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La nuit des reines
Jude Lomax, jeune musicienne, vit dans les bas-fonds de Baton Noir, ville où la magie est au service des puissants.
Chaque année, lors de la Nuit Cojoue, une reine est élue, bénie par les dieux. Pendant un an, elle aura la possibilité de faire régner le calme ou la terreur dans la ville. Dotée de pouvoirs infinis, elle est d'une puissance sans égal. Ivory Monette gouverne depuis plus de cinquante ans quand elle est sauvagement assassinée. Assoiffée de vengeance, elle prend possession du corps de Jude et la force à l'aider à retrouver son meurtrier. En échange, elle aidera son père, infirme depuis huit ans.
Jude, que la magie rebute par-dessus tout depuis qu'elle a détruit sa famille, lors du terrible accident qui lui a coûté la vie de son frère, va devoir aller au-delà des préjugés qu'elle a sur les pratiques cojoues. Elle n'a pas d'autre choix que d'accepter de faire partie des manigances de l'ancienne Reine.
Face à l'adversité, Jude va trouver des alliés inattendus, dont Le Fantôme, propriétaire du manoir hanté de Moonfleet et dont personne n'a jamais vu le visage...
Chaque année, lors de la Nuit Cojoue, une reine est élue, bénie par les dieux. Pendant un an, elle aura la possibilité de faire régner le calme ou la terreur dans la ville. Dotée de pouvoirs infinis, elle est d'une puissance sans égal. Ivory Monette gouverne depuis plus de cinquante ans quand elle est sauvagement assassinée. Assoiffée de vengeance, elle prend possession du corps de Jude et la force à l'aider à retrouver son meurtrier. En échange, elle aidera son père, infirme depuis huit ans.
Jude, que la magie rebute par-dessus tout depuis qu'elle a détruit sa famille, lors du terrible accident qui lui a coûté la vie de son frère, va devoir aller au-delà des préjugés qu'elle a sur les pratiques cojoues. Elle n'a pas d'autre choix que d'accepter de faire partie des manigances de l'ancienne Reine.
Face à l'adversité, Jude va trouver des alliés inattendus, dont Le Fantôme, propriétaire du manoir hanté de Moonfleet et dont personne n'a jamais vu le visage...
384 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2019
17 people are currently reading
753 people want to read
About the author
Alex Bell
45 books622 followersAlex Bell signed her first book deal at nineteen and, since then, has written multiple books for both adults and young people. After completing a law degree, she now works for a legal advice charity. Alex lives in Hampshire with her husband, sons and Sphynx cats. She also writes as Alexandra Bell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
August 2, 2021
Ce n'est pas tout à fait ce à quoi je m'attendais en attaquant le roman mais j'ai passé un bon moment. C'est assez sombre, l'ambiance est hyper bien faite et même si j'ai trouvé que certaines choses s'enchainaient un peu bizarrement, l'intrigue est originale, intéressante et j'ai été happée du début à la fin.
April 6, 2019
Jude is a musician who’s trying to earn enough money to take care of herself and her father. They live in Baton Noir, a city divided into magical Royalty, Subjects and ordinary Citizens (or Scraps, as the slur goes). If you visit Baton Noir you’re likely to cross paths with Pearls, descendants, witches and vampires, and you may even come across some fairies.
When Ivory Monette, the cajou queen, is murdered, she’s determined to find her killer. Ivory can’t investigate her murder alone (on account of her body being interred in her family crypt at St Clémence Cemetery) so she enlists Jude’s help. Not that Jude consented, or was even consulted, before Ivory’s spirit possessed her.
As she looks deeper into this corrupt world of dark magic, superstitions and curses, where charms can make you beautiful, where swamps are home to alligators and nightmares that bite, and jazz music accompanies you wherever you go, Jude finds herself caught up in a whirlwind (hurricane? 😜) of secrets, lies and ghosts of the past.
I connected with Jude, who is an interesting mix of angry, insecure and resilient. I liked Jude’s best friend, Sharkey, and his grandmother, Mops; I wish they had more page time and hope to get to know them better in the sequel. I empathised with Jude’s self destructive father but also wanted to steer clear of him and I searched the pages for an appropriate curse for Jude’s abusive ex-boyfriend, Leeroy.
While I liked Ivory I didn’t feel she reached her villainous potential and instead found myself drawn to the Phantom’s tragic backstory. André, the Phantom of Moonfleet, became my favourite character. I’m always intrigued by a story’s ‘monster’. I love underdogs and want to do a deep dive into their psychology, history, motivations and personality. While I enjoyed getting to know the man behind the mask, I need more; I’d happily curl up with a book that focused solely on his family’s disturbing history.
Characters are trying to cope with a lot of pain in this book as a result of so many difficult experiences including loss, abuse, poverty, mental health, torture and murder. One of my favourite quotes, which I found both difficult to read and oddly beautiful, was
I adored Charlotte Says so would have picked up this book anyway but the amazing cover drew me to it before I knew who wrote it or what it was about. I loved the inclusion of some charms in the design and the snakes were a great choice, especially considering their importance to the story. It would have been perfect if the colours of the snakes matched the pythons in the book; Betty is black and Beau is albino.
I found some of the language used in this book problematic and at times downright cringeworthy. Characters’ skin tones were likened to food items, including “chocolate-coloured”, “creamy”, and “peach”. There was also some antiquated mental health terminology, like “madhouse”, “madness”, “lunatic”, and “madmen”.
Even though I found some of the bigger reveals in the book predictable and the potential romance icky (I’m never a fan of age gaps that exceed half a century) I am definitely interested in reading the sequel. Readers who aren’t a fan of info dumps may find some sections tedious; personally, I came away from this book wanting more history, more mythology, more Phantom!
Thank you to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing, an imprint of Little Tiger Group, for the opportunity to read this book.
When Ivory Monette, the cajou queen, is murdered, she’s determined to find her killer. Ivory can’t investigate her murder alone (on account of her body being interred in her family crypt at St Clémence Cemetery) so she enlists Jude’s help. Not that Jude consented, or was even consulted, before Ivory’s spirit possessed her.
As she looks deeper into this corrupt world of dark magic, superstitions and curses, where charms can make you beautiful, where swamps are home to alligators and nightmares that bite, and jazz music accompanies you wherever you go, Jude finds herself caught up in a whirlwind (hurricane? 😜) of secrets, lies and ghosts of the past.
I connected with Jude, who is an interesting mix of angry, insecure and resilient. I liked Jude’s best friend, Sharkey, and his grandmother, Mops; I wish they had more page time and hope to get to know them better in the sequel. I empathised with Jude’s self destructive father but also wanted to steer clear of him and I searched the pages for an appropriate curse for Jude’s abusive ex-boyfriend, Leeroy.
While I liked Ivory I didn’t feel she reached her villainous potential and instead found myself drawn to the Phantom’s tragic backstory. André, the Phantom of Moonfleet, became my favourite character. I’m always intrigued by a story’s ‘monster’. I love underdogs and want to do a deep dive into their psychology, history, motivations and personality. While I enjoyed getting to know the man behind the mask, I need more; I’d happily curl up with a book that focused solely on his family’s disturbing history.
Characters are trying to cope with a lot of pain in this book as a result of so many difficult experiences including loss, abuse, poverty, mental health, torture and murder. One of my favourite quotes, which I found both difficult to read and oddly beautiful, was
She found herself sinking down under the weight of an old familiar gloom - that big black octopus of despair, pushing its oily tentacles into her heart, mind and soul, looking for weaknesses to be exploited, cracks it might shatter apart and fears to be dwelt on and agonized over.I could feel the music echoing off the pages from the first song but the music seemed to fade into the background as Jude became more entrenched in Ivory’s mission. The atmosphere was almost tangible in this book and I’m a sucker for mythology so soaked up every snippet of information I found about the various legba and the magical snakes that allow the cajou queen to interact with them. I’m hoping to read a review written by someone from New Orleans, who can comment on its culture and atmosphere with some credibility; that person is not me.
I adored Charlotte Says so would have picked up this book anyway but the amazing cover drew me to it before I knew who wrote it or what it was about. I loved the inclusion of some charms in the design and the snakes were a great choice, especially considering their importance to the story. It would have been perfect if the colours of the snakes matched the pythons in the book; Betty is black and Beau is albino.
I found some of the language used in this book problematic and at times downright cringeworthy. Characters’ skin tones were likened to food items, including “chocolate-coloured”, “creamy”, and “peach”. There was also some antiquated mental health terminology, like “madhouse”, “madness”, “lunatic”, and “madmen”.
Even though I found some of the bigger reveals in the book predictable and the potential romance icky (I’m never a fan of age gaps that exceed half a century) I am definitely interested in reading the sequel. Readers who aren’t a fan of info dumps may find some sections tedious; personally, I came away from this book wanting more history, more mythology, more Phantom!
Thank you to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing, an imprint of Little Tiger Group, for the opportunity to read this book.
April 17, 2019
Music and Malice in Hurricane Town is a fantastical blend of folklore, magic, and mystery. It took a couple chapters for me to get drawn in, but once I did I lost two nights of sleep telling myself “Just one more chapter…”
Synopsis
Baton Noir is essentially a mirror universe New Orleans teeming with witches, vampires, and Louisiana style Voodoo. The mythical beings inhabiting the city rule the land while regular humans (the lowly “Subjects”) struggle to get by in an increasingly corrupt and dangerous world.
Jude Lomax, a trumpet player in one of the city’s numerous jazz bands, is a frustrated young woman sick of the cards life have dealt her. Despite being surrounded by magic, Jude vehemently avoids it. That is, until the day her band leads the funeral procession of the murdered Cajou Queen, Ivory Monette. After somehow being possessed by the infamous Queen’s spirit, Jude unwittingly finds herself right at the pulsing heart of Baton Noir’s magical underbelly.
Review
By about 50 pages in, I was intrigued. By 150, I was fully hooked. By 250, I had to come to grips with the fact that I would not be sleeping that night because there was no way I was putting the book down.
The world building in this was breathtakingly atmospheric. From the Gothic streets of Baton Noir to the cursed and eerie bayous, I was thoroughly drawn into the world of Jude Lomax. Alex Bell did well to describe it all because despite some of the more mind boggling things Jude saw, you could actually picture it. I often felt as if I was standing right there with her.
The characters within this enchanting setting were varied, rich and compelling. I truly cared about all of them (even the evil ones) and wanted to know what would happen to them next. Especially since as soon as I thought I knew what was coming, I quickly found out I was completely wrong. The mysteries cleverly intertwined within Music & Malice were as twisty as the Cajou Queen’s magical snakes.
And can we talk about the title and that cover? I try not to judge a book by its title or its cover, but with this one it’s really hard not to.
The only reason this isn’t rated 5 stars is because the book felt really white. With so much incorporation of the culture and religious practices of predominantly black peoples, there was a glaring lack of melanin in Baton Noir. This is just not what you would expect in a book so deeply entrenched with New Orleans and Afro-Caribbean culture.
Final Thoughs
When I finished Music & Malice, all I could think was, “Wait…that can’t be the end. Please tell me there will be more!” Luckily, according to a reply from the author on Twitter, this isn’t the last we will see of Jude. Thank goodness, because otherwise I was going to have to take some lessons in magic to conjure up a sequel.
See the full review on my blog! Music and Malice in Hurricane Town by Alex Bell (A Little Nerd Told Me)
Synopsis
Baton Noir is essentially a mirror universe New Orleans teeming with witches, vampires, and Louisiana style Voodoo. The mythical beings inhabiting the city rule the land while regular humans (the lowly “Subjects”) struggle to get by in an increasingly corrupt and dangerous world.
Jude Lomax, a trumpet player in one of the city’s numerous jazz bands, is a frustrated young woman sick of the cards life have dealt her. Despite being surrounded by magic, Jude vehemently avoids it. That is, until the day her band leads the funeral procession of the murdered Cajou Queen, Ivory Monette. After somehow being possessed by the infamous Queen’s spirit, Jude unwittingly finds herself right at the pulsing heart of Baton Noir’s magical underbelly.
Review
By about 50 pages in, I was intrigued. By 150, I was fully hooked. By 250, I had to come to grips with the fact that I would not be sleeping that night because there was no way I was putting the book down.
The world building in this was breathtakingly atmospheric. From the Gothic streets of Baton Noir to the cursed and eerie bayous, I was thoroughly drawn into the world of Jude Lomax. Alex Bell did well to describe it all because despite some of the more mind boggling things Jude saw, you could actually picture it. I often felt as if I was standing right there with her.
The characters within this enchanting setting were varied, rich and compelling. I truly cared about all of them (even the evil ones) and wanted to know what would happen to them next. Especially since as soon as I thought I knew what was coming, I quickly found out I was completely wrong. The mysteries cleverly intertwined within Music & Malice were as twisty as the Cajou Queen’s magical snakes.
And can we talk about the title and that cover? I try not to judge a book by its title or its cover, but with this one it’s really hard not to.
The only reason this isn’t rated 5 stars is because the book felt really white. With so much incorporation of the culture and religious practices of predominantly black peoples, there was a glaring lack of melanin in Baton Noir. This is just not what you would expect in a book so deeply entrenched with New Orleans and Afro-Caribbean culture.
Final Thoughs
When I finished Music & Malice, all I could think was, “Wait…that can’t be the end. Please tell me there will be more!” Luckily, according to a reply from the author on Twitter, this isn’t the last we will see of Jude. Thank goodness, because otherwise I was going to have to take some lessons in magic to conjure up a sequel.
See the full review on my blog! Music and Malice in Hurricane Town by Alex Bell (A Little Nerd Told Me)
March 25, 2019
Honestly at first I wasn’t sure I’d like this book. It was quite hard to get into but I am glad I kept going.
After the first few chapters I became hooked on the storyline. It was something so new and different to what I read before and it was intriguing to go deep into dark magic like that.
I also find myself having a soft soft for the Phantom and I hope there will be another book written because that ending just left me wanting more.
After the first few chapters I became hooked on the storyline. It was something so new and different to what I read before and it was intriguing to go deep into dark magic like that.
I also find myself having a soft soft for the Phantom and I hope there will be another book written because that ending just left me wanting more.
Read
August 27, 2023dnf at 10%
March 6, 2019
I was drawn to this book by its cover and I was sold when I read that it was a fantasy set in New Orleans, but it didn't live up to its potential. It felt like a very whitewashed idea of dark magic in New Orleans (the two majorly underutilised black characters are described as "black as coal" and "chocolate coloured" and are largely forgotten for a lot of the book - Jude's supposed best friend only appears in a couple of scenes).
The writing felt a bit lazy - it was quite a simplistic fantasy, and some elements were just lifted from history and renamed. The character of Violetta Majstro, a "witch" who tortured and experimented on slaves, is clearly a lazy fictionalisation of Madame LaLaurie.
I just felt that I wanted more from this book. New Orleans is such a rich setting, and the Creole culture and voodoo is such a fascinating subject with a ton of potential for amazing literature, but this wasn't it.
The writing felt a bit lazy - it was quite a simplistic fantasy, and some elements were just lifted from history and renamed. The character of Violetta Majstro, a "witch" who tortured and experimented on slaves, is clearly a lazy fictionalisation of Madame LaLaurie.
I just felt that I wanted more from this book. New Orleans is such a rich setting, and the Creole culture and voodoo is such a fascinating subject with a ton of potential for amazing literature, but this wasn't it.
April 30, 2025
J’ai beaucoup apprécié ce livre. L’ambiance de la Nouvelle-Orléans était vraiment bien rendue avec la musique, la magie noire, les rituels… J’ai vraiment apprécié ma lecture.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ : Beaucoup aimé
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ : Beaucoup aimé
April 12, 2019
Music and Mayhem in Hurricane Town… Picture this:
New Orleans. The vibe is, well, vibrant. There’s jazz and parades and magic and paranormal undertones.
Jude, a young woman, is working hard to earn some cash to pay the rent. In addition to playing in the Done and Dusted Brass Band, she accepts a job playing her trumpet in the Moonfleet Manor which is owned by the Phantom. The estate of Moonfleet Manor and the owner Phantom are each as shady as the other and with a background and past that is only spoken of with horror. It seems like every where Jude goes, or anything she does, is potentially dangerous for her. A human. Classed as ‘scrap’ by the paranormal society.
Jude has a sad past herself and due to tragic accident in the past she is now the main caretaker of her father. A father who cannot survive without Jude’s assistance, but is also a proud man and thus does not make Jude’s task any easier.
Jude- I really started to like this girl. She does NOT have it easy but she’s a great example of how to act when things are already tough… Know the saying ‘when you’re already deep in shit, keep your chin up‘? Yeah, Jude just keeps trucking on. In a way, in certain scenes I felt like she had simply submitted to her fate but even if this resonated through, she still acted. She didn’t complain, whine or throw a tantrum and instead she constantly oozes strength to deal with the situation she finds herself in.
And the Phantom! Man, oh man alive! Did I try to be suspicious of him at the start? Hell yes! Did I succeed? Hell no. I knew that even if he turned out to be bad to the bone, he had already, in some measures earned my admiration. So, I bet you’re wondering- did I have to accept defeat and admit that even though an intriguing character he was not worth the admiration? Weeelll… One for you to find out and decide for yourself.
So, yeah, totally loved the characters in this story. The legbas, the vampire presence (not sparkly ones, by the way!^^ I know that stuff is still important piece of information when reading books that have vamps), the witches, the humans. There was so much interesting detail to each and every one of them without making me glaze over at the infodump. Bravo!
The core of this story is a murder mystery- murder of the cajou queen. The death of the very dangerous and vindictive queen would be cause for celebration for many. Alas, her death is where this story truly begins. Pffffft, I really want to say more but that would just be me telling too bloody much. Please, believe me, this story is worth the read. Actually, If I was to pull a comparison, then think in the vibes of The Vampire Diaries or The Originals (the TV show) except with a lot less direct angst in regards to love.
The pace of the story was bang on perfect- I started the book, I finished it in record time and I enjoyed it so much I immediately wished there was a sequel.. hells, I might even reread this one again because that’s how much I liked it. There are scenes in this book that are wonderfully paranormal- there are legbas and trippy nightmare thingies in the swamp and witchy magic and trickery. The story mesmerised me with the whole of its essence which was dark and thrilling at once.
Anyway, whatever compelled me to request this book on the Netgalley, it must have been fate because please dear swamp-devils, let there be a sequel! Please? *goes off to DM the author*
New Orleans. The vibe is, well, vibrant. There’s jazz and parades and magic and paranormal undertones.
Jude, a young woman, is working hard to earn some cash to pay the rent. In addition to playing in the Done and Dusted Brass Band, she accepts a job playing her trumpet in the Moonfleet Manor which is owned by the Phantom. The estate of Moonfleet Manor and the owner Phantom are each as shady as the other and with a background and past that is only spoken of with horror. It seems like every where Jude goes, or anything she does, is potentially dangerous for her. A human. Classed as ‘scrap’ by the paranormal society.
Jude has a sad past herself and due to tragic accident in the past she is now the main caretaker of her father. A father who cannot survive without Jude’s assistance, but is also a proud man and thus does not make Jude’s task any easier.
But if joining forces with the devils was what it took to save her pa then Jude would damn well march straight into the fiery hells in her swamp boots.
Jude- I really started to like this girl. She does NOT have it easy but she’s a great example of how to act when things are already tough… Know the saying ‘when you’re already deep in shit, keep your chin up‘? Yeah, Jude just keeps trucking on. In a way, in certain scenes I felt like she had simply submitted to her fate but even if this resonated through, she still acted. She didn’t complain, whine or throw a tantrum and instead she constantly oozes strength to deal with the situation she finds herself in.
And the Phantom! Man, oh man alive! Did I try to be suspicious of him at the start? Hell yes! Did I succeed? Hell no. I knew that even if he turned out to be bad to the bone, he had already, in some measures earned my admiration. So, I bet you’re wondering- did I have to accept defeat and admit that even though an intriguing character he was not worth the admiration? Weeelll… One for you to find out and decide for yourself.
So, yeah, totally loved the characters in this story. The legbas, the vampire presence (not sparkly ones, by the way!^^ I know that stuff is still important piece of information when reading books that have vamps), the witches, the humans. There was so much interesting detail to each and every one of them without making me glaze over at the infodump. Bravo!
The core of this story is a murder mystery- murder of the cajou queen. The death of the very dangerous and vindictive queen would be cause for celebration for many. Alas, her death is where this story truly begins. Pffffft, I really want to say more but that would just be me telling too bloody much. Please, believe me, this story is worth the read. Actually, If I was to pull a comparison, then think in the vibes of The Vampire Diaries or The Originals (the TV show) except with a lot less direct angst in regards to love.
The pace of the story was bang on perfect- I started the book, I finished it in record time and I enjoyed it so much I immediately wished there was a sequel.. hells, I might even reread this one again because that’s how much I liked it. There are scenes in this book that are wonderfully paranormal- there are legbas and trippy nightmare thingies in the swamp and witchy magic and trickery. The story mesmerised me with the whole of its essence which was dark and thrilling at once.
Anyway, whatever compelled me to request this book on the Netgalley, it must have been fate because please dear swamp-devils, let there be a sequel! Please? *goes off to DM the author*
July 18, 2020
Von diesem Buch hatte ich mir irgendwie mehr erhofft…
Dark Charm hat Potenzial und davon jede Menge. Es ist eine Story rund um die Aufdeckung des Mordes an der mächtigsten dunklen Voodoo-Künstlerin die existiert. Und die junge Jude, deren Leben die Musik ist, findet sich unerwartet inmitten dieser düsteren Geschichte.
Es gibt dunkle Magie, mächtige Figuren und hätte unglaublich düster und magisch sein können… das war es nur leider nicht.
Die ganze Geschichte wirkte in meinen Augen leider nur unausgereift. Als ob die Autorin ganz schnell einen ersten Entwurf geschrieben hätte und diese unglaublichen Ideen zu Papier gebracht hätte und dann hatte sie einfach keine Lust mehr auf die Ausarbeitung und das ist unglaublich schade, denn man hätte aus dieser Idee noch einiges herausholen können.
Von ein paar grammatischen Fehlern (Satzzeichen und falsche Zeiten hier und da) und der Verwendung eines falschen Namen etwa 2 oder 3 mal (Judy statt Jude) einmal abgesehen, war es einfach nicht genug. Oft hat die Autorin ein paar Ideen und Szenen angerissen und sie dann einfach nicht ausgeführt! So gab es zum Beispiel eine Szene in einem Vampirclub in der kurz beschrieben wurde, dass in einem Raum ”alles anders wäre”. Wirklich beschrieben wurde allerdings nichts und so wurde zwar angedeutet, dass die Atmosphäre im ganzen Buch sehr dunkel war, aber gespürt hat man davon leider nichts.
Das lag unter anderem auch an den Charakteren. Ivory Monette soll die mächtigste Cajou-Magierin sein, die existiert. Von so einer mächtigen Frau mit furchteinflößenden Kräften hätte ich mir zumindest einen erhabenen Charakter erwartet. Mehr als einmal wirkte diese mächtige (über 70 Jahre alte Frau) jedoch wie ein ahnungsloser Teenager, was die ganze “mächtige Aura” leider restlos in Luft auflöste. So auch der mächtige Vampir Etienne, der schon vor langer Zeit seine Menschlichkeit aufgegeben hatte. Auch er wirkte eher wie ein Exfreund, der die Trennung vielleicht nicht ganz so gut überwunden hatte. Ein unmenschlicher Vampir sollte nicht so sehr an seinem verletzten Stolz hängen, oder?
Der einzige Charakter, der diese Geschichte (besonders gegen Ende) wirklich lesenswert gemacht hat, war das Phantom. Er war der Einzige, der in gewisser Weise eine mysteriöse Aura verbreitete, zumal man ihn und seine Loyalität überhaupt nicht einschätzen konnte.
Lange Zeit hatte ich überlegt diesem Buch 2 Sterne zu geben, zumal es mich leider gar nicht überzeugen konnte und mir auch das Weiterlesen hin und wieder schwer viel. Gegen Ende hat es aber tatsächlich nochmal eine Wendung gegeben, die mir ziemlich gut gefallen hat und das Buch in meinen Augen etwas gerettet hat. Er gab spannende Entwicklungen, die mich dazu gebracht haben, Seite um Seite, Kapitel um Kapitel zu lesen. Und so gebe ich diesem Buch am Ende doch noch 2,5 Sterne.
Das Ende lässt darauf schließen, dass es noch einen zweiten Band geben wird. Damit hatte ich nicht gerechnet. Allerdings bin ich mir zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt noch nicht sicher ob ich diesen lesen möchte....
Dark Charm hat Potenzial und davon jede Menge. Es ist eine Story rund um die Aufdeckung des Mordes an der mächtigsten dunklen Voodoo-Künstlerin die existiert. Und die junge Jude, deren Leben die Musik ist, findet sich unerwartet inmitten dieser düsteren Geschichte.
Es gibt dunkle Magie, mächtige Figuren und hätte unglaublich düster und magisch sein können… das war es nur leider nicht.
Die ganze Geschichte wirkte in meinen Augen leider nur unausgereift. Als ob die Autorin ganz schnell einen ersten Entwurf geschrieben hätte und diese unglaublichen Ideen zu Papier gebracht hätte und dann hatte sie einfach keine Lust mehr auf die Ausarbeitung und das ist unglaublich schade, denn man hätte aus dieser Idee noch einiges herausholen können.
Von ein paar grammatischen Fehlern (Satzzeichen und falsche Zeiten hier und da) und der Verwendung eines falschen Namen etwa 2 oder 3 mal (Judy statt Jude) einmal abgesehen, war es einfach nicht genug. Oft hat die Autorin ein paar Ideen und Szenen angerissen und sie dann einfach nicht ausgeführt! So gab es zum Beispiel eine Szene in einem Vampirclub in der kurz beschrieben wurde, dass in einem Raum ”alles anders wäre”. Wirklich beschrieben wurde allerdings nichts und so wurde zwar angedeutet, dass die Atmosphäre im ganzen Buch sehr dunkel war, aber gespürt hat man davon leider nichts.
Das lag unter anderem auch an den Charakteren. Ivory Monette soll die mächtigste Cajou-Magierin sein, die existiert. Von so einer mächtigen Frau mit furchteinflößenden Kräften hätte ich mir zumindest einen erhabenen Charakter erwartet. Mehr als einmal wirkte diese mächtige (über 70 Jahre alte Frau) jedoch wie ein ahnungsloser Teenager, was die ganze “mächtige Aura” leider restlos in Luft auflöste. So auch der mächtige Vampir Etienne, der schon vor langer Zeit seine Menschlichkeit aufgegeben hatte. Auch er wirkte eher wie ein Exfreund, der die Trennung vielleicht nicht ganz so gut überwunden hatte. Ein unmenschlicher Vampir sollte nicht so sehr an seinem verletzten Stolz hängen, oder?
Der einzige Charakter, der diese Geschichte (besonders gegen Ende) wirklich lesenswert gemacht hat, war das Phantom. Er war der Einzige, der in gewisser Weise eine mysteriöse Aura verbreitete, zumal man ihn und seine Loyalität überhaupt nicht einschätzen konnte.
Lange Zeit hatte ich überlegt diesem Buch 2 Sterne zu geben, zumal es mich leider gar nicht überzeugen konnte und mir auch das Weiterlesen hin und wieder schwer viel. Gegen Ende hat es aber tatsächlich nochmal eine Wendung gegeben, die mir ziemlich gut gefallen hat und das Buch in meinen Augen etwas gerettet hat. Er gab spannende Entwicklungen, die mich dazu gebracht haben, Seite um Seite, Kapitel um Kapitel zu lesen. Und so gebe ich diesem Buch am Ende doch noch 2,5 Sterne.
Das Ende lässt darauf schließen, dass es noch einen zweiten Band geben wird. Damit hatte ich nicht gerechnet. Allerdings bin ich mir zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt noch nicht sicher ob ich diesen lesen möchte....
August 9, 2021
Jude Lomax est musicienne et vit dans les bas-fonds de Bâton Noir. Pour gagner sa vie et prendre soin de son père, le seul proche qu’il lui reste, elle joue de la trompette dans les endroits les plus sinistres et malfamés de la ville. Lorsque sa fanfare est embauchée pour jouer aux funérailles de la Reine Cojoue, Jude se retrouve posséder par l’esprit de la défunte. Elle n’aura pas d’autre choix que de l’aider à trouver qui l’a assassiné. Ce que j’ai adoré dans ce roman, c’est l’ambiance sombre, effrayante, glauque… Bâton Noir est inspirée de la Nouvelle Orléans et on retrouve l’atmosphère de la ville, le jazz, les mythes, etc. Spiritisme, magie et intrigues de pouvoir se mélangent. Mais c’est aussi une histoire young adult qui parle des relations toxiques, des regrets, de la culpabilité… J’avoue que je n’aurai pas dit non à une suite surtout que je ne pensais pas qu’un livre allait me faire apprécier un serpent un jour ! 😱
May 22, 2022
4,5/5
J’ai adoré cette lecture ! C’était frais, bien rythmé. L’intrigue change de ce que je lis d’habitude et j’ai BEAUCOUP aimé que le tout prenne place dans la culture de la nouvelle-Orléans ! C’était hyper intéressant et nouveau comme style d’univers
J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé les personnages, les liens qui se nouent, l’aspect « familial » présent dans l’intrigue. Et SURTOUT, j’ai beaucoup aimé que la romance soit vraiment au second plan voir au troisième plan à la limite de l’inexistence.
Il y a eu quelques facilités mais sinon c’était top
J’ai adoré cette lecture ! C’était frais, bien rythmé. L’intrigue change de ce que je lis d’habitude et j’ai BEAUCOUP aimé que le tout prenne place dans la culture de la nouvelle-Orléans ! C’était hyper intéressant et nouveau comme style d’univers
J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé les personnages, les liens qui se nouent, l’aspect « familial » présent dans l’intrigue. Et SURTOUT, j’ai beaucoup aimé que la romance soit vraiment au second plan voir au troisième plan à la limite de l’inexistence.
Il y a eu quelques facilités mais sinon c’était top
January 19, 2021
Книги с таким названием мимо меня пройти не могут. Милейшая вещь про нищую джазовую трубачку, в которую вселяется дух вуду-королевы. Она хочет узнать, кто ее убил, и на раскрытие дела дается не так много времени. Это YA, но весьма достойный, без соплей, с крутой героиней и чумовым южным колоритом. Злое колдовство, батя, разорванный крокодилами, джазовые похороны https://ritual.ru/poleznaya-informaci..., вампиры, богато живущие на заброшенной железной дороге, злосчастный монстр, заключенный в особняке, рядом с живым деревом, креольская еда, Новый Орлеан. Нуара бы сюда добавить - и получилось бы шикарно, а так - симпатичная книжка, после которой немедленно хочется продолжения. Но его нет!
March 14, 2019
Quite an interesting and entertaining book, well written and with an engaging plot.
I liked the cast of characters and world building for the paranormal side.
I felt it was a bit lacking in the descriptions of New Orleans and the music side.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine
I liked the cast of characters and world building for the paranormal side.
I felt it was a bit lacking in the descriptions of New Orleans and the music side.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine
July 14, 2019
Alex Bell does ‘creepy’ so very well, and Music and Malice is a fantastic addition to her YA works. Jude is a likeable but flawed character with a tragic past, thrown into a world of cajou magic, witchcraft and vampires when she’s possessed by the spirit of a murdered cajou queen, Ivory Monette.
The world is richly and darkly imagined and described; it was easy to root for Jude and be transported to the smoky streets of Baton Noir. The witchcraft element was a real strength. As with the author’s previous novel, The Haunting, a lot of research has gone into curses and hexes, and anyone with a liking for horror will be thrilled by the spells and the grim history of Jude’s and the inhabitants of Moonfleet Manor in particular. Admittedly I’m already a huge fan of Alex’s Bell’s, but I loved it.
The world is richly and darkly imagined and described; it was easy to root for Jude and be transported to the smoky streets of Baton Noir. The witchcraft element was a real strength. As with the author’s previous novel, The Haunting, a lot of research has gone into curses and hexes, and anyone with a liking for horror will be thrilled by the spells and the grim history of Jude’s and the inhabitants of Moonfleet Manor in particular. Admittedly I’m already a huge fan of Alex’s Bell’s, but I loved it.
April 4, 2019
(Apologies in advance if I use any pejorative terms, please correct me and I will alter.)
Baton Noir is a city of magic, gods and spirits known as legba. Sadly, not all the magic is good or kind. Jude finds herself caught up in vengeance from beyond the grave when a cajou queen locks on to her, determined to see her plans carried out even after death. Unraveling it will take luck, strange allies - and maybe a little magic.
Alex Bell is the queen of horror stories. This is less bone chilling than Frozen Charlotte, more creepy than downright terrifying, but it's a fascinating world and Alex has clearly done her homework on Southern magic. There's a level of detail here that really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to reading more in this universe; there's a lot to unpick.
The romance story didn't do much for me, although I liked the male character in all other respects; I just thought the romance part was kind of tacked on. That's entirely like me when it comes to romance, though. I liked the characters, and a twist near the end took me by surprise, which I always love.
I'll be looking out for more in this series, I'm very eager to find out what happens next.
An hour or so after she'd laid down, she realised Beau was on the bed with her, curling his large body round her in a way that was strangely comforting.
"How did he get here?" Jude asked. "And how did he appear before, in the Ghost Station?"
He can sense where I am, and so where you are, Ivory said. He's never far away. And he can use the spirit world to travel around. It seems like he's taken a bit of a shine to you. In fact, he's been more affectionate to you than he was with me in recent years. She sighed. I suppose he never quite forgave me for killing Betty.
"But...then why didn't he appear at the Blue Lady?" Jude asked. "When you were murdered?"
The cajou queen was silent for a moment. Then, she said, (sic)"I'm not sure. Perhaps...perhaps he sensed that he wouldn't be able to do anything against a magical attack? It hardly matters now."
The snake tucked his flat head into the groove of Jude's shoulder and she felt the same glow of warmth as before, her fear lessened and so did the piercing pain in her finger. She ran her fingers slowly down the snake's smooth skin. With him there she suddenly felt safer and the thought of bats no longer troubled her.
"Thank you, Beau," she said.
The warmth from the snake glowed a little brighter and, soon afterwards, Jude fell asleep.
Baton Noir is a city of magic, gods and spirits known as legba. Sadly, not all the magic is good or kind. Jude finds herself caught up in vengeance from beyond the grave when a cajou queen locks on to her, determined to see her plans carried out even after death. Unraveling it will take luck, strange allies - and maybe a little magic.
Alex Bell is the queen of horror stories. This is less bone chilling than Frozen Charlotte, more creepy than downright terrifying, but it's a fascinating world and Alex has clearly done her homework on Southern magic. There's a level of detail here that really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to reading more in this universe; there's a lot to unpick.
The romance story didn't do much for me, although I liked the male character in all other respects; I just thought the romance part was kind of tacked on. That's entirely like me when it comes to romance, though. I liked the characters, and a twist near the end took me by surprise, which I always love.
I'll be looking out for more in this series, I'm very eager to find out what happens next.
An hour or so after she'd laid down, she realised Beau was on the bed with her, curling his large body round her in a way that was strangely comforting.
"How did he get here?" Jude asked. "And how did he appear before, in the Ghost Station?"
He can sense where I am, and so where you are, Ivory said. He's never far away. And he can use the spirit world to travel around. It seems like he's taken a bit of a shine to you. In fact, he's been more affectionate to you than he was with me in recent years. She sighed. I suppose he never quite forgave me for killing Betty.
"But...then why didn't he appear at the Blue Lady?" Jude asked. "When you were murdered?"
The cajou queen was silent for a moment. Then, she said, (sic)"I'm not sure. Perhaps...perhaps he sensed that he wouldn't be able to do anything against a magical attack? It hardly matters now."
The snake tucked his flat head into the groove of Jude's shoulder and she felt the same glow of warmth as before, her fear lessened and so did the piercing pain in her finger. She ran her fingers slowly down the snake's smooth skin. With him there she suddenly felt safer and the thought of bats no longer troubled her.
"Thank you, Beau," she said.
The warmth from the snake glowed a little brighter and, soon afterwards, Jude fell asleep.
September 28, 2021
Un roman cinq étoiles pour son ambiance envoûtante (la Nouvelle-Orléans, le jazz, les pratiques cojoues, le vaudou etc.). Sur ce point, c'est magique ! L'intrigue est plus lente et moins surprenante. Je n'ai pas réussi à m'attacher à l'héroïne.
J'avais tellement adoré la série d'Alex Bell - Le Club de l'Ours Polaire ! Je n'ai pas retrouvé cette sensation de bulle même si j'ai été bluffée par l'atmosphère soignée de La nuit des reines.
J'avais tellement adoré la série d'Alex Bell - Le Club de l'Ours Polaire ! Je n'ai pas retrouvé cette sensation de bulle même si j'ai été bluffée par l'atmosphère soignée de La nuit des reines.
July 31, 2021
Takýto nepomer v kvalite prvej a druhej polovice knihy som už dlho nevidela.
RTC...
RTC...
July 16, 2020
Durch Zufall beim Stöbern habe ich entdeckt, das endlich eins von Alex Bells Jugendbüchern nach Deutschland kommt. Zuvor hatte ich bereits Frozen Charlotte von ihr auf Englisch gelesen und war total begeistert. Nun war ich natürlich auch gespannt was mich in Dark Charm erwartet denn der Inhalt verspricht einiges:
Ivory Monette die Voodoo Queen von New Orleans ist ermordet worden. Als Jude auf ihrer Beerdigung mit ihrer Band spielt, ergreift der Geister der Magierin besitzt von ihr. Um die ehemalige Voodoo Queen wieder loszuwerden muss Jude ihr helfen ihren Mörder zu finden und diese Aufgabe führt sie in verwunschene Sümpfe, geheime Clubs und in die dunkelsten Ecken von New Orleans. Doch in einer Stadt voll dunkler Magie und Voodoo droht die Gefahr von unerwarteter Seite. Wie viel ist Jude bereit zu opfern?
New Orleans, Musik, dunkel Magie und Voodoo war ja klar, dass ich zu diesem Buch greifen muss. Leider gibt es ja relativ wenig Geschichten, die sich mit Voodoo beschäftigen, dabei ist das Thema wirklich interessant. Die Autorin schafft es eine ganz tolle Welt aus den oben genannten Zutaten zu erschaffen. Gerade die Welt des Voodoo und des Cajou hat es mir angetan, denn die Welt ist in Klassen unterteilt, so gibt es den Cajou Adel, die Untertanen und die normale Bevölkerung die nur als Lumpenpack bekannt ist. Sehr viel Magie ergibt sich aus Charms, kleinen Anhängern, die man an Armbändern oder Ketten trägt. Natürlich gibt es auch dunkle Rituale, Opfergaben oder Zaubertränke. Die Magie in dieser Welt ist unglaublich ausgeprägt und in verschiednen Formen vorhanden, weshalb mir New Orleans auch besonders gut gefallen hat.
Mit Jude schafft es Alex Belle einen tolle und ansprechende Protagonistin zu schaffen, die es nicht leicht im Leben hatte. Ihr Bruder ist gestorben und ihr Vater nach einem Unfall stark eingeschränkt, dadurch ist sie größten Teils auf sich alleine gestellt. Nur ihre Liebe zur Musik und ihr bester Freund geben ihr Halt. Jude ist ein taffer Charakter die vor nichts zurückschreckt, man muss sie einfach gernhaben. Aber auch die Nebencharaktere allen voran die Voodoo Queen Ivory und das Phantom lassen die Geschichte zu etwas besonderem werden.
Der Schreibstil von Alex Bell ist wunderbar flüssig so das man nur so durch die Seiten fliegt. Immer wieder kommt es zu großen Spannungsmomenten und man fragt sich des Öfteren wem man wirklich trauen kann. Dadurch entsteht eine ganz besondere und düstere Atmosphäre die das Buch auf magische weise besonders macht. Natürlich sorgt auch der Mordfall in der Geschichte für besondere Spannung und einer Auflösung, die ich so nicht habe kommen sehen.
Mir hat Dark Charm sehr gut gefallen, durch die ganzen magischen Elemente und die diverse Voodoo Folklore, die in der Geschichte benutzt wurden, hatte ich das Buch in nur wenigen Stunden gelesen. Ein unglaublich tolle magische Welt und ein spannender Mordfall konnten mich absolut überzeugen und Dark Charm bekommt eine absolute Leseempfehlung. Ich hoffe das der cbt Verlag auch die anderen Bücher von Alex Bell übersetzt ich wäre auf jeden Fall dabei.
4,5 von 5 Sternen
Ivory Monette die Voodoo Queen von New Orleans ist ermordet worden. Als Jude auf ihrer Beerdigung mit ihrer Band spielt, ergreift der Geister der Magierin besitzt von ihr. Um die ehemalige Voodoo Queen wieder loszuwerden muss Jude ihr helfen ihren Mörder zu finden und diese Aufgabe führt sie in verwunschene Sümpfe, geheime Clubs und in die dunkelsten Ecken von New Orleans. Doch in einer Stadt voll dunkler Magie und Voodoo droht die Gefahr von unerwarteter Seite. Wie viel ist Jude bereit zu opfern?
New Orleans, Musik, dunkel Magie und Voodoo war ja klar, dass ich zu diesem Buch greifen muss. Leider gibt es ja relativ wenig Geschichten, die sich mit Voodoo beschäftigen, dabei ist das Thema wirklich interessant. Die Autorin schafft es eine ganz tolle Welt aus den oben genannten Zutaten zu erschaffen. Gerade die Welt des Voodoo und des Cajou hat es mir angetan, denn die Welt ist in Klassen unterteilt, so gibt es den Cajou Adel, die Untertanen und die normale Bevölkerung die nur als Lumpenpack bekannt ist. Sehr viel Magie ergibt sich aus Charms, kleinen Anhängern, die man an Armbändern oder Ketten trägt. Natürlich gibt es auch dunkle Rituale, Opfergaben oder Zaubertränke. Die Magie in dieser Welt ist unglaublich ausgeprägt und in verschiednen Formen vorhanden, weshalb mir New Orleans auch besonders gut gefallen hat.
Mit Jude schafft es Alex Belle einen tolle und ansprechende Protagonistin zu schaffen, die es nicht leicht im Leben hatte. Ihr Bruder ist gestorben und ihr Vater nach einem Unfall stark eingeschränkt, dadurch ist sie größten Teils auf sich alleine gestellt. Nur ihre Liebe zur Musik und ihr bester Freund geben ihr Halt. Jude ist ein taffer Charakter die vor nichts zurückschreckt, man muss sie einfach gernhaben. Aber auch die Nebencharaktere allen voran die Voodoo Queen Ivory und das Phantom lassen die Geschichte zu etwas besonderem werden.
Der Schreibstil von Alex Bell ist wunderbar flüssig so das man nur so durch die Seiten fliegt. Immer wieder kommt es zu großen Spannungsmomenten und man fragt sich des Öfteren wem man wirklich trauen kann. Dadurch entsteht eine ganz besondere und düstere Atmosphäre die das Buch auf magische weise besonders macht. Natürlich sorgt auch der Mordfall in der Geschichte für besondere Spannung und einer Auflösung, die ich so nicht habe kommen sehen.
Mir hat Dark Charm sehr gut gefallen, durch die ganzen magischen Elemente und die diverse Voodoo Folklore, die in der Geschichte benutzt wurden, hatte ich das Buch in nur wenigen Stunden gelesen. Ein unglaublich tolle magische Welt und ein spannender Mordfall konnten mich absolut überzeugen und Dark Charm bekommt eine absolute Leseempfehlung. Ich hoffe das der cbt Verlag auch die anderen Bücher von Alex Bell übersetzt ich wäre auf jeden Fall dabei.
4,5 von 5 Sternen
January 5, 2021
This is definitely a book I need to reread at some point because I feel like my overall enjoyment of it and love of the characters clouded my judgement and full understanding of what I was reading. This book was beautiful and enchanting, but was extremely white-washed, the book is set in a fantastical New Orleans inspired location, a place heavily influenced by Afro-Caribbean culture; as best stated in this great review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and quoted here:
"The only reason this isn’t rated 5 stars is because the book felt really white. With so much incorporation of the culture and religious practices of predominantly black peoples, there was a glaring lack of melanin in Baton Noir. This is just not what you would expect in a book so deeply entrenched with New Orleans and Afro-Caribbean culture."
I personally feel like it would have been much more authentic to the culture and themes presented within the novel for the main character to be a person of colour but I feel that the author chose not to as she is white herself. There have been a lot of criticisms of how white authors have often encouraged and promoted negative stereotypes of people of colour and perhaps that is why the author avoided writing the main character as a person of colour but that isn't really good enough, especially in this sort of novel, set where it is, influenced by things it is.
This article was super interesting on the subject:
https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/who-g...
One quote I'd like to reference from that article, highlights an issue within the book:
"They warn of common pitfalls — like comparing skin tones to chocolate and coffee and other kinds of food, which carry colonial associations and can make people sound like commodities, intended to be consumed."
This is another really good article:
https://bookriot.com/casually-racist-...
With my reread I will definitely be more critical.
and quoted here:
"The only reason this isn’t rated 5 stars is because the book felt really white. With so much incorporation of the culture and religious practices of predominantly black peoples, there was a glaring lack of melanin in Baton Noir. This is just not what you would expect in a book so deeply entrenched with New Orleans and Afro-Caribbean culture."
I personally feel like it would have been much more authentic to the culture and themes presented within the novel for the main character to be a person of colour but I feel that the author chose not to as she is white herself. There have been a lot of criticisms of how white authors have often encouraged and promoted negative stereotypes of people of colour and perhaps that is why the author avoided writing the main character as a person of colour but that isn't really good enough, especially in this sort of novel, set where it is, influenced by things it is.
This article was super interesting on the subject:
https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/who-g...
One quote I'd like to reference from that article, highlights an issue within the book:
"They warn of common pitfalls — like comparing skin tones to chocolate and coffee and other kinds of food, which carry colonial associations and can make people sound like commodities, intended to be consumed."
This is another really good article:
https://bookriot.com/casually-racist-...
With my reread I will definitely be more critical.
July 31, 2019
+ I loved the setting, the New Orleans atmosphere with fright hexes and black magic.
+ I adored author's imagination and the writing was rich, full of magic, curses, swamps (and its devils), and also vampires.
- It's a murder mystery. But the more we get to know about the murderer and how they did it, the less it makes sense, at least for me. I do understand the motive (sort of).. but I was a little bit bored and confused with every new twist.
Overall: 3,5. The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 3 is simple - even after finishing, I was still thinking about the book, wishing I could return to Baton Noir :)
+ I adored author's imagination and the writing was rich, full of magic, curses, swamps (and its devils), and also vampires.
- It's a murder mystery. But the more we get to know about the murderer and how they did it, the less it makes sense, at least for me. I do understand the motive (sort of).. but I was a little bit bored and confused with every new twist.
Overall: 3,5. The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 3 is simple - even after finishing, I was still thinking about the book, wishing I could return to Baton Noir :)
July 14, 2020
War nicht ganz meins, bin aber trotzdem gespannt, wie die Geschichte weitergehen wird.
April 7, 2019
Magic, voodoo, an alternate New Orleans, this book was right up my alley. The actual rating is 3,5 stars.
1.What I loved:
The idea behind it all. Baton Noir, a city of magic and music. The magic users standing apart from the ordinary humans, and Jude, the girl just trying to make a living, suddenly having to help the dead voodoo queen solve her murder.
Jude as the main protagonist deals with anger issues and having to deal with a self destructive dad and having been emotionally disappointed and used by men in the past. She's an angry ball of resilience just like the city.
A lot of the protagonists have encountered loss and abuse, and I liked that it focused on mental health that way. Coming to what I loved most: the secondary characters like sharkey and his grandma, a certain "phantom", and the city as a character itself, breathing music and magic.
The plot was a bit predictable at times, but I still liked it.
2. What could have been done way better:
When I first started reading, I was a bit annoyed by how bad the book wanted to be New Orleans. The names of the streets and quarters ...it was trying too hard. Baton Noir as an obvious nod to Baton Rouge...come on. Cajou instead of voodoo...all way to similar to the point of ridiculous.
The language was also problematic at times, especially concerning the description of skin colour.
All in all, I think this was a good start to a series, but it very much failed to live up to it's potential. And it could have been avoided by sensitivity readers and adding some extra layers .
Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the E-ARC.
1.What I loved:
The idea behind it all. Baton Noir, a city of magic and music. The magic users standing apart from the ordinary humans, and Jude, the girl just trying to make a living, suddenly having to help the dead voodoo queen solve her murder.
Jude as the main protagonist deals with anger issues and having to deal with a self destructive dad and having been emotionally disappointed and used by men in the past. She's an angry ball of resilience just like the city.
A lot of the protagonists have encountered loss and abuse, and I liked that it focused on mental health that way. Coming to what I loved most: the secondary characters like sharkey and his grandma, a certain "phantom", and the city as a character itself, breathing music and magic.
The plot was a bit predictable at times, but I still liked it.
2. What could have been done way better:
When I first started reading, I was a bit annoyed by how bad the book wanted to be New Orleans. The names of the streets and quarters ...it was trying too hard. Baton Noir as an obvious nod to Baton Rouge...come on. Cajou instead of voodoo...all way to similar to the point of ridiculous.
The language was also problematic at times, especially concerning the description of skin colour.
All in all, I think this was a good start to a series, but it very much failed to live up to it's potential. And it could have been avoided by sensitivity readers and adding some extra layers .
Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the E-ARC.
November 5, 2021
Avis : En lisant ce roman je suis vraiment sorti de ma zone de confort.
Ici on est face à un roman un peu du genre thriller/horreur/fantaisy incroyable et invraisemblable.
L’auteur à sut manié les différent thème à la perfection, nous mettre assez de fantaisy et d’horreur tout en gardant le mystère de la recherche de crime et des mystères tous plus intriguant les uns que les autres.
La plume de l’auteur est très addictive, elle nous emmené dans cette univers un peu gothique, de sorcière, de vaudou et de vampirisme. L’histoire est très intriguant et tout au long de l’histoire on rentre un peu plus dans cette folie et cette horreur. Les retournements de situation était vraiment ouf, je ne savais vraiment jamais à quoi m’attendre !
On suit Jude dans une histoire tout à fait touchante et pleine de surprise. C’est une fille à qui on pourrait s’identifier. Elle est à la fois dur et amicale, elle cache ses secret aux autres mais on s’en sa tendresse et ses peines.
Les autres personnages sont aussi assez bien travaillés et profonds et l’un des autres personnages qui deviendra important m’a fait penser à Kaz Bekker (six of crows !).
L’intrigue est vraiment originale et pleine de surprise surtout en alliant thriller et fantaisy ce qui donnait un côté encore plus mystérieux. J’aurais vraiment du mal à bien le décrire tellement il est original, intriguant et bien tourné !
C’est un livre vraiment parfait pour halloween que je vous recommande chaudement si vous aimez les livre horrifique !
Ici on est face à un roman un peu du genre thriller/horreur/fantaisy incroyable et invraisemblable.
L’auteur à sut manié les différent thème à la perfection, nous mettre assez de fantaisy et d’horreur tout en gardant le mystère de la recherche de crime et des mystères tous plus intriguant les uns que les autres.
La plume de l’auteur est très addictive, elle nous emmené dans cette univers un peu gothique, de sorcière, de vaudou et de vampirisme. L’histoire est très intriguant et tout au long de l’histoire on rentre un peu plus dans cette folie et cette horreur. Les retournements de situation était vraiment ouf, je ne savais vraiment jamais à quoi m’attendre !
On suit Jude dans une histoire tout à fait touchante et pleine de surprise. C’est une fille à qui on pourrait s’identifier. Elle est à la fois dur et amicale, elle cache ses secret aux autres mais on s’en sa tendresse et ses peines.
Les autres personnages sont aussi assez bien travaillés et profonds et l’un des autres personnages qui deviendra important m’a fait penser à Kaz Bekker (six of crows !).
L’intrigue est vraiment originale et pleine de surprise surtout en alliant thriller et fantaisy ce qui donnait un côté encore plus mystérieux. J’aurais vraiment du mal à bien le décrire tellement il est original, intriguant et bien tourné !
C’est un livre vraiment parfait pour halloween que je vous recommande chaudement si vous aimez les livre horrifique !
October 17, 2021
Acheté ce jeudi j’ai dévoré ce bouquin en seulement deux jours, ça faisait un moment que ça ne m’était pas arrivé.
Jude est trompettiste à Bâton Noir et sa vie a basculé lors d’un terrible accident qui a détruit sa famille. Lorsque la reine cojoue qui règne sur la ville et maîtrise la magie noire décède, prend possession du corps de Jude et lui propose un marché pour soigner son père, Jude ne peut pas refuser. Elle se trouve embarquée dans une aventure qui inclut de la magie cojoue, des vampires, et un énorme python albinos.
La nuit des reines a presque réussi l’exploit de me rendre les serpents agréables. Alex Bell parvient bien à rendre cet animal protecteur et attachant, tout en dépeignant une atmosphère sombre et à l’ambiance proche de celle de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Les actions et intrigues s’emmêlent tout en proposant de beaux retournements de situation. Je me suis prise d’affection pour le Fantôme, un personnage très mystérieux, fort lié à Jude, et qui ne vous laissera certainement pas indifférent. Mais le gros plus de ce livre, c’est aussi toute la noirceur qu’il renferme, ne lésinant pas sûr les détails un peu macabres pour rajouter une part d’horreur qui se marie bien avec le fantastique. Un combo parfait à l’approche d’Halloween ✨
Jude est trompettiste à Bâton Noir et sa vie a basculé lors d’un terrible accident qui a détruit sa famille. Lorsque la reine cojoue qui règne sur la ville et maîtrise la magie noire décède, prend possession du corps de Jude et lui propose un marché pour soigner son père, Jude ne peut pas refuser. Elle se trouve embarquée dans une aventure qui inclut de la magie cojoue, des vampires, et un énorme python albinos.
La nuit des reines a presque réussi l’exploit de me rendre les serpents agréables. Alex Bell parvient bien à rendre cet animal protecteur et attachant, tout en dépeignant une atmosphère sombre et à l’ambiance proche de celle de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Les actions et intrigues s’emmêlent tout en proposant de beaux retournements de situation. Je me suis prise d’affection pour le Fantôme, un personnage très mystérieux, fort lié à Jude, et qui ne vous laissera certainement pas indifférent. Mais le gros plus de ce livre, c’est aussi toute la noirceur qu’il renferme, ne lésinant pas sûr les détails un peu macabres pour rajouter une part d’horreur qui se marie bien avec le fantastique. Un combo parfait à l’approche d’Halloween ✨
June 14, 2019
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but it was amazing and I loved it! It was so dark and mysterious; it really captured the creepy Cajou dark arts perfectly.
It was at times a little confusing, but once you got used to all the names and Barton Noir it was fine. Also, the Phantom (not just because of the name) really reminded me the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, especially with their very similar story lines. I'm not complaining though because it's a true favourite of mine so the crossover was fun.
Considering the book ended on a bit of a cliff hanger I really hope there is going to be another one!! I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something a bit different!
It was at times a little confusing, but once you got used to all the names and Barton Noir it was fine. Also, the Phantom (not just because of the name) really reminded me the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, especially with their very similar story lines. I'm not complaining though because it's a true favourite of mine so the crossover was fun.
Considering the book ended on a bit of a cliff hanger I really hope there is going to be another one!! I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something a bit different!
October 10, 2021
Un véritable coup de coeur ! 💛💛
Je l'ai dévoré en 2 jours à peine, dans la nuit je ne pouvais le lâcher. J'ai été envoutée complêtement par l'ambiance cojoue, vaudou, bayou, jazz et Nouvelle Orléans que l'autrice mets en place avec brio.
L'intrigue est altante, tout s'enchaîne rapidement mais on ne peut pas lâcher le livre tant que l'on ne sait pas la fin. J'ai trouvé que le récit était très original. Le personnage de Jude m'a vraiment bien plu avec cette âme de rebelle.
Le roman passe souvent dans des scènes assez horrifiques qui font froid dans le dos parfait pour la période Halloween. J'ai trouvé que le mystère constant présent dans le roman rajoutais vraiment une touche addictive.
Je l'ai dévoré en 2 jours à peine, dans la nuit je ne pouvais le lâcher. J'ai été envoutée complêtement par l'ambiance cojoue, vaudou, bayou, jazz et Nouvelle Orléans que l'autrice mets en place avec brio.
L'intrigue est altante, tout s'enchaîne rapidement mais on ne peut pas lâcher le livre tant que l'on ne sait pas la fin. J'ai trouvé que le récit était très original. Le personnage de Jude m'a vraiment bien plu avec cette âme de rebelle.
Le roman passe souvent dans des scènes assez horrifiques qui font froid dans le dos parfait pour la période Halloween. J'ai trouvé que le mystère constant présent dans le roman rajoutais vraiment une touche addictive.
August 19, 2021
http://www.unbrindelecture.com/2021/0...
Une histoire originale dans une ambiance absolument géniale. La louisiane avec sa chaleur, sa musique et sa magie cojoue emporte le lecteur dans une aventure intense. Le bémol vient du lien qu'on ne parvient pas vraiment à fonder avec les personnages dont on reste à distance et qui est dommage. La magie est omni présente et sa mythologie est passionnante même s'il m'aura manqué ce je ne sais quoi qui font qu'une histoire devienne un coup de coeur .
Une histoire originale dans une ambiance absolument géniale. La louisiane avec sa chaleur, sa musique et sa magie cojoue emporte le lecteur dans une aventure intense. Le bémol vient du lien qu'on ne parvient pas vraiment à fonder avec les personnages dont on reste à distance et qui est dommage. La magie est omni présente et sa mythologie est passionnante même s'il m'aura manqué ce je ne sais quoi qui font qu'une histoire devienne un coup de coeur .
November 2, 2022
4.5
« There are no angels in Baton Noir. Only devils. »
J’ai adoré cette lecture, en grande partie pour son ambiance glauque à souhait.
L’univers sombre du bayou, le vaudou, les serpents… Je suis conquise !
Ce n’est malgré tout pas un coup de cœur car j’ai trouvé que l’on survolait un peu trop la psychologie des personnages. Jude m’a beaucoup touché et André m’a intrigué mais j’aurais voulu en savoir tellement plus !
J’espère qu’il y aura une suite !
« There are no angels in Baton Noir. Only devils. »
J’ai adoré cette lecture, en grande partie pour son ambiance glauque à souhait.
L’univers sombre du bayou, le vaudou, les serpents… Je suis conquise !
Ce n’est malgré tout pas un coup de cœur car j’ai trouvé que l’on survolait un peu trop la psychologie des personnages. Jude m’a beaucoup touché et André m’a intrigué mais j’aurais voulu en savoir tellement plus !
J’espère qu’il y aura une suite !
June 23, 2024
Ich habe das Buch schon einmal vor 2 Jahren gelesen konnte mich aber nicht mehr so richtig an die Story erinnern weshalb ich mich entschieden habe es noch einmal zu lesen. Es war eigentlich ein gutes Buch aber ich fand die Mythologie in diesem Buch sehr verwirrend und generell die Handlung ist meiner Meinung nach etwas zu schnell und abrupt was aber auch seine positiven Seiten hat da es dadurch nie langweilig wird. 6,5/10🌟
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