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Printed from https://writing.com/main/product_reviews/pr_id/106377-The-Book-of-Shadows-A-Novel
ASIN: 0066210151
ID #106377
Product Type: Book
Reviewer: A Non-Existent User
Review Rated: 13+
Amazon's Price: $ 10.00
Product Rating:
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Summary of this Book...
         Herculine is only six years old when she sees her mother die horribly and inexplicably. A child alone in the nineteenth-century French countryside, she makes her way to the secluded convent at C---, where she is taken in as a foundling orphan and raised by nuns who teach the children of the privileged to fear a wrathful God. But shy, unworldly Herculine is not like the others in this cold, forbidding place. And when she is led down a dark path by a rebellious fellow student, she soon finds herself convicted of crimes unimaginable.

         But death at the hands of the ignorant and falsely pious is not to be Herculine's lot. Held captive in the convent library, she is visited by four unexpected saviours with timeless needs of their own: the incubus priest Father Louis; the tragic, damned beauty Madeleine; the demonic Asmodei; abd Sebastiana d'Azur, a witch. By dawn, Herculine is free yet forever changed as she follows her liberators into a world of sensuous pleasures and great mysteries both wondrous and strange.

         Secreted away in Sebastiana's once-grand manor high above the Breton sands, Herculine sets out to find out why she has been "chosen" and for what purpose. Her quest- ripe with erotic discovery, dark magic, heresy, and blood- propels her headlong through the perils of the age, across borders between the living and the dead, and back through a time when hysteria and madness reigned, when noble heads were impaled and paraded through the streets of Paris. For only when her mysterious mission is completed- and the terrible otherworldly roots of a gruesome Revolution are finally revealed- can she understand who and what she truly is. Until then, she must simply trust... and learn. -Summary from The Book of Shadows
I especially liked...
I really liked the detailing of the surroundings and emotions. Even smells were descibed so much that you could smell what was said. I also liked the suspense and originality of it. I've never read anything like this and I absolutely love it. I also like the fact that there are so many words that you don't normally hear every day and I use them when I want to sound intellectual or just feel like using them. It's nice to have a variety of words... Some of these I never even heard of!
I didn't like...
The only thing I really didn't like was that Herculine didn't get to have Romeo. They seemed so much in love and it was a bit depressing to find out that they never hear from eachother again. That and she doesn't get to remain friends with Sabastiana and the priest Father Louis.
When I finished reading this Book I wanted to...
When I finally finished I felt like writing. I was excited about the new vocabulary words I had learned during the time I read it and wanted to use them right away.
This Book made me feel...
When I finished the book I felt a little more educated and accomplished that I could actually sit through such a big book because I normally don't have the patience muchless the time to read them. But this grabbed my attention so much that I was reading it every chance I got. I'd stay awake all night reading with my eyes glued to the pages.
The author of this Book...
The author of this book is very original and has a odd writing style. A good sort of odd style. As soon as I finished I wanted to read more of his work (Although I'm not sure if there is any other work at the moment).
I recommend this Book because...
I definitely recommend this book to anyone that is really into the dark magic and erotic romances that occur throughout the book. And for those that are interested in find new words to add to their vocabulary.
Further Comments...
I just love the fact that I had to have a dictionary beside me to learn some of the words that I didn't even know existed. It is an excellent book and I want you to check it out! It may seem a bit boring in the beginning but once you get past the first few chapters it gets really good.
Created Jul 30, 2002 at 10:39pm • Submit your own review...
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Printed from https://writing.com/main/product_reviews/pr_id/106377-The-Book-of-Shadows-A-Novel