The Celtic Curse: Banshee

by D.J. Doyle

WINNER of the GOLDEN SQUIRREL AWARD for BEST HORROR in 2017

A young gypsy woman is murdered for falling in love with the son of an Irish clan leader.
She curses the men responsible and their bloodline. For generations, the Banshee seeks revenge on the men of the clan by slaying them and anyone else who gets in her way.

Present day London; Sean realises his son, Kevin, is in danger of becoming the Banshee’s next victim. He travels to Dublin to investigate the origin of the curse.
There he learns that an ancient heritage site holds the key to defeating the curse.

Can he also discover what he must do to save his son’s life and break the curse that has been haunting his family for generations?

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mythology

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2015

About the author

D.J. Doyle was raised by pot-smoking hippies and spent her days worshipping pagan deities in the HellFire Club and her nights watching horror movies and reading horror books. She now lives with her family in a treehouse, preying on unsuspecting travellers, and where she likes nothing better than coming up with ideas for new stories and plotting her next novel. Some of this might have been made up. To learn more about D.J. Doyle, her website can be found at http://djdoyleauthor.com and her official Facebook author page is https://www.facebook.com/DJDoyleAuthor/

Reviews

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't live with them, can't kill them. If you do, you risk having her come back as an incorporeal hag wailing and yelling at you for the rest of your short life, death would be a relief wouldn't it guys?
This short novel was a pleasure. I've always be fascinated by folklore and mythology from the British Isles and Europe. I loved everything about this book, and I especially enjoyed the ending, being the sick bastard that I am.
I live in Canada, and as far as I know, we don't exactly have a whole lot of "fun" beasties running around. Sure we have our share of ghosts, aside from that we have Bigfoot, woohoo, just stay out of the dense forests in the West and you shouldn't have a problem. Across the pond there are a plethora (I read too much, to actually know what that word means) of fey, spirits, leprechaun's and other creatures to terrorize children and adults alike, all of which can be used to create wonderful horror stories.
Kudos to the author, I'm looking forward to your next two books set in the Emerald Isle.

[Nikki Landis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not one for horror. I usually skip over the genre thinking I will find little to keep my attention. This book peeked my interest when I discovered it had a paranormal theme.

The Celtic Curse: Banshee was an interesting, fun, and nail biting adventure. Although I enjoyed the entire book, including the historic references, locations, and stories; I found the descriptive language and scenes the most engaging. For someone who does not read the genre, I was fascinated by the horror, spine chilling events, and rich description.

For me, the details about the deaths and the background of the characters added to the enjoyment of the novel. I like to feel connected, at least to some small degree, and the author does not disappoint. Twists and turns throughout the book, including an epic ending, left me wanting more. There was plenty of detail and description about Irish heritage which I found fascinating. Just when I thought I knew how the story was progressing, the story would take a different turn. It kept me guessing, which I also liked.

All in all, a fantastic story and I'm keen to read more from this author. A solid 5/5 stars.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 reading challenge ( classic ghost story/ modern twist)
First of all, I read very few ghost stories, but I'm trying to expand my reading this year. Anyways, a long long time ago a gypsy girl was murdered, and she cursed the families of the men who killed her. Now in present day , the Banshee is back for revenge.
I'm not up to date in Irish folklore. But this one was interesting to say the least. It made me think. For example, if your parents warned you not to procreate with someone from a certain race or else you would activate the curse, would you listen? Nope. I probably wouldn't. And the characters made this story. Conversations about drinking mugs of vomit and a man eating his own funeral food! Hilarious. Some of the great stuff I know Doyle adds to flavor a story. Plus, I loved the ending. Yeah, because I'm morbid

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliciously creepy.

'The Celtic Curse: Banshee" tells the story of the origins and then the conclusion of one family's experience of a banshee's curse. Perfect for lovers of the gothic and the macabre, this tale is permeated by plenty of classic horror, superstition and dark supernatural power, which are in part balanced by the normality of the central characters who unwittingly fall under the curse.

I found this short book to be perfect reading for a stormy late September afternoon, given that both Friday 13th and Halloween are approaching.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixing fact with fiction, D.J. Doyle has created quite an interesting historical horror novel. You can read my full review here... https://horrornovelreviews.com/2016/1...

[Richard Crofton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of this story itself is fantastic. I like the author's creativity in coming up with the detailed background to the story and the origin of the curse. The excellent use of imagery gave quite a chilling mood during the scenes with the banshee, and I literally felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise when the characters experienced the same effect. Well done!

I do love how Part One first unfolds the history of the curse, but I think the unfolding happened a little quickly. I think if would've been better to allow the relationship between Fionn and Keela to develop a little further in order to build the suspense and tension between him and his father, as well as a growing tension between Tierney and Donal which would more realistically lead up to the decision to employ the services of Fintan. Everything in Part One seemed to transpire a little prematurely. Perhaps it's because I was enjoying the characters, especially Keela, quite well, and was not yet ready to leave 17th Century Ireland when Part One ended.

The same can be said of Part Two. There is very little of an opening incident. Sean, who previously didn't believe in such things, sees a shadow, Kevin has a night terror and says "Banshee," and the next thing you know, Sean's off to Ireland to find a way to stop the curse. Things are decided just a little too quickly to seem like realistic reactions to such a situation. The story is very creative and captivating, but I feel like things unfold just too quickly.

Character development is also a little shallow. I think the author did extremely well with Keela, Michael, and Stephen, but the rest of the characters in this story just lacked in being able to grasp any type of reader/character relating.

I won't allow for any spoilers in this review so I will not be specific here, but I didn't like the ending. How things play out is the author's choice of course, but I personally was left with this feeling of, once discovering the conclusion, wasting my time??? I hate to sound so harsh, but I'm being honest. It felt like I could've read all of Part One, the first chapter of Part Two, and then skipped to the last chapter of Part Two, and would have been just fine in understanding the theme and content of the story. Everything in between the first and last chapters of Part Two has been made skip-able because of the ending. BUT, and there is a but: this is most likely because of my personal preferences. I just like stories like this to end a certain way (again I can't elaborate on this because I don't wish to give away any spoilers), so I do not fault the author for her choice in how to conclude this story. The chapters in between the first and last may have, in retrospect, seemed skip-able to me, but those chapters are still thorough and provide interesting information about the beauties of Irish culture, and during my journey through those chapters, I enjoyed them...loved them. It made me want to visit Ireland, whereas before picking up this book, I never had a desire to do so previously.

Finally, I found quite a bit of run-on and fragmented sentences, along with grammatical errors from time to time. These issues don't impede the readability of this story, but it is clear that the book lacked an editor, something which I was told was a must when trying to self-publish my own novel. Regardless, having been an English teacher for ten years, it's hard for me not to notice every error. I try not to allow that to taint my opinion on a story, especially when the creativity of the work holds much more worth than conventions.

Regardless of these minor issues, I'd say the story as a whole is definitely worth reading, and I so enjoyed the ride. The author does connect each individual event and occurrence within the plot quite well, giving one a strong desire to refrain from putting the book down and keep reading. The story's background and originality, as well as the vivid imagery, are the books strongest aspects. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good ghost story. Thank you, Ms. Doyle, for making me a little nervous about turning off my lights in the house at night when I had finished reading it ha ha!

[Ramona Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Celtic Curse, written by D. J. Doyle, is a well written and dark story. I found it very refreshing that the author picked a topic that is not very often written about, and did an excellent job developing this story. It is unique and brings something new to the table. I truly enjoyed reading about some Irish mythology that is fascinating and should definitely be more written about. The plot is well developed and has some interesting twists hidden within, some I did not see coming and some that actually upset me. The ending was surprising and took a complete turn on me, and no I don't give away spoilers. It speaks for the author when you actually feel bad for the "monster", in this case the Banshee, but reading how the banshee came about made the difference!

Sean is not your typical hero but rises to the occasion. He is extremely likable and definitely a person who could exist in real life. Without any idea on what he gets himself into, he does what he knows he must do to save his son. The book follows a good pace and follows his journey to discover what he must do to save his loved ones.

This book is definitely not what I expected and did not end on how I thought it would. The author did an excellent job with this book and I can only recommend it to fellow readers. I enjoyed it even more since it covers banshees, who are not commonly covered and I don't really know much about. It was great to learn a little more about them in this book, but they are still quite the mystery.

I have received this book from the author for an honest review.

[Joshua Landeros · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a fan of horror, both as film and books. I’m glad to say this story definitely gave me the vibe of a classic. The book has a nice ‘running-against-the-clock’ pace to it that I enjoyed quite a bit. Any scene that involved the titular banshee was just pain awesome and left me with goosebumps. Also, I wouldn’t call myself a gorehound by any means, but those death scenes were great and did not hold back. The right amount of violence serves a horror well and I must say I would not want to run into this angry spirit. I mention this because lately in these paranormal ghost/demon possession films I feel they play it too safe.
I also adored the characters and would without a doubt vote for Brendan as the most entertaining of them. He manages to fit in humor in a really dark story, which was quite the surprise. Overall, I really liked that we got a sense of everyone’s backstory. It helped give impact to the story.
My only real complaint was that Part Two kind of just jumped right into the action so to speak. I was expecting a bit more build-up, but it doesn’t really hinder the story because you get invested in the dilemma very effectively. I definitely recommend this book.
Last thing, no spoilers, but damn did I enjoy that ending! A ballsy climax is something that I always appreciate and this story nailed it!

[Andrew Ferrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle Readers, I know it has been some time since my last review. I have been terribly busy and I apologize for that. Let's dive into this one shall we?

This story has love, betrayal, murder, supernatural curses, and eventually, a seeking of redemption. The beginning is great in that it gives us some background on the Banshee and why she is doing the haunting she is. I feel this was rushed quite a bit. Her becoming a banshee could almost have been a novel (or at least a novella) all on its own.

Fast forward many generations and finally the bloodline is linked strongly enough to its Irish roots in order for her to come back with enough power to enact revenge again. This begins a race against time before the Banshee takes her next victim. Again, to me this was rushed a bit. There is also some tension, and one not so mild sexual scene, that seemed gratuitous and forced. Perhaps there was more to this storyline that made the scene/tension less "WOW, Here I am". If so, I think it was lost to the editing floor.

Overall I thought it an enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing what the author does with their next work.

[Roma Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the first few pages of this book, I was blown away by the writing style. It painted the mood instantly of the events and times of the place (several hundred years back in Ireland). I actually went back and re-read the first page about three times trying to figure out why these pages struck such a cord with me. Such vibrant writing. Particularly on the first part which is amazing because that was about the old times when the curse is placed on the family. It can't be easy crafting a convincing story around times long since past. But the author was very successful on this point. I think it was because it painted such a haunting mood and you really connected with the characters. Right up my alley

The book doesn't remain in the olden days, it advances to modern times where the family is trying to find a way to stop the curse. No spoilers here, except to say it was a fun adventure. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Lucretia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I loved this book. We start with a pretty intense set-up, though it serves the story. Leave it to D.J. Doyle to make me sympathize with a Banshee. I was all for the curse, serves them right and then I meet the modern day people it will affect and my heart was torn between wanting the Banshee to get her vengeance and not wanting these innocent people to get... dead.

As Sean heads to Ireland to get to the bottom of his family curse and save his son's life the story begins to unfold, danger picks up, and the tension tightens its hold on you. The details give a stunning vivid picture that is painted with a moody stratosphere, dripping in history and legend.

That end! Perfect. Just Perfect. Get this. Now.

[Joseph Cautilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and get asked to review many books. Most I avoid writing about. Then there are the ones that charm. This is one of those gems. While, I normally don’t read ghost stories, this one grabbed at me. I found myself drawn to the curse Claire, Sean, Alexander, Steven and Father David try to stop. It is an excellent read of a tale that starts in an old Irish village. Showing how one becomes a banshee and then shooting to modern times in Ireland. Primarily a tale of revenge with deeply realistic characters, I felt the race toward the climax, as the group try to defeat the banshee and bury the remains on holy ground. Relentless and suspenseful, this book is well paced with a lot of great action, which takes you by surprise even to the shocking ending.

[Susi Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a chilling story of a 17th century gypsy curse, laid on the the perpetrators of a cruel rape and murder, which visits their descendents through the generations to the present day. A 'sins-of-the-fathers' premise which is scary because it haunts perfectly innocent people in the future who, once they realise its existence, can't seem to discover how to stop it. Or do they? (No spoilers!) This was full of interesting celtic folklore, plenty of storytelling, and characters I could sympathise with. For me, it could have done with a bit more action and a bit more polish, but overall a good read for fans of this genre

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Celtic Curse: Banshee. First off let me start by saying that this was my first book by this author, so I did't know what to expect. The story line was fantastic, with just the right amount of plot twist, and a strong ending. However, I like a little more descriptive gore in my horror. Gore isn't for everyone, and if your not into the gut wrenching stuff, this is a perfect book. Even though Banshee didn't fill my craving for gruesome horror, it kept my attention, and I couldn't put it down. This is one of those books that you just can't walk away from.

[Angelina Kalahari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this chilling tale of an Irish gypsy casting a curse on her rapists and murderers. Her words continue to affect the future generations of these cruel men. Once the innocent generation understand what's happening, we follow along breathlessly as they try to stop the ghostly spectre before they find themselves in mortal peril.

I love the inclusion of Irish folklore and myth and readers of the genre will enjoy this book as much as I did, I'm sure.

[Rebecca Bryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A generations-old gypsy curse is threatening an Irish family living in England. To save his son, Sean must travel to his ancestral home and right a wrong. This is an intriguing and fascinating tale of the Banshee that held my attention to the shocking end.

[B.A. Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of an ancient curse and modern day man set in Ireland and England. I got absorbed in the characters and read it during the weekend to take my mind off the August English rain. It's a very readable and entertaining debut novel with a bit of horror & not too gory.

[Emma Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A centuries old curse, cold-blooded murder, a folklore spirit... I very much enjoyed this book from an author who is completely new to me. I really liked the mythology elements in it, being especially interested in Celtic mythology. I look forward to reading more by D.J. Doyle

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5-A fast paced novel involving a family curse stemming from a tainted bloodline. It’s pretty hard to top the second CC installment, NEWGRANGE, which was spoiled with blood, history, and suspense. If you were as fascinated with that read as I was, then Doyle will be able to lure you in with her humorous and thrilling character development, as well as her picturesque entries involving Dublin.

[Dee Darby · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? Another great story by DJ Doyle.
I love her writing style and learning about different legends etc. They story flowed nice and easily like all her other books.
If you’ve not read any of her books yet I definitely recommend you get started!

[Tracey Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a historical horror story. Good characters and interesting story, but it is a bit predictable and written in a rather simplistic style. I read the entire book in one night.

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts with explaining the Banshee curse in with fantastically gruesome detail, just as a horror should. It then goes on to tell Sean, Kevin and Brendans journey to save Kevins life. Filled with horror, laughter, suspense and a bit of romance this was the best horror I've read in a long time and I think the only hor com lol. Very well written and highly amusing at times, hide behind the chair at others, on the edge of your seat and biting your nails while all the time turning the page as quick as you can read to find out what happens. Highly recommend especially to fans of horrors, suspense and comedy!! Huge well done to the author for a fantastic read and hope to hear about more books from you!! x

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book because it gave me everything I wanted in a horror book. Creepy settings and a feeling of something is not right.

The setup went a little long for my taste because the author needed to describe the clans and lineage for nearly every character. However, since it is a plot point of the book, I rolled with that. That being said, once the plot gets going the characters themselves are consistent and interesting through out the novel.

The descriptions of death are at time ferocious which I enjoyed. The first act is scary and the third act is wonderfully paced. Most important to me is I felt like characters made thoughtful decisions with the information they had. I saw no “this is a horror book, so let’s make some bad decisions” trope.

The settings are both subtly described, but fully fleshed out. I found the historic one is more interesting than the current day as it felt death could come from anywhere not just the Banshee. The modern day Ireland was fully realized and I felt if I could walk the streets of Dublin with the characters.

[Marsha Ceniceros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Twist on The Banshee Legend

Author, D.J. Doyle storytelling will hook the reader within the first chapter. This enchanting tale of the Banshee and knowing of past tales of the Banshee and how she came about is fascinating. Romance, suspense, fear, which leads to ultimate, surprise. The Banshee can appear in a variety of forms. Perhaps most often she is seen as an ugly, frightful hag, but she can also appear as young and beautiful if she chooses. The Banshee’s scream is a folklore whose scream was an omen of death. Her thin scream is referred to as “caoine,” which translates to “keening.” The history I did read on this subject Banshee in the past, is said that a banshee’s cry predicts the death of a member of one of Ireland’s five major families. The Book, Banshee “The Celtic Curse, is an interesting read that I enjoyed, the ending chapter definitely was a shock! I suggest the book for older teens, a tad graphic in some areas, however, I can’t express enough how this book took you by surprise toward the end. I wanted to scream out! Now that’s a good read, therefore, recommending this book is my honest opinion.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start for a good author. I found the story well written and the characters felt real. I can sympathize with Sean, being a dad myself and wanting to keep your family safe no matter what the cost. I especially like the unusual characters Sean came across in the Travelers' camps In Ireland. Fast paced, and I loved the Irish folklore. If I found a drawback I think it would be that in some places her descriptions of things were a bit generic. Not everywhere. As a whole the story was very good, very well written. It's just that in some areas, some of the more graphic scenes of peoples' deaths, I was left wanting just a bit more description to help complete my mental picture of the events as they were happening. But that is just my personal preference. Unfortunately I can't be more specific without giving some of the story away, which I don't want to do. As the author grows in her craft, her many books to come will, I'm sure, top even this one. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-structured story with very likeable characters, especially the grandfather who made me laugh a few times (you have to be Irish to fully get the stereotypical character). And there were times I felt the hairs on my neck tingle…no book has ever made me do that before. It was very easy to visualise the surroundings and characters without too much thought from the reader. Being from Dublin myself, I was well acquainted with all the locations and liked the spin that was put on the tale of the Banshee by using a well-known heritage site and the relics there to contribute to the story. The author has developed a new concept of how the Banshee came to be…which I thoroughly enjoyed. A very original storyline. The author rarely filled the pages with drivel so it kept my attention. I would highly recommend this book even for those who may not like horror. It’s harrowing but not despicably gruesome. I hope to see more from this author…..

Would love to see this as a movie!

[Toneye Eyenot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome tale of revenge from the grave by DJ Doyle. Steeped in Irish folklore, the story begins in 17th century Ireland with a gypsy curse before bouncing forward a few chapters later to present day England. The curse of the Banshee weakens over the generations but comes back as the bloodlines are rekindled. What follows is a frantic quest of one man to save his only son from the curse he has inherited, taking him back to Ireland to put the curse to rest once and for all.
Doyle has a brilliant writing style, filled with good ol’ Irish charm. Her grasp on the folklore is evidently sound and the storytelling captured my imagination, keeping me engrossed in the rich tapestry weaved throughout the tale. If you are a fan of supernatural Horror and Celtic folklore, you don’t wanna pass this up. Highly recommended!

[S.K. Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a Young gypsy girl is murdered it sparks a curse on a family, killing the men when they come of age. In the present day, Sean and his son Kevin are the latest in the bloodline. The Banshee has returned and it after Kevin. Sean flies to Dublin for answers. This was a good story and I liked the idea of the origin for the Banshee. Full of Irish lore and mythology, this was an enjoyable book that I would recommend.

[James Marquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised and pleased at what a rich reading experience this book turned out to be. It begins hundreds of years in the past and then settles into a story that takes place in modern day England and Ireland. It's scary and sexy and packed with interesting information about those places and the people who live there. If you like thoughtful, full blooded horror this novel should be a real treat.

[Ginny Clyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazingly written horror story! I loved every bit of the story, right from where it starts. It delves into romance, betrayal, suspense and fear with just a touch of sadness. The tale behind the banshee is absolutely fascinating!

It is hard to describe this book without spoiling the plot but trust me when I say that this is one of the best horror reads you will across. The ending was classic horror style...shocking and keeps you wondering if the Banshee is truly gone...