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Four Kings
***For fans of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children & Pan's Labyrinth***
A NOIR MURDER MYSTERY.
AN ASYLUM STORY.
A DARK FAIRYTALE....
New Orleans, 1945. After a terrible hurricane devastates the city, fourteen-year-old Anaïs Reynard wakes up in an asylum with a case of amnesia. Dr. Waters, the hospital's prestigious director, vows to help Anaïs recover her memories -- this is of the utmost importance, he tells her, because Anaïs is the sole witness to a terrible crime. On the night of the hurricane, her stepfather and only living guardian was shot. A young black man has been arrested, and Anaïs finds herself under pressure from the district attorney to testify. Anaïs wants to help, but a strange feeling nags at her. She isn't entirely sure the man on trial is guilty, and she doesn't know who she can trust.
Then, one night, she receives an eerie, surreal visit from a dapper man with the head of a fox who entrusts her with an ornate key that unlocks a secret door to the land of the Four Kings. Like Alice before her, Anaïs follows this curiously genteel animal down the rabbit hole to discover a magical yet fraught world of not-quite-human creatures. As Anaïs navigates the political minefields of each king's court -- Raven, Lion, Snake, and Unicorn -- her bravery and resolve are tested.
With each shocking twist and turn, and as fantasy and reality blur, Anaïs begins to unlock the riddle of her own memories, a trail that leads from Nazi-occupied Europe and her mother all the way to post-war New Orleans, and the very night her stepfather was shot.
Please visit www.4KingsNovel.com for more...
A NOIR MURDER MYSTERY.
AN ASYLUM STORY.
A DARK FAIRYTALE....
New Orleans, 1945. After a terrible hurricane devastates the city, fourteen-year-old Anaïs Reynard wakes up in an asylum with a case of amnesia. Dr. Waters, the hospital's prestigious director, vows to help Anaïs recover her memories -- this is of the utmost importance, he tells her, because Anaïs is the sole witness to a terrible crime. On the night of the hurricane, her stepfather and only living guardian was shot. A young black man has been arrested, and Anaïs finds herself under pressure from the district attorney to testify. Anaïs wants to help, but a strange feeling nags at her. She isn't entirely sure the man on trial is guilty, and she doesn't know who she can trust.
Then, one night, she receives an eerie, surreal visit from a dapper man with the head of a fox who entrusts her with an ornate key that unlocks a secret door to the land of the Four Kings. Like Alice before her, Anaïs follows this curiously genteel animal down the rabbit hole to discover a magical yet fraught world of not-quite-human creatures. As Anaïs navigates the political minefields of each king's court -- Raven, Lion, Snake, and Unicorn -- her bravery and resolve are tested.
With each shocking twist and turn, and as fantasy and reality blur, Anaïs begins to unlock the riddle of her own memories, a trail that leads from Nazi-occupied Europe and her mother all the way to post-war New Orleans, and the very night her stepfather was shot.
Please visit www.4KingsNovel.com for more...
434 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2016
5 people are currently reading
1290 people want to read
About the author
M.D. Elster
1 book22 followersM.D. Elster is a mysterious hybrid creature, part bestselling author of traditionally published adult literary fiction and part fashion savvy autodidactic visual artist. Elster’s dual souls live and work in New York City.
Visit www.MDElster.com
Visit www.MDElster.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 6, 2018
One night – in 1945, long before Harvey, long before Katrina – a hurricane came to New Orleans. A tree fell on a house, a girl was injured – and a man, the girl's stepfather, was shot. As Macbeth says, "It was a rough night".
The girl, 14-year-old Anaïs Reynard, wakes up in an asylum, and soon learns that she is the only witness to her stepfather's shooting. He's not dead, but he's still unconscious, and Anaïs is needed to testify so that the person they have in custody can be put away. Unfortunately, she remembers nothing, and so undergoes intensive daily therapy to try to bring the memories back. The doctor keeps talking about electroshock therapy, which has the girl desperate to dredge up something. (I couldn't help wondering if she should have been as terrified by the prospect of electroshock as she was. Were the probable terrible effects known in 1945?)
Anaïs begins to see a strange man about the asylum – very strange: he is a man with the head of a fox. One night she chases him through the halls, clutching a key that she found in her bed, and ends up letting herself through a door in the basement, emerging into a landscape that does not belong to New Orleans: the Land of the Four Kings. Her pursuit of the fox-man leads her to a glade filled with animal-headed people; come to find out, the fox led her there on purpose. Human girls are being found dead and drained of blood in this land, human blood having powerful properties, and the fox – Mr. Fletcher – hopes that she will be the key to finding out who's responsible. (That never really made solid sense to me.)
I started the book expecting to be blown away by a surreal, darkly beautiful tale; something about the description warned me that this was a book with claws, which would leave marks. Well … a few folk in the book have claws, but really this was a rather earnest cross between Alice in Wonderland and Nancy Drew. There were aspects of the correlations between the world of the asylum and the fantasy world that I liked: the echoes in the animal-headed people to the background cast of Anaïs's life; things like the "Hall of Chequers" when "only hours earlier I was watching my fellow asylum patients play this very game" – basically, the more subtle touches. It was when the book came right out and told me "hey! Look at the parallel!" that I was put off. "She reminds me of Colette". OK. Thanks for spelling it out.
From very early on, I had a prime suspect in both the human world – and very shortly after, based on Anaïs's reactions, in the fantasy world. It seemed obvious, though obviously not to the book's characters. I can't say I was right – but I can say that I was absolutely manipulated into being wrong. (At one point Anaïs states that one person is beyond suspicion, so I immediately suspected that person more than anyone.) Based on the way the characters were described by the narrator there was no way I could have guessed the truth. In other words, the author didn't play entirely fair.
I wish there had been hints scattered somewhere in the text as to whether Anaïs is really slipping away into this fantastical world, or whether it's all a stress-and-terror-induced hallucination. Something that happens to her in the other world is referenced in the asylum, but it's shrugged off by Anaïs and ignored by everyone else; just once I wanted someone to remark on her grass-stained clothes or scratched-up feet.
I was also a bit disappointed in how easily Anaïs adapts to others' suspicions in both worlds. Jules, with whom she had a budding romance in this human world, is the person under arrest for shooting her stepfather? Oh. Gosh, I wouldn't expect him to have done it. Oh well. Someone she began to like and trust in the Land of the Four Kings is about to be executed for the killings there? Oh. Never saw that coming. Oh well.
In the writer's very brief biography she (she?) boasts of being a best-selling traditionally-published writer, and it surprised me. There was a lot about the writing in this book that smacked of a much less experienced writer: painful homophones, weird almost-right words ("I can still smell the shaving lather that was inevitably washed from his face only minutes earlier" – inevitably?), tense slips, wrong pronoun use, too-close echoes of phrases – and, most of all, absolutely improbable vocabulary from a fourteen year-old girl in 1945. The girl knowledgeably talks about extroverts and body language and the dynamics of her relationships and air molecules and adrenaline…
At one point she talks about being able to identify the killer in the real world – when, in fact, no one was killed in the real world. And I'm pretty sure that you can't tourniquet a chest wound, as Anaïs helps to do at one point.
(I don't even want to talk about "collared greens".)
The girl readily identifies all the animals represented in the fantasy world: the basics like owls and rabbits and ravens were believable to me, but I question whether this 40's teenaged girl would be able to pick out a civet or a Rhesus macaque (I couldn't, and I grew up with Wild Animal Cards). I'm not even sure a girl who grew up in Bavaria and only recently came to the US via England would know a cougar from a panther.
And it's just odd that the idea of animal-headed people is tossed out there, but little real detail is given. These folks stand about with wine glasses – but how do they drink from them? For that matter, how do they speak? At one point a "troop of children" is mentioned, but absolutely no description is given. Do they age like human children, needing supervision for several years, or are they like animal young, able to run within a short time of birth? And how did the Old Cwen, a harpy with the head of an elderly woman, give birth to the Young Cwen, who is a sphinx? (I could absolutely be wrong, but I don't remember harpies being any part of Egyptian mythology; they're Greek, no?) It's not vital to the plot, any of this – but it's an interesting gimmick, and I wish there had been more depth to it.
One moment struck a deeply odd chord with me, as an ermine-headed female is depicted "in the middle of the stage in a very tight, low-cut silk robe, singing into a microphone. …She is, in her own curious, animal-headed fashion, very sexy." And all I could think of was Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday" to JFK. I wonder if that was intentional.
Anyway. The book did not live up to the fascinating, creepy-cool animal-head images scattered throughout the book. I really wish it had. Disappointing. And ... well, was there a reason that the Raven King's image (used on the cover) is a manipulation of a famous photo of Edwin Booth? It's in the public domain, it seems, but ... I don't know. I'd like for there to be some sense to it.
One final note on something which people seem to get wrong more and more often, and it drives me insane: Please, please, please, anyone who is writing anything, I'm begging you to learn the difference between "lay" and "lie". You lie down. You don't lay down. Unless you're laying something down, or it's past tense, "lay" is wrong. You lay your book on the table. When you go to bed you lie down. Yesterday you lay down. At least pretend to care.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
The girl, 14-year-old Anaïs Reynard, wakes up in an asylum, and soon learns that she is the only witness to her stepfather's shooting. He's not dead, but he's still unconscious, and Anaïs is needed to testify so that the person they have in custody can be put away. Unfortunately, she remembers nothing, and so undergoes intensive daily therapy to try to bring the memories back. The doctor keeps talking about electroshock therapy, which has the girl desperate to dredge up something. (I couldn't help wondering if she should have been as terrified by the prospect of electroshock as she was. Were the probable terrible effects known in 1945?)
Anaïs begins to see a strange man about the asylum – very strange: he is a man with the head of a fox. One night she chases him through the halls, clutching a key that she found in her bed, and ends up letting herself through a door in the basement, emerging into a landscape that does not belong to New Orleans: the Land of the Four Kings. Her pursuit of the fox-man leads her to a glade filled with animal-headed people; come to find out, the fox led her there on purpose. Human girls are being found dead and drained of blood in this land, human blood having powerful properties, and the fox – Mr. Fletcher – hopes that she will be the key to finding out who's responsible. (That never really made solid sense to me.)
I started the book expecting to be blown away by a surreal, darkly beautiful tale; something about the description warned me that this was a book with claws, which would leave marks. Well … a few folk in the book have claws, but really this was a rather earnest cross between Alice in Wonderland and Nancy Drew. There were aspects of the correlations between the world of the asylum and the fantasy world that I liked: the echoes in the animal-headed people to the background cast of Anaïs's life; things like the "Hall of Chequers" when "only hours earlier I was watching my fellow asylum patients play this very game" – basically, the more subtle touches. It was when the book came right out and told me "hey! Look at the parallel!" that I was put off. "She reminds me of Colette". OK. Thanks for spelling it out.
From very early on, I had a prime suspect in both the human world – and very shortly after, based on Anaïs's reactions, in the fantasy world. It seemed obvious, though obviously not to the book's characters. I can't say I was right – but I can say that I was absolutely manipulated into being wrong. (At one point Anaïs states that one person is beyond suspicion, so I immediately suspected that person more than anyone.) Based on the way the characters were described by the narrator there was no way I could have guessed the truth. In other words, the author didn't play entirely fair.
I wish there had been hints scattered somewhere in the text as to whether Anaïs is really slipping away into this fantastical world, or whether it's all a stress-and-terror-induced hallucination. Something that happens to her in the other world is referenced in the asylum, but it's shrugged off by Anaïs and ignored by everyone else; just once I wanted someone to remark on her grass-stained clothes or scratched-up feet.
I was also a bit disappointed in how easily Anaïs adapts to others' suspicions in both worlds. Jules, with whom she had a budding romance in this human world, is the person under arrest for shooting her stepfather? Oh. Gosh, I wouldn't expect him to have done it. Oh well. Someone she began to like and trust in the Land of the Four Kings is about to be executed for the killings there? Oh. Never saw that coming. Oh well.
In the writer's very brief biography she (she?) boasts of being a best-selling traditionally-published writer, and it surprised me. There was a lot about the writing in this book that smacked of a much less experienced writer: painful homophones, weird almost-right words ("I can still smell the shaving lather that was inevitably washed from his face only minutes earlier" – inevitably?), tense slips, wrong pronoun use, too-close echoes of phrases – and, most of all, absolutely improbable vocabulary from a fourteen year-old girl in 1945. The girl knowledgeably talks about extroverts and body language and the dynamics of her relationships and air molecules and adrenaline…
At one point she talks about being able to identify the killer in the real world – when, in fact, no one was killed in the real world. And I'm pretty sure that you can't tourniquet a chest wound, as Anaïs helps to do at one point.
(I don't even want to talk about "collared greens".)
The girl readily identifies all the animals represented in the fantasy world: the basics like owls and rabbits and ravens were believable to me, but I question whether this 40's teenaged girl would be able to pick out a civet or a Rhesus macaque (I couldn't, and I grew up with Wild Animal Cards). I'm not even sure a girl who grew up in Bavaria and only recently came to the US via England would know a cougar from a panther.
And it's just odd that the idea of animal-headed people is tossed out there, but little real detail is given. These folks stand about with wine glasses – but how do they drink from them? For that matter, how do they speak? At one point a "troop of children" is mentioned, but absolutely no description is given. Do they age like human children, needing supervision for several years, or are they like animal young, able to run within a short time of birth? And how did the Old Cwen, a harpy with the head of an elderly woman, give birth to the Young Cwen, who is a sphinx? (I could absolutely be wrong, but I don't remember harpies being any part of Egyptian mythology; they're Greek, no?) It's not vital to the plot, any of this – but it's an interesting gimmick, and I wish there had been more depth to it.
One moment struck a deeply odd chord with me, as an ermine-headed female is depicted "in the middle of the stage in a very tight, low-cut silk robe, singing into a microphone. …She is, in her own curious, animal-headed fashion, very sexy." And all I could think of was Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday" to JFK. I wonder if that was intentional.
Anyway. The book did not live up to the fascinating, creepy-cool animal-head images scattered throughout the book. I really wish it had. Disappointing. And ... well, was there a reason that the Raven King's image (used on the cover) is a manipulation of a famous photo of Edwin Booth? It's in the public domain, it seems, but ... I don't know. I'd like for there to be some sense to it.
One final note on something which people seem to get wrong more and more often, and it drives me insane: Please, please, please, anyone who is writing anything, I'm begging you to learn the difference between "lay" and "lie". You lie down. You don't lay down. Unless you're laying something down, or it's past tense, "lay" is wrong. You lay your book on the table. When you go to bed you lie down. Yesterday you lay down. At least pretend to care.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
March 9, 2017
"When one finds oneself in the kind of strange, and unsettling circumstances that I presently find myself, it is only natural, after all, to have a few, unusual, vivid dreams."
The four kings by M.D. Elster is a mystery, dark fantasy story, similar to Alice in Wonderland.
M.D. Elster tells the story from the MC's POV, a 14 year old girl named Anaïs Reynard. The story begins when Anaïs awakes in an asylum after bearing witness to the attempted murder of her step father; only to discover that she can't remember the incident and that she is the only person who witnessed the crime who could testify in court.
Overwhelmed by all this news from her doctor and nurses, she's agreed to work hard to heal her mind and recover her memories. On the night she gains consciousness in the asylum, she wakes up to find a dapper man with the head of a fox. When the fox man runs away, Anaïs gives in to her curiosity and chases him to the basement of the asylum to a strange, locked door; when she returns to her bed she finds a key. Realizing the key must belong to the door she found, she travels back to open it and ends up in the land of the Four Kings. Will Anaïs be able to recover her memories in time for the trial, and help the creature-beings solve their mystery crime in the mean time?
The content of this story felt very YA, while the strangeness, vocabulary and writing made this book feel more like an adult fiction. M.D. Elster's writing is wonderful, and it was honestly hard to put this book down. The characters were all fully developed and interesting; Anaïs and Sir Lewin are my favorites. The world building in both worlds is great, too. I noticed the author followed a pattern whenever Anaïs went to the land of the Four Kings, which did turn me off a bit, but I feel worked for the story anyway.
I love how, in the beginning of this story, everyone felt like a suspect to me. By the middle of the Four kings, I thought I knew for sure who was guilty of shooting Anaïs' step father. At the end, though, I was completely surprised and thrown for a loop! It's a total plot twist and I loved it!
I am definitely interested in reading any future books of M.D Elster's. If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, asylum tales, mystery and/or dark fantasy stories then I recommend this book to you.
**** I received an eBook copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. ****
The four kings by M.D. Elster is a mystery, dark fantasy story, similar to Alice in Wonderland.
M.D. Elster tells the story from the MC's POV, a 14 year old girl named Anaïs Reynard. The story begins when Anaïs awakes in an asylum after bearing witness to the attempted murder of her step father; only to discover that she can't remember the incident and that she is the only person who witnessed the crime who could testify in court.
Overwhelmed by all this news from her doctor and nurses, she's agreed to work hard to heal her mind and recover her memories. On the night she gains consciousness in the asylum, she wakes up to find a dapper man with the head of a fox. When the fox man runs away, Anaïs gives in to her curiosity and chases him to the basement of the asylum to a strange, locked door; when she returns to her bed she finds a key. Realizing the key must belong to the door she found, she travels back to open it and ends up in the land of the Four Kings. Will Anaïs be able to recover her memories in time for the trial, and help the creature-beings solve their mystery crime in the mean time?
The content of this story felt very YA, while the strangeness, vocabulary and writing made this book feel more like an adult fiction. M.D. Elster's writing is wonderful, and it was honestly hard to put this book down. The characters were all fully developed and interesting; Anaïs and Sir Lewin are my favorites. The world building in both worlds is great, too. I noticed the author followed a pattern whenever Anaïs went to the land of the Four Kings, which did turn me off a bit, but I feel worked for the story anyway.
I love how, in the beginning of this story, everyone felt like a suspect to me. By the middle of the Four kings, I thought I knew for sure who was guilty of shooting Anaïs' step father. At the end, though, I was completely surprised and thrown for a loop! It's a total plot twist and I loved it!
I am definitely interested in reading any future books of M.D Elster's. If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, asylum tales, mystery and/or dark fantasy stories then I recommend this book to you.
**** I received an eBook copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. ****
March 3, 2017
Four Kings gave me what Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children couldn’t. Don’t get me wrong – I really enjoyed that one, but it wasn’t dark or scary at all to me. Four Kings delivered. It’s dark, weird, mysterious and I just absolutely loved it.
I actually intended to only glance over the first few pages and check if my e-book imported properly, but then I just had to keep reading. Everything about the first few chapters was so intriguing. I had no idea what kind of story I was reading, but whereas that usually turns me off, it just worked in Four Kings.
The main character so well written. I loved the way her background was slowly revealed and how all the storylines naturally flowed together. The only possible ‘negative’ I can think of, is that Anaïs, and her dialogue especially, is written a bit too mature for a 14 year-old. But frankly, that didn’t bother me at all.
I know this is a very brief review, but I don’t want to give anything away. I think it’s best enjoyed not knowing too much!
I received an advance reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
I actually intended to only glance over the first few pages and check if my e-book imported properly, but then I just had to keep reading. Everything about the first few chapters was so intriguing. I had no idea what kind of story I was reading, but whereas that usually turns me off, it just worked in Four Kings.
The main character so well written. I loved the way her background was slowly revealed and how all the storylines naturally flowed together. The only possible ‘negative’ I can think of, is that Anaïs, and her dialogue especially, is written a bit too mature for a 14 year-old. But frankly, that didn’t bother me at all.
I know this is a very brief review, but I don’t want to give anything away. I think it’s best enjoyed not knowing too much!
I received an advance reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
January 28, 2018
I am so grateful to have won this fantastic read in a Goodreads Giveaway!
This story is excellent, filled with intrigue, excitement, and mystery from the first page! Fairly, I would give this book 4.5 stars, but it has obvious less than perfect parts, not quite earning 5.
The entire plot is enticing and relevant even though it takes place 70 years ago. New Orleans is the perfect setting, especially given Anais's, the main character, European background. The mixture of fantasy and psychology in this piece makes it enjoyable even when bleak.
My critiques are two big and one small. The small is that the book needs editing for typos. There are a fair amount to be noticed, especially in the last quarter of the book. The first bigger criticism I have is that the characters are not fully developed, especially the main character in personality. I also had trouble believing her age, 14, with the thoughts and personality she is given. While she has experienced extreme trauma, I think something is still lacking in the expected girliness department. Finally, my third criticism is that there is too much explanation at the conclusion and epilogue, more of the revelations could have been wound up in the story. This would have provided a much stronger plot.
This story is excellent, filled with intrigue, excitement, and mystery from the first page! Fairly, I would give this book 4.5 stars, but it has obvious less than perfect parts, not quite earning 5.
The entire plot is enticing and relevant even though it takes place 70 years ago. New Orleans is the perfect setting, especially given Anais's, the main character, European background. The mixture of fantasy and psychology in this piece makes it enjoyable even when bleak.
My critiques are two big and one small. The small is that the book needs editing for typos. There are a fair amount to be noticed, especially in the last quarter of the book. The first bigger criticism I have is that the characters are not fully developed, especially the main character in personality. I also had trouble believing her age, 14, with the thoughts and personality she is given. While she has experienced extreme trauma, I think something is still lacking in the expected girliness department. Finally, my third criticism is that there is too much explanation at the conclusion and epilogue, more of the revelations could have been wound up in the story. This would have provided a much stronger plot.
March 5, 2017
Copy received via NetGalley for an honest review.
"Maybe you have gone mad, and only for a little spell."
Four Kings is a delightful blend of literary and dark fantasy with a hint of everyone's childhood favorite, Alice in Wonderland.
But. This book is so much more than that. To be honest, I did not even stop to look at the synopsis before requesting it (I almost always don't haha). I did it on a whim only because of its seriously beautiful cover - sooo dark. And yes, there are pictures in it just like the one the cover! Anyway, upon reading the first few chapters, Elster's atmospheric prose crept into my skin and I was transported to post-WWII Louisiana with its jazz clubs, French opulence, and renowned weather conditions. Anais Reynard, who is the 14 year old main character, has a distinct old world voice that I thought was a bit too advanced for her age. Nevertheless, I still loved the way her mind worked, especially for someone so young who's been through a lot *sniffs. What has she been through, you ask? Well, she was sent to an asylum in New Orleans after her stepfather got shot and fell into a coma, right after their house got hit by a freak hurricane. I mean, who wouldn't go crazy at that. And so she did go crazy, or at least she thought she did, because right after she woke up from her post-trauma episode, she found a key - a key that led to the land of The Four Kings.
I was giddy the entire first half of the story because I got to meet many fantastical creatures and explore their world. The world-building, although not as detailed as a high fantasy, had its own history and even had a bit of fairy tale quality to it which I loved, and which Anais did too. There was a murder mystery in the central plot of the book both in the land of The Four Kings and in Anais' New Orleans. And in both, she was tasked to solve it and find out the culprit behind the strange happenings in the land where human girls are being drained of their blood to make an army of zombies; and in New Orleans where they are trying to make her well enough to testify and find out the criminal who tried to kill her father. As the novel progressed, it went from varying degrees of fast-paced to so incredibly slow that I only managed to hold on until things started falling into place and I had to put my Sherlock cap and pipe on to find out the criminals. The ending, even though I succeeded in finding out what happened, still shocked me when Anais' memories finally came back to her and all questions were answered.
This book's winning trait wasn't its imaginative premise, but in the story that it tells behind what it seems to show. Four Kings is more about a young girl's journey through her mind and the discovery she makes about how powerful it truly is, no matter how unreliable and no matter how mad. It is a journey of a person who finds healing from fairy tales in a dark and dangerous world. I loved it because - don't we all?
"Maybe you have gone mad, and only for a little spell."
Four Kings is a delightful blend of literary and dark fantasy with a hint of everyone's childhood favorite, Alice in Wonderland.
But. This book is so much more than that. To be honest, I did not even stop to look at the synopsis before requesting it (I almost always don't haha). I did it on a whim only because of its seriously beautiful cover - sooo dark. And yes, there are pictures in it just like the one the cover! Anyway, upon reading the first few chapters, Elster's atmospheric prose crept into my skin and I was transported to post-WWII Louisiana with its jazz clubs, French opulence, and renowned weather conditions. Anais Reynard, who is the 14 year old main character, has a distinct old world voice that I thought was a bit too advanced for her age. Nevertheless, I still loved the way her mind worked, especially for someone so young who's been through a lot *sniffs. What has she been through, you ask? Well, she was sent to an asylum in New Orleans after her stepfather got shot and fell into a coma, right after their house got hit by a freak hurricane. I mean, who wouldn't go crazy at that. And so she did go crazy, or at least she thought she did, because right after she woke up from her post-trauma episode, she found a key - a key that led to the land of The Four Kings.
I was giddy the entire first half of the story because I got to meet many fantastical creatures and explore their world. The world-building, although not as detailed as a high fantasy, had its own history and even had a bit of fairy tale quality to it which I loved, and which Anais did too. There was a murder mystery in the central plot of the book both in the land of The Four Kings and in Anais' New Orleans. And in both, she was tasked to solve it and find out the culprit behind the strange happenings in the land where human girls are being drained of their blood to make an army of zombies; and in New Orleans where they are trying to make her well enough to testify and find out the criminal who tried to kill her father. As the novel progressed, it went from varying degrees of fast-paced to so incredibly slow that I only managed to hold on until things started falling into place and I had to put my Sherlock cap and pipe on to find out the criminals. The ending, even though I succeeded in finding out what happened, still shocked me when Anais' memories finally came back to her and all questions were answered.
This book's winning trait wasn't its imaginative premise, but in the story that it tells behind what it seems to show. Four Kings is more about a young girl's journey through her mind and the discovery she makes about how powerful it truly is, no matter how unreliable and no matter how mad. It is a journey of a person who finds healing from fairy tales in a dark and dangerous world. I loved it because - don't we all?
October 23, 2016
Di questo romanzo di M.D. Elster mi ha colpito subito la copertina, innegabilmente è particolare, fa presagire una storia paranormal insolita e accattivante.
La storia è ambientata nel 1945.
A New Orleans, dopo un terribile uragano che ha devastato la città, Anaïs Reynard, quattordicenne, si risveglia in un manicomio in completa amnesia. Il Dr. Waters, direttore prestigioso dell’ospedale, promette di aiutare Anaïs a recuperare i suoi ricordi, non solo perché ritorni ad essere come prima, ma Anaïs è l’unica testimone di un crimine terribile. Nella notte del ciclone, infatti, al suo patrigno e unico “parente” in vita è stato sparato. Un giovane uomo di colore è stato arrestato per il crimine e Anaïs si ritrova sotto la pressione del procuratore distrettuale per testimoniare. Anaïs vorrebbe aiutare, ma è in preda a dubbi e angosce, a causa dell’amnesia e per il fatto di essere in qualche modo convinta che l’uomo accusato sia in realtà innocente.
Una notte, riceve un’inquietante, surreale visita da un uomo con la testa di una volpe che le affida una chiave che apre una porta segreta nella terra dei Quattro Re. Anaïs, pur spaventata, segue questa creatura e arriva in un mondo magico e inquietante, popolato da creature metà umane e metà animali.
Per riacquistare la memoria e risolvere tanti nuovi enigmi, Anaïs dovrà passare presso le corti dei Quattro Re (Corvo, Leone, Serpente, Unicorno) e testare il suo coraggio.
I primi capitoli del romanzo sono affascinanti, la resa atmosferica del sanatorio/manicomio è perfetta e l’apparire della strana creatura introdotta con naturalezza pur in tutta la sua stranezza.
Altra cosa che ho apprezzato è tutta l’immaginativa impiegata in queste figure metà uomini e metà animali, nonché le immagini inserite nel libro.
La prima parte del libro è quella che ho maggiormente gradito, anche se talora alcuni flashback interrompevano il ritmo della narrazione ed erano troppo lunghi.
Questo mi ha fatto perdere un po’ il gusto della storia, pertanto la seconda parte, anche se vi sono stati momenti vivaci, ero meno attenta agli accadimenti.
Un aspetto che mi ha fatto perdere un po’ di interesse verso la storia è l’aver utilizzato l’argomento nazismo, Germania, ecc., tema che ultimamente sembra inflazionato nella narrativa YA, quasi a voler conferire un tono serio a una storia fantastica, che sarebbe stata valida anche con altri presupposti pur nella sua mescolanza di elementi realistici e non.
Questo romanzo viene proposto come YA, ma il targeting del pubblico a volte non è così immediato.
La protagonista quattordicenne sembra spesso più giovane della sua età, mentre alcuni espedienti fantastici/paranormal sono giocati su un simbolismo non di immediata lettura, soprattutto per un pubblico parecchio giovane.
Concludendo, una lettura gradevole, veloce, con qualche rammarico ma tutto sommato dignitosa.
La storia è ambientata nel 1945.
A New Orleans, dopo un terribile uragano che ha devastato la città, Anaïs Reynard, quattordicenne, si risveglia in un manicomio in completa amnesia. Il Dr. Waters, direttore prestigioso dell’ospedale, promette di aiutare Anaïs a recuperare i suoi ricordi, non solo perché ritorni ad essere come prima, ma Anaïs è l’unica testimone di un crimine terribile. Nella notte del ciclone, infatti, al suo patrigno e unico “parente” in vita è stato sparato. Un giovane uomo di colore è stato arrestato per il crimine e Anaïs si ritrova sotto la pressione del procuratore distrettuale per testimoniare. Anaïs vorrebbe aiutare, ma è in preda a dubbi e angosce, a causa dell’amnesia e per il fatto di essere in qualche modo convinta che l’uomo accusato sia in realtà innocente.
Una notte, riceve un’inquietante, surreale visita da un uomo con la testa di una volpe che le affida una chiave che apre una porta segreta nella terra dei Quattro Re. Anaïs, pur spaventata, segue questa creatura e arriva in un mondo magico e inquietante, popolato da creature metà umane e metà animali.
Per riacquistare la memoria e risolvere tanti nuovi enigmi, Anaïs dovrà passare presso le corti dei Quattro Re (Corvo, Leone, Serpente, Unicorno) e testare il suo coraggio.
I primi capitoli del romanzo sono affascinanti, la resa atmosferica del sanatorio/manicomio è perfetta e l’apparire della strana creatura introdotta con naturalezza pur in tutta la sua stranezza.
Altra cosa che ho apprezzato è tutta l’immaginativa impiegata in queste figure metà uomini e metà animali, nonché le immagini inserite nel libro.
La prima parte del libro è quella che ho maggiormente gradito, anche se talora alcuni flashback interrompevano il ritmo della narrazione ed erano troppo lunghi.
Questo mi ha fatto perdere un po’ il gusto della storia, pertanto la seconda parte, anche se vi sono stati momenti vivaci, ero meno attenta agli accadimenti.
Un aspetto che mi ha fatto perdere un po’ di interesse verso la storia è l’aver utilizzato l’argomento nazismo, Germania, ecc., tema che ultimamente sembra inflazionato nella narrativa YA, quasi a voler conferire un tono serio a una storia fantastica, che sarebbe stata valida anche con altri presupposti pur nella sua mescolanza di elementi realistici e non.
Questo romanzo viene proposto come YA, ma il targeting del pubblico a volte non è così immediato.
La protagonista quattordicenne sembra spesso più giovane della sua età, mentre alcuni espedienti fantastici/paranormal sono giocati su un simbolismo non di immediata lettura, soprattutto per un pubblico parecchio giovane.
Concludendo, una lettura gradevole, veloce, con qualche rammarico ma tutto sommato dignitosa.
May 30, 2017
While I ultimately really enjoyed reading this book, I feel like it couldn't quite decide who it's audience was. I felt like it was constantly fluctuating between MG and YA and this lack of focus was rather jarring to me and kept pulling me out of the story. Half of my notes while reading were frustrated exclamations that the protagonist was 14, which the narration seemed to forget through most of the novel. I feel like most of my tone issues with the first three quarters would have been resolved if she was aged up even just a couple years.
That being said, I feel that the last quarter of the book really shined. The pace, which sometimes lagged during flashbacks earlier in the novel, picked up and I found myself unable to stop reading until I finished. The premise of this story was very compelling and I really enjoyed the weaving of the two worlds.
Also, and this was more amusing than anything, I don't think the author knows the meaning of the word "courtesan." Either that or I grossly misread certain aspects of the book! lol
This was a quick, fun read for me and I would recommend it to someone for a casual, unique read.
(I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
That being said, I feel that the last quarter of the book really shined. The pace, which sometimes lagged during flashbacks earlier in the novel, picked up and I found myself unable to stop reading until I finished. The premise of this story was very compelling and I really enjoyed the weaving of the two worlds.
Also, and this was more amusing than anything, I don't think the author knows the meaning of the word "courtesan." Either that or I grossly misread certain aspects of the book! lol
This was a quick, fun read for me and I would recommend it to someone for a casual, unique read.
(I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
November 9, 2016
To begin with, I'm personally fond of teenagers who are suspended between accepting Santa doesn't exist, yet in a warm, secret place they ponder and are believers in parallel worlds, fairies, and other-world things. Anaïs is one such girl to be acquainted with in Four Kings.
In the beginning of the story, I couldn't find a connection as to how and why Anaïs's narration seemed far more mature than a fourteen-year-old. She comes across as a skilfully articulate teen, mature beyond her years. Then, almost ten percent through the story certain clues such as her habit of avid reading, her time spent behind the curtain with other staff members gossiping at her mother's workplace (a nightclub to be precise), the raw experience of war and struggle for survival and her father's death, put my doubts about her maturity to rest. She is s curious girl, in fact.
The major setting of Four Kings is split between two worlds. One, the real world in which Anaïs is dumped into an asylum after an incident that she has no memory of and another, of a world of the Four Kings.
Raven King of the East, Lion King of the West, Unicorn King of the North and Snake King of the South. Citizens who do not want to choose sides, live in the Glade of Commoners, right in the center of the four kingdoms. All the Four Kings share resemblance to suit of cards.
Raven King = Clubs.
Lion King = Hearts.
Snake King = Spades.
Unicorn King = Diamonds.
The uncanny resemblance of these mystical characters with animal/bird/reptile heads and functioning human bodies was parallel to the characters in Anaïs's real life.
This is where it the plot became repetitive for me. Although the author created two different worlds, I didn't want each encounter in the mystical world to clue in what was happening in the real world. It was too easy to piece together the mystery surrounding Anaïs's temporary amnesia.
Another point that I didn't receive any clarification was:
What happened to the other girls who were killed in the mystical world?
Did they end up dying in the real world too?
Alas, I found no answers to these.
Anyways, I was really getting excited to read about the four kingdoms, but the setting and descriptions dulled because all the kingdoms had the same routine: Welcome AnaÏs, prep her for the banquet in their style and showcase the hum-drum of happenings.
Out of them all, the Sssnake King was my favourite. He truly stood out from the whole land of mystical creatures. Also, I didn't trust Mr. Fletcher as well because right from the beginning his intentions were clear and only reading further confirmed my suspicion. I also understand why Anaïs took a liking to him immediately and trusted him. That's the only time when she acts like a teenager.
Overall, I was on a roller coaster ride throughout the story because I expected too much out of it and my excitement dampened in the end.
The narration surely deserves a read.
In the beginning of the story, I couldn't find a connection as to how and why Anaïs's narration seemed far more mature than a fourteen-year-old. She comes across as a skilfully articulate teen, mature beyond her years. Then, almost ten percent through the story certain clues such as her habit of avid reading, her time spent behind the curtain with other staff members gossiping at her mother's workplace (a nightclub to be precise), the raw experience of war and struggle for survival and her father's death, put my doubts about her maturity to rest. She is s curious girl, in fact.
The major setting of Four Kings is split between two worlds. One, the real world in which Anaïs is dumped into an asylum after an incident that she has no memory of and another, of a world of the Four Kings.
Raven King of the East, Lion King of the West, Unicorn King of the North and Snake King of the South. Citizens who do not want to choose sides, live in the Glade of Commoners, right in the center of the four kingdoms. All the Four Kings share resemblance to suit of cards.
Raven King = Clubs.
Lion King = Hearts.
Snake King = Spades.
Unicorn King = Diamonds.
The uncanny resemblance of these mystical characters with animal/bird/reptile heads and functioning human bodies was parallel to the characters in Anaïs's real life.
This is where it the plot became repetitive for me. Although the author created two different worlds, I didn't want each encounter in the mystical world to clue in what was happening in the real world. It was too easy to piece together the mystery surrounding Anaïs's temporary amnesia.
Another point that I didn't receive any clarification was:
What happened to the other girls who were killed in the mystical world?
Did they end up dying in the real world too?
Alas, I found no answers to these.
Anyways, I was really getting excited to read about the four kingdoms, but the setting and descriptions dulled because all the kingdoms had the same routine: Welcome AnaÏs, prep her for the banquet in their style and showcase the hum-drum of happenings.
Out of them all, the Sssnake King was my favourite. He truly stood out from the whole land of mystical creatures. Also, I didn't trust Mr. Fletcher as well because right from the beginning his intentions were clear and only reading further confirmed my suspicion. I also understand why Anaïs took a liking to him immediately and trusted him. That's the only time when she acts like a teenager.
Overall, I was on a roller coaster ride throughout the story because I expected too much out of it and my excitement dampened in the end.
The narration surely deserves a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2017
Received an advanced copy via NetGalley.
This took me a really long time to get into and oddly it wasn't the mystical realm that captured my attention, but the real world story instead.
The mystical realm wasn't fleshed out as well as the real world, the brief forays didn't reveal very much and it never felt like Anais was that connected to it. I know it was supposed to be a plot device to allow Anais to understand what was going on back home but it lacked something. It also doesn't really give you much at the end. That narrative kind of just ends without acknowledgement in the real world. I guess maybe it was supposed to be subtle, it didn't need her acknowledgment that it was all just a coping mechanism (or really happening..? ..which seems kind of silly and a stretch). But I dunno, the magical element just missed the mark for me. I can't quite put my finger on it.
This took me a really long time to get into and oddly it wasn't the mystical realm that captured my attention, but the real world story instead.
The mystical realm wasn't fleshed out as well as the real world, the brief forays didn't reveal very much and it never felt like Anais was that connected to it. I know it was supposed to be a plot device to allow Anais to understand what was going on back home but it lacked something. It also doesn't really give you much at the end. That narrative kind of just ends without acknowledgement in the real world. I guess maybe it was supposed to be subtle, it didn't need her acknowledgment that it was all just a coping mechanism (or really happening..? ..which seems kind of silly and a stretch). But I dunno, the magical element just missed the mark for me. I can't quite put my finger on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2016
This book exists between the realm of YA fiction and adult fiction. The content is complex, and intriguing, but the author does not add any elements that are superfluous or flashy to grab the reader (ie- anything PG13 +). What a treat to read a book that doesn't insult the readers intelligence, whatever their age, and just get lost in a well crafted fantasy/mystery story. Highly Recommended!
November 4, 2016
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.
This book is part crime mystery and part Narnia-esque fantasy, set mostly in New Orleans and a fantastical land inhabited by creatures who are part human and part animal. Considering the fact that the narrator is a 14 year old girl, the story does not come across as childish at all. I particularly enjoyed the back story/flashbacks. Highly recommended. 4.5*
This book is part crime mystery and part Narnia-esque fantasy, set mostly in New Orleans and a fantastical land inhabited by creatures who are part human and part animal. Considering the fact that the narrator is a 14 year old girl, the story does not come across as childish at all. I particularly enjoyed the back story/flashbacks. Highly recommended. 4.5*
December 13, 2017
This was a weird book, both in feel and in genre. It was very down the rabbithole, with an alternate world for the young girl who is trying to figure out the rules that will keep her alive in this one and that one. I wasn't quite ready for it. There's something here, but I'm not sure what it is.
July 24, 2017
Four Kings is a wonderful written novel. The author's story line is unique and authentic, and I truly enjoy reading it.
I am intrigued from Chapter 1. The story weaves back and forth between Anais real life and her adventure into the land of the Four Kings, which is her fantasy or may be her dream. I gather from the story - both Anais's real life and her fantasy - is that don't judge the book by its cover and don't jump to the conclusion too soon. I stayed up late to finish the last few chapters of the book in order to find out the ending truth which is very unexpected in a good way.
It is a good read and I look forward to reading author's future novels of the similar genre, that is mystery with some fantasy.
I am intrigued from Chapter 1. The story weaves back and forth between Anais real life and her adventure into the land of the Four Kings, which is her fantasy or may be her dream. I gather from the story - both Anais's real life and her fantasy - is that don't judge the book by its cover and don't jump to the conclusion too soon. I stayed up late to finish the last few chapters of the book in order to find out the ending truth which is very unexpected in a good way.
It is a good read and I look forward to reading author's future novels of the similar genre, that is mystery with some fantasy.
June 7, 2017
First I would like to state that I have received this book through the Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity and honor in being able to read this book. When I received this book I began reading it at once. I really enjoy the authors writing style. This book was a very interesting read. The authors writing style kept you interested from the first chapter to the very last. It pulls you in quickly and keeps you hooked wanting to read and find out more of what is happening. I would recommend this to anyone that loves a great read. This book is incredible. A must read!
May 8, 2017
The setting of this young adult book is split between two worlds. The characters were fully developed. There were rather creepy illustrations throughout the book. If you like a combination of mystery and dark fantasy you would enjoy this book. I received this book compliments of Goodreads Giveaways for a review.
April 3, 2018
Okay
I read this in one sitting I just needed to know what happened. The only thing that shocked me was what happened to Anais in her world not in the Land of the Four King’s. I already knew what was happening from the moment she pointed something out.
I read this in one sitting I just needed to know what happened. The only thing that shocked me was what happened to Anais in her world not in the Land of the Four King’s. I already knew what was happening from the moment she pointed something out.
May 9, 2018
I absolutely loved this book and completely devoured it! It was an ol' New Orleans noir, and I embraced every moment of it. I am a sucker for this style of story and loved the wonderland tour it took me on.
August 29, 2018
I won this book on Goodreads and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's sort of fairy tale cum mystery; a bit dark. If you enjoyed Alice in Wonderland, you will enjoy Four Kings.
September 6, 2018
Beautiful story
A simple story with an elegant discovery. While the final details were very sudden, the symbolism throughout was very well done.
A simple story with an elegant discovery. While the final details were very sudden, the symbolism throughout was very well done.
August 30, 2019
Great correlation between the land of the four kings and what was going on in her own world.
February 26, 2017
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but I found myself intrigued throughout. I had a hard time imagining what the characters actually looked like - not due to a poor description from the author but because I had a hard time grasping the concept I think.
The tale was interesting and kept me engaged throughout. It was a surprisingly long book and I was quite surprised when things didn't turn out quite the way I expected. I expected more parallels between the land of the Four Kings and Anaïs' real life.
I highly recommend for anyone who is a fan of fantasy.
The tale was interesting and kept me engaged throughout. It was a surprisingly long book and I was quite surprised when things didn't turn out quite the way I expected. I expected more parallels between the land of the Four Kings and Anaïs' real life.
I highly recommend for anyone who is a fan of fantasy.
February 26, 2018
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5
I admit it - the cover pretty much hooked me. I enjoy weird and bizarre fiction and this certainly promised something out of the ordinary.
It is 1945 in New Orleans and a massive hurricane has devastated the city and young teen Anaïs Reynard wakes up in an asylum with amnesia. The local doctor is trying to help her recover her memory because Anaïs was the only witness to the shooting of her stepfather - her only living guardian. A young stagehand whom Anaïs had befriended has been arrested and accused but she has her doubts, though can't be sure why.
One night Anaïs is visited at the asylum by a strange creature - a sharp-looking man with the head of a fox gives her a special key that unlocks a door that brings her into the land of Four Kings. Here all manner of men have human bodies and heads of various creatures: Raven, Lion, Snake, and even Unicorn.
Anaïs navigates through the land of Four Kings, visiting each kingdom and showing her bravery and resolve. But she also skips back to 1945 earth with its own monsters - the Nazis. The puzzle of what happened the night her step-father was shot slowly reveals itself until she asks her attorney to put her on the stand to testify in the case against the young man she had once considered her friend.
A book like this reminds us of how important a good editor can be to the process of getting a book published. There were many little moments along the way, all throughout, that held me back from really sitting back and taking in this book. From incorrect pronouns ("...the war that chased my mother and I out of Europe...") to sections of the book that were simply moments of massive info-dump ("I'll try to explain... well, human are ..." and "Your blood, Anaïs, is a drug to us. ...*long paragraph going into detail* ...").
There were times (specifically the last third of the book) that I really got into the story and what was going on. But there were more times that I simply shook my head and wished for some tighter editing and a smoother sense of writing and character.
I see the description (on Goodreads) and some of the reviews making comparisons to "Alice" and her trip down the rabbit hole, but I see this as The Chronicles of Narnia meets The Wizard of Oz that needs a little more attention.
Looking for a good book? Four Kings by M. D. Elster is an inconsistent fantasy with moments that are captivating and moments that make the reader wish that the author had worked on the story just a little longer.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I admit it - the cover pretty much hooked me. I enjoy weird and bizarre fiction and this certainly promised something out of the ordinary.
It is 1945 in New Orleans and a massive hurricane has devastated the city and young teen Anaïs Reynard wakes up in an asylum with amnesia. The local doctor is trying to help her recover her memory because Anaïs was the only witness to the shooting of her stepfather - her only living guardian. A young stagehand whom Anaïs had befriended has been arrested and accused but she has her doubts, though can't be sure why.
One night Anaïs is visited at the asylum by a strange creature - a sharp-looking man with the head of a fox gives her a special key that unlocks a door that brings her into the land of Four Kings. Here all manner of men have human bodies and heads of various creatures: Raven, Lion, Snake, and even Unicorn.
Anaïs navigates through the land of Four Kings, visiting each kingdom and showing her bravery and resolve. But she also skips back to 1945 earth with its own monsters - the Nazis. The puzzle of what happened the night her step-father was shot slowly reveals itself until she asks her attorney to put her on the stand to testify in the case against the young man she had once considered her friend.
A book like this reminds us of how important a good editor can be to the process of getting a book published. There were many little moments along the way, all throughout, that held me back from really sitting back and taking in this book. From incorrect pronouns ("...the war that chased my mother and I out of Europe...") to sections of the book that were simply moments of massive info-dump ("I'll try to explain... well, human are ..." and "Your blood, Anaïs, is a drug to us. ...*long paragraph going into detail* ...").
There were times (specifically the last third of the book) that I really got into the story and what was going on. But there were more times that I simply shook my head and wished for some tighter editing and a smoother sense of writing and character.
I see the description (on Goodreads) and some of the reviews making comparisons to "Alice" and her trip down the rabbit hole, but I see this as The Chronicles of Narnia meets The Wizard of Oz that needs a little more attention.
Looking for a good book? Four Kings by M. D. Elster is an inconsistent fantasy with moments that are captivating and moments that make the reader wish that the author had worked on the story just a little longer.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2016
**I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Ok, so the description of this one made me go “Wait...what? Is that middle paragraph for a different book?” The answer is no, this is definitely all describing the same book. But it’s not quite as confusing as it sounds.
There are two mysteries to solve in this novel: one in Anais’ real life, in New Orleans in the 1940s, and one in an alternate reality, which she visits when she falls asleep. In New Orleans, Anais’s stepfather has been shot and Anais is the only witness, though she can’t remember what happened. In the Land of the Four Kings, human girls have been turning up dead and Anais, being the only living human in the realm, must help flush out the killer.
Both realities are fleshed out very well. Over the course of the book, we learn of Anais’ childhood, a large portion of which was spent trying to survive WWII. Coming at this from the perspective of a 10-11 year old girl (Anais’ age at the time of the events), who didn’t know exactly how bad things were, was very interesting. Places and events were described well, but only as well as a young girl could understand them. This leads to some very clever foreshadowing if you pay enough attention. The same can be said of the Land of the Four Kings. The people Anais meets explain the history of the Kingdoms, but mostly in snippets (as people would in real life), with each person adding their unique perspective to the events.
Both mysteries are very well done. It’s only once you get towards the end of the book that all the pieces start falling into place and you realize just how many clues were laid out during the course of the story. Alert readers will notice how both of the realities parallel each other, with characters from each sharing personality traits and allegiances. This only enhances the story, especially when you are given the final clue at the end of the book (no spoilers, I promise) and come to realize exactly why Anais seems to be traveling to this strange Land.
The only (slight) issue I had with the book was some of the verbiage. There is no way that a young girl in the 1940s, who was raised in Belgium & Paris, would use some of those phrases. But that’s really more of a pet peeve than a real issue. ;) Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for reader’s who like Young Adult mystery novels.
For my full review, please visit my blog: The Life and Times of a GorJess Nerd
Ok, so the description of this one made me go “Wait...what? Is that middle paragraph for a different book?” The answer is no, this is definitely all describing the same book. But it’s not quite as confusing as it sounds.
There are two mysteries to solve in this novel: one in Anais’ real life, in New Orleans in the 1940s, and one in an alternate reality, which she visits when she falls asleep. In New Orleans, Anais’s stepfather has been shot and Anais is the only witness, though she can’t remember what happened. In the Land of the Four Kings, human girls have been turning up dead and Anais, being the only living human in the realm, must help flush out the killer.
Both realities are fleshed out very well. Over the course of the book, we learn of Anais’ childhood, a large portion of which was spent trying to survive WWII. Coming at this from the perspective of a 10-11 year old girl (Anais’ age at the time of the events), who didn’t know exactly how bad things were, was very interesting. Places and events were described well, but only as well as a young girl could understand them. This leads to some very clever foreshadowing if you pay enough attention. The same can be said of the Land of the Four Kings. The people Anais meets explain the history of the Kingdoms, but mostly in snippets (as people would in real life), with each person adding their unique perspective to the events.
Both mysteries are very well done. It’s only once you get towards the end of the book that all the pieces start falling into place and you realize just how many clues were laid out during the course of the story. Alert readers will notice how both of the realities parallel each other, with characters from each sharing personality traits and allegiances. This only enhances the story, especially when you are given the final clue at the end of the book (no spoilers, I promise) and come to realize exactly why Anais seems to be traveling to this strange Land.
The only (slight) issue I had with the book was some of the verbiage. There is no way that a young girl in the 1940s, who was raised in Belgium & Paris, would use some of those phrases. But that’s really more of a pet peeve than a real issue. ;) Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for reader’s who like Young Adult mystery novels.
For my full review, please visit my blog: The Life and Times of a GorJess Nerd
February 6, 2017
Anaïs Reynard, a 14 year old girl, wakes in an asylum after a hurricane in New Orleans in 1945. She is told her stepfather was shot during the hurricane but has amnesia surrounding the event. A young black stagehand, Jules Martin, is on trial for her stepfather's attempted murder, but Anaïs has a nagging feeling he is innocent.
During her time in the asylum, Anaïs finds a strange key with the symbols of the four suits of playing cards engraved upon it. She finds it unlocks a mysterious door in the basement of the asylum, one that leads to an "Alice in Wonderland" type world. In this world, humans are a rarity and are being murdered for their blood. Anaïs sets off on an adventure with a fox creature to visit the lands of each of the four kings ruling the area - Raven, Snake, Lion, and Unicorn- in order to solve the mystery of the murdered humans.
In the meantime, Anaïs remembers more about her time growing up in Belgium and later in Paris and London during World War II and her passage to America. In time, she will remember the shooting of her stepfather.
I wanted to really like this book and give it five stars, but it just fell short. The writing is wonderful, but the link between the fantasy land and real life just doesn't ring true to me. Maybe hardcore fantasy readers would give this book a higher rating. I did not feel reading it was a total waste of my time, but the connections within the book and the real world just fell short.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
During her time in the asylum, Anaïs finds a strange key with the symbols of the four suits of playing cards engraved upon it. She finds it unlocks a mysterious door in the basement of the asylum, one that leads to an "Alice in Wonderland" type world. In this world, humans are a rarity and are being murdered for their blood. Anaïs sets off on an adventure with a fox creature to visit the lands of each of the four kings ruling the area - Raven, Snake, Lion, and Unicorn- in order to solve the mystery of the murdered humans.
In the meantime, Anaïs remembers more about her time growing up in Belgium and later in Paris and London during World War II and her passage to America. In time, she will remember the shooting of her stepfather.
I wanted to really like this book and give it five stars, but it just fell short. The writing is wonderful, but the link between the fantasy land and real life just doesn't ring true to me. Maybe hardcore fantasy readers would give this book a higher rating. I did not feel reading it was a total waste of my time, but the connections within the book and the real world just fell short.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 20, 2017
**This book was provided for review through Netgalley.**
See my more thorough review here!
Wow! This book took a little while to get into, but once I did, I really enjoyed it!
This story is very reminiscent of stories like the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, with a dash of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children thrown in for ambiance--all while standing on its own merits and existing solidly within that particular genre.
I really enjoyed discovering clues to both mysteries along with Anaïs, and while normally having so much going on and being up in the air would frustrate me, being in the same boat as the main character was helpful and didn't make me feel that way.
Overall, I would definitely recommend giving this book a read if you enjoy any of the aforementioned stories. It's got a Alice/Dorothy feel set in a strange and sometimes creepy world, but it's definitely worth the reading time!
See my more thorough review here!
Wow! This book took a little while to get into, but once I did, I really enjoyed it!
This story is very reminiscent of stories like the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, with a dash of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children thrown in for ambiance--all while standing on its own merits and existing solidly within that particular genre.
I really enjoyed discovering clues to both mysteries along with Anaïs, and while normally having so much going on and being up in the air would frustrate me, being in the same boat as the main character was helpful and didn't make me feel that way.
Overall, I would definitely recommend giving this book a read if you enjoy any of the aforementioned stories. It's got a Alice/Dorothy feel set in a strange and sometimes creepy world, but it's definitely worth the reading time!
May 4, 2017
Anais wakes up in an insane asylum. Her memory is sketchy. She discovers her step father has been shot and she is a witness to the crime. (The author mistakenly uses the word killer at one point, but the stepfather lived). She starts remembering things slowly. She was in Europe during WWII. She remembers her mother died and she and her stepfather moved to America. Throughout her memory recovery in the asylum, Anais has night time visits to another world in which animals dressed as humans have her participate in rituals. I would have liked this story much better without the distraction of the fantasy parts. The mystery part was good.
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April 4, 2017A really good read, dark fantasy story about Anaïs awakes in an asylum after bearing witness to the attempted murder of her step father; only to discover that she can't remember the incident and that she is the only person who witnessed the crime who could testify in court. She is unconscious but wakes up with a man with a head of fox..she finds a key to a door and then her adventure begins. Great job M.D. Elster
January 9, 2017
I did like this book, but it left much to be desired. I think there could have been more to the back story. I would have liked the use of the vintage pictures to more connected to the story. It had a fairly predictable story arc. It was dark, but not nearly as dark as I had hoped! It all just fell a little flat.
I received a free digital copy thru Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free digital copy thru Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2017
I love the imagery that the author uses because you can image the things that is going on. It feels like you are there with the main character. And its one of those books you don't want to put down but you have to. And this is one of my first retellings and it makes me want to read more. And makes you want to read it slowly because I don't want to miss anything because it draws you in.
February 6, 2017
An absorbing mix of fantasy and historical fiction that feels like a delicious mixture of the Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland and Sleep No More, with beautifully creepy photo-illustrations of the half-human, half-animal creatures peppered throughout.
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