane Nickerson writes it makes it come alive and seem magical. Like old world magic, and I love that about her books. I love when an author can take a place or a setting I'm indifferent to, and make me fall in love with it. The only problem I can mark in her books at all, that really wasn't an issue for me personally, is that they do tend to start out slow. It takes a while to get into the actual plot of the story, but she does that to acquaint the reader with the characters, and that is a mark of an author who cares about the people in her books. Because of this, the reader becomes attached to the characters in turn, and really cares about them and what happens to them. And this is a Tam Lin retelling. Tam Lin is actually one of my favorite ballads, but I have problems with it. If that makes any sense at all. I have long been looking for a retelling I like (I'm actually in the course of writing my own) but this is the first one, in a very unlikely place, that I have loved honestly. Yeah, there's no faeries, which is the main reason I love the ballad in the first place, but incorporating Voodoo and Hoodoo and African folklore was totally awesome, and definitely original. I was very impressed. The illusion to Tam Lin are actually rather subtle, and to catch them, you'll have to know the story well, and I think that made me appreciate it even more at the end. It was creepy and wonderful and I really loved every page of it.
Accuracy/ Believability: The historical accuracy is very believable and sound. I don't know a whole lot about the African folklore talked about here, I don't know a lot about it at all, so I can't say whether that was accurate or not. What I do know about Voodoo and Hoodoo seemed to fit in with this book. Again, not my forte, but I do like keep myself appraised of all things strange and creepy ;)
Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really bothered me in this book, I enjoyed it a lot!
Conclusion: 5 stars. So far my favorite Tam Lin retelling, and another wonderful book by Jane Nickerson. I cannot wait to see what she has in store next!
Recommended Audience: If you love Tam Lin retellings, you have to try this one, because it is so different that it is just really awesome, and I don't think you'll be disappointed! Girl read, ages 15 and up.
September 25, 2020
This was a creative retelling of the Tam Lin fable. Set in the South during the Civil War, with a mixture of voodoo, romance, family drama, war and violence this was a dramatic version.
Violet was an interesting, multi-layered character. She was strong and smart, but had worries and fears. Violet had a lot of responsibility, and sometimes felt overwhelmed. Once she met Thomas her world turned upside down. She fell deeply in love, and began a smaller scale war of her own to save him.
The VanZeldts were highly intriguing characters. Mysterious, spooky and almost otherworldly, they were almost a more sinister villain to Violet than the Union.
The pacing could be slow, and the plot did occasionally get bogged down in unnecessary detail. Also, the level of gore and gruesome elements could be excessive. It wasn't consistent, but it ran through the book and made it hard to read at times. These are the reasons for my low two star rating.
Overall a creative retelling.
Violet was an interesting, multi-layered character. She was strong and smart, but had worries and fears. Violet had a lot of responsibility, and sometimes felt overwhelmed. Once she met Thomas her world turned upside down. She fell deeply in love, and began a smaller scale war of her own to save him.
The VanZeldts were highly intriguing characters. Mysterious, spooky and almost otherworldly, they were almost a more sinister villain to Violet than the Union.
The pacing could be slow, and the plot did occasionally get bogged down in unnecessary detail. Also, the level of gore and gruesome elements could be excessive. It wasn't consistent, but it ran through the book and made it hard to read at times. These are the reasons for my low two star rating.
Overall a creative retelling.
December 15, 2017
Actual rating maybe 3.5? It wasn't my favorite but I didn't hate it.
August 19, 2018
It might just be me... but I feel some underlying racist tones here.
March 10, 2016
I don't remember exactly when I first took notice of The Mirk and Midnight Hour. But you know how you see a car you really like and then you see it everywhere? That's what happened with this book. I wasn't sold on the description because I'm not big on historical fiction... It's also a retelling, which is one of my favorite things ever, but I'd never heard of the fairy tale it's based on. But once I saw the cover I kept seeing it EVERYWHERE! Finally, I just gave in and decided to give it a listen.
This is the story of Violet Dancey and her Union soldier, Thomas... and it's a slow one. In fact, the soldier doesn't even come into the picture until halfway through the (really long) book! Despite that, these two characters were very enjoyable, as was the romance.
Violet has grown up in the South and has lost her brother to the war already when her father also goes off to fight. She is left with her new stepmother and stepsister, Sunny, along with her cousins unexpected houseguests. Violet is a strong protagonist who stands up for what she believes in and, even more importantly, is not afraid to change her opinions with new information. Thomas is an injured soldier when Violet first meets him and is completely at her mercy. Over a long enough period of time that it doesn't seem unbelievable, they get to know each other and eventually fall in love.
Then there are other characters... Sunny is a dimwitted moron who lets people walk all over her while simultaneously being a bully. She is such a doormat that she commits a huge offense against her loved ones that really made me want to slap her in her dumb, blonde face. Dorian is the smooth-talking cousin who you kind of know is no good from the very moment he's introduced. His character is convincingly despicable and he works well within the story as a big bad. The relationship between Sunny and Dorian is infuriating, but it's realistic enough.
I felt like the world building in this novel was sufficient, but it definitely could have been better. There was a lot of potential for amazing descriptions with all the different settings within the book. While I was able to picture some of them based on the description provided, there were other things (like the main house) that I never got a clear image of.
The story itself was interesting, but it didn't WOW me at all. Like I've already said, it was very slow. Most audiobooks are very quick to listen to, but this one seemed to drag. Honestly, though, I'd say it read about the same as some other historical romance novels I've tried. The voodoo, which I'm guessing somehow tied into the fairy tale this retelling, seemed very strange and never quite explained all the way. I'd actually say that this might have been an even better story without that added element. It honestly just seemed a little strange within what was basically a civil war historical forbidden romance story.
I do think that this was still a pretty enjoyable read. Despite being very slow to start, I did like the story. I just think that it could have been better as an original historical romance. This obviously isn't my genre and I was probably just the wrong person to read this in the first place. I'd definitely recommend it to fans of historical romance and (probably) fans of the fairy tale of Tam Lin.
September 28, 2016
I read this book on the recommendation from my library's digital collection "Books you may also like" section. This book was okay. I love historical fiction, I have an obsession with the Voodon/ Voodoo/ Hoodoo culture, so I mean the topics were spot on.
It's an okay book. I don't think it was as thrilling as I'd hoped. The romance was a little hokey, but overall it was a decent story to pass the time.
Be forewarned that it is a slow mover. I think it took me until the last 50 pages to actually get into the story.
It's an okay book. I don't think it was as thrilling as I'd hoped. The romance was a little hokey, but overall it was a decent story to pass the time.
Be forewarned that it is a slow mover. I think it took me until the last 50 pages to actually get into the story.
December 20, 2022
"Just at the mirk and midnight hour, the fairy folk will ride."This book was such a surprise, because I really got wrapped in it. Since I didn't like it's predecessor, "Strands of Bronze and Gold" much, I was not particularly excited for this novel, but the dark, Southern gothic feel of this novel really pulled me in. Violet is a much more likable character, and I could fully get her and sympathize with her. I liked her evolution during the novel and how strong and determined she was. The secondary characters were also interesting and most of them very likable. The romance was a welcome touch, it was built naturally and although it dominated the plot for a while, it was necessary and added a lightness to the story.
I also liked that the author added not only a supernatural, fairytale-like antagonist but a human one as well and I actually liked him more than I did the actual 'villains' of the whole thing, mainly because that particular threat felt much more real and terrifying and in that particular time period, it was something awfully common. Also because I don't like that, although bringing slavery and racism to the table, the author still villanifyed African cultures and religions, while it would have been much more interesting to explore it and shed a more positive light on it.
Overall, I felt like it was a stronger, better novel and more interesting than the first volume of this series. The pace was a little slow and the main plot started being developed halfway through the book, but I liked the build-up and getting to know the characters and the setting.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
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