The Book of Shadows

Rating:
Summary: Amazing debut novel
Review: James Reese has melded a tale of Anne Rice(ish) gothic and sensual erotica which serves as the base for a small cast of brilliantly shocking and overwhelmingly stinging characters. The Book of Shadows is skillfully set in 19thc Brittany, yet its chronicle takes the reader into era's past exploding with legends of witches and trials, familiars and spells!
Herculine, a child so very different from others is brought up in the convent of C_____, orphaned due to the strange death of her mother. As she matures she leads an academic yet cloistered life leaving her ignorant of the very traits she posesses that bring about a charge of witchcraft.
And the reader is left in no doubt that Herculine is a witch! Reese's new witch is saved from the mortal *salvation* by an unlikely threesome, Madeline and Father Louis, damned spirits of breathtaking dimension and Sebastiana, a sister witch/mentor. It is Sebastiana who tells Herculine the spellbinding history of the craft of witchery and gives her, her own book of shadows (a journal kept by every witch) of blank pages soon to be filled with the lovingly dark tales Reese weaves and knits that fit so grandly with Herucline's it flows like the steady ebb of a stream.
The Book of Shadows leaves no stone unturned, no page skimmed over, for Reese in his tremendous debut novel never skips a beat or cheats his readers in the telling of this shadowy distressing yet compassionate saga.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully written, historical gothic fiction novel
Review: Most books on Witchcraft today (be they fiction or non) tend to stick to either the actual Wiccan/Pagan religions, or rely on the most characteristic 'Hollywood Witch'- the beautiful woman with a broomstick who flies, is instantly powerful, etc. This book surprised me in many ways- most of all the main character's...interesting state. That and the authors' identification of a 'true Witch' by a certain mark in the eyes. This book is written with a very historical idea of Witches in mind- the wild sex of a Sabbat (which Reese terms an esbat, but I'm not complaining, fiction has a certain amount of allowance for poetic changes), the accompaniment of an incubus and succubus, the shape changing familiar, and most of all, the superstitions and spells/charms that were passed between the sisters were all of historical note. =) Take this from a modern day, real Witch- this is an excellent fictional read, and may educate you into France's, and some of Witchcraft's more bloody side of history. My hat's off to James Reese. I want a sequel, now, please....

Rating:
Summary: some reviewers are missing the point
Review: the Title is 'The Book of Shadows' and that IS what the story is about. Yes Herculine is the heroine/hero and yes Madeleine and Louis are the secondary plot characters--but...the STORY is about a young witch coming into her own, reading her Mentor's Book of Shadows and then writing her own. I enjoyed it. I read it straight thru in less than three days. I was drawn into the characters and even tho some of the history dragged---it was superbly written and not the fault of the author that I became a little bored with the French Revolutionary times...Charles Dickens was far worse in Tale of Two Cities and that still remains my favorite classic! This was an excellent book and it educated me, entertained me, enlightened me and entangled me in it's passions. I loved it and can't wait for another one--Mr. Reese left so many open windows in this one...for instance, it was mentioned almost in passing that this particular BoS belonging to Sebastiana was one of many--her earliest one...hmmmmmm one wonders what how many others might hold? And did Herculine make her way to New Orleans? Did she, we wonder, take the advice of Arlesienne and learn how to get paid for 'what she does best'? What about hosting her Soror Mystica and a Coven? What is the significance of all the jewels and gifts and Madeleine's bones being tossed to the waves? And what about the Mother Superior and her niece who were 'religiously persecuted'? There is a lot to grow on...I look forward to what comes next out of Mr. Reese's imagination(is that where it is coming from Mr. Reese?)

Rating:
Summary: Where's my climax?
Review: This book tended to ramble on a lot about facts that only a devout history buff would care about. I didn't want to finish it because of the overload of history facts. But, I wanted to know how the story ended. I feel a little let down at the end. I spent all this time reading only to find the ending anticlimatic. As much time as I spent going through all those history facts, the author could have given me a little more umph at the end!

Rating:
Summary: Terrific story, beautifully written
Review: This book was everything I hoped it would be when I saw the beautiful cover, with the gothic arch inviting you in to another world. It reads like a classic gothic novel, but then all these supernatural elements are slowly, expertly woven in and it becomes a new type of novel, and a great, great read. Lots of weird romance and sex, lots of history and art. The story pulled me along, and I cared deeply about what would happen to Herculine. Plus, the writing is first-rate, beautiful and precise. I HIGHLY recommend this book, especially to anyone who loves Anne Rice.