Rating: 
Summary: An Engrossing Tale of Witchcraft and Relationships
Review: "Dark Sister" is not your ordinary novel about witchcraft. When Maggie, a housewife and mother of two children, and Alex and archeologist, move into a new home, Maggie longs to uncover and use the old fireplace in the house, so Alex pries away its boarded covering to expose the long unused fireplace. While a chimney sweep is cleaning the chimney, he finds a diary hidden inside. Maggie claims the diary and begins to read the over 100 year old book. She discovers that the author is "Bella". She first suspects that Bells was simply an herbalist, but quickly discovers that she was a witch who lived in the house over a hundred years before. Bound by her husband's lack of respect for her and her dreams [he forbids her to return to school to study psychology, wanting her to be a "proper mother], and the duties of mothering, Maggie searches for her identity by reading the diary and learning more about the remedies and potions described within.
Unable to find all of the herbs mentioned, or to understand the old English words for some of them, she engages the help of a local herbalist, Ash, who has a shop in town. She develops a strong bond with Ash, who is concerned for Maggies zeal to dive in too quickly to the potions and magic described in Bella's diary. He sends Maggie to "Liz" a strange old woman who lives alone and who is quite obviously a witch. Liz shares her knowledge with Maggie, but holds back a secret that is later revealed in the novel. As Maggie becomes more and more involved in witchcraft, the time she spends away from home and her children becomes a sore point between she and her husband, Alex, who would prefer that she sit at home, minding the children all day. Also, as Maggie reads further, she discovers that Bella has a "dark sister" mentioned only as "A" in the diary, whom she accuses of causing her to do things that she doesn't want to. Bella becomes increasing paranoid and frightened in her diary and Maggie wants to find out why. She tries the potions and finds out things about Alex which, coupled with his jealousy of her new hobby and her time away, prompts a serious rift in the marriage, as Alex is completely absorbed in a new area of the dig, which is producing some very exciting and disturbing finds. This dig is an area, coincidentally, which Maggie herself suggested that he might find something. Maggie continues to move too quickly into the world of Wicca, and on the brink of losing her children and her sanity, comes to a discovery of the true story of Bella and her dark sister. The story of Bella and her dark sister is so moving and sad, and speaks so well of human ignorance. The novel ends well, and I felt that loose ends were well tied up. I especially loved the way the novel was written, in terms of the speech used by the Bella, and old Liz. This is a wonderfully entertaining novel, which explores both Wicca, it's past, and equality in relationships. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: An Engrossing Tale of Witchcraft and Relationships
Review: "Dark Sister" is not your ordinary novel about witchcraft. When Maggie, a housewife and mother of two children, and Alex and archeologist, move into a new home, Maggie longs to uncover and use the old fireplace in the house, so Alex pries away its boarded covering to expose the long unused fireplace. While a chimney sweep is cleaning the chimney, he finds a diary hidden inside. Maggie claims the diary and begins to read the over 100 year old book. She discovers that the author is "Bella". She first suspects that Bells was simply an herbalist, but quickly discovers that she was a witch who lived in the house over a hundred years before. Bound by her husband's lack of respect for her and her dreams [he forbids her to return to school to study psychology, wanting her to be a "proper mother], and the duties of mothering, Maggie searches for her identity by reading the diary and learning more about the remedies and potions described within.
Unable to find all of the herbs mentioned, or to understand the old English words for some of them, she engages the help of a local herbalist, Ash, who has a shop in town. She develops a strong bond with Ash, who is concerned for Maggies zeal to dive in too quickly to the potions and magic described in Bella's diary. He sends Maggie to "Liz" a strange old woman who lives alone and who is quite obviously a witch. Liz shares her knowledge with Maggie, but holds back a secret that is later revealed in the novel. As Maggie becomes more and more involved in witchcraft, the time she spends away from home and her children becomes a sore point between she and her husband, Alex, who would prefer that she sit at home, minding the children all day. Also, as Maggie reads further, she discovers that Bella has a "dark sister" mentioned only as "A" in the diary, whom she accuses of causing her to do things that she doesn't want to. Bella becomes increasing paranoid and frightened in her diary and Maggie wants to find out why. She tries the potions and finds out things about Alex which, coupled with his jealousy of her new hobby and her time away, prompts a serious rift in the marriage, as Alex is completely absorbed in a new area of the dig, which is producing some very exciting and disturbing finds. This dig is an area, coincidentally, which Maggie herself suggested that he might find something. Maggie continues to move too quickly into the world of Wicca, and on the brink of losing her children and her sanity, comes to a discovery of the true story of Bella and her dark sister. The story of Bella and her dark sister is so moving and sad, and speaks so well of human ignorance. The novel ends well, and I felt that loose ends were well tied up. I especially loved the way the novel was written, in terms of the speech used by the Bella, and old Liz. This is a wonderfully entertaining novel, which explores both Wicca, it's past, and equality in relationships. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: An Engrossing Tale of Witchcraft and Relationships
Review: "Dark Sister" is not your ordinary novel about witchcraft. When Maggie, a housewife and mother of two children, and Alex and archeologist, move into a new home, Maggie longs to uncover and use the old fireplace in the house, so Alex pries away its boarded covering to expose the long unused fireplace. While a chimney sweep is cleaning the chimney, he finds a diary hidden inside. Maggie claims the diary and begins to read the over 100 year old book. She discovers that the author is "Bella". She first suspects that Bells was simply an herbalist, but quickly discovers that she was a witch who lived in the house over a hundred years before. Bound by her husband's lack of respect for her and her dreams [he forbids her to return to school to study psychology, wanting her to be a "proper mother], and the duties of mothering, Maggie searches for her identity by reading the diary and learning more about the remedies and potions described within.
Unable to find all of the herbs mentioned, or to understand the old English words for some of them, she engages the help of a local herbalist, Ash, who has a shop in town. She develops a strong bond with Ash, who is concerned for Maggies zeal to dive in too quickly to the potions and magic described in Bella's diary. He sends Maggie to "Liz" a strange old woman who lives alone and who is quite obviously a witch. Liz shares her knowledge with Maggie, but holds back a secret that is later revealed in the novel. As Maggie becomes more and more involved in witchcraft, the time she spends away from home and her children becomes a sore point between she and her husband, Alex, who would prefer that she sit at home, minding the children all day. Also, as Maggie reads further, she discovers that Bella has a "dark sister" mentioned only as "A" in the diary, whom she accuses of causing her to do things that she doesn't want to. Bella becomes increasing paranoid and frightened in her diary and Maggie wants to find out why. She tries the potions and finds out things about Alex which, coupled with his jealousy of her new hobby and her time away, prompts a serious rift in the marriage, as Alex is completely absorbed in a new area of the dig, which is producing some very exciting and disturbing finds. This dig is an area, coincidentally, which Maggie herself suggested that he might find something. Maggie continues to move too quickly into the world of Wicca, and on the brink of losing her children and her sanity, comes to a discovery of the true story of Bella and her dark sister. The story of Bella and her dark sister is so moving and sad, and speaks so well of human ignorance. The novel ends well, and I felt that loose ends were well tied up. I especially loved the way the novel was written, in terms of the speech used by the Bella, and old Liz. This is a wonderfully entertaining novel, which explores both Wicca, it's past, and equality in relationships. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: A Good First Graham Joyce Outing
Review: A worthy effort by Mr. Joyce, particularly if this is your first introduction to his fiction. The book never lets up, from the first page on, in spite of what I feel was a clumsy and rushed final three chapters. If this sort of book is your cuppa, try Dennis Wheatley's "The Devil Rides Out." Dated, but consistent.
Rating:
Summary: A Good First Graham Joyce Outing
Review: A worthy effort by Mr. Joyce, particularly if this is your first introduction to his fiction. The book never lets up, from the first page on, in spite of what I feel was a clumsy and rushed final three chapters. If this sort of book is your cuppa, try Dennis Wheatley's "The Devil Rides Out." Dated, but consistent.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK
Review: Any book that makes you afraid to turn the lights out gets my vote, as this one did. Reminds me of Steward's, Tales of Dirt, Danger, and Darkness." Buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent thriller
Review: Anyone who sees their Victorian home would think that archeologist Alex and housewife Maggie occupy an average house. Even the two owners and their children realize their leaking townhouse is nothing extraordinary. However, that abruptly changes for the couple when they discover the enticing diary of the previous resident. Apparently, the former occupant practiced Wiccan herb-lore and documented everything in the diary. A fascinated Maggie finds herself stirred out of her current tedium by the book. She turns to a herbalist friend (Ash) and an elderly woman with Wicca knowledge (Liz) for help to better understand what they found in their house. However, when one dabbles with Pandora's Box, anything can happen. In her thirst for knowledge, Maggie has awakened the DARK SISTER, who informs Alex where a sixteenth century dig site is located that she needs him to uncover. Soon Maggie's relationship with her husband begins to unravel, as the wicked sister wants to destroy everything precious that Maggie cherishes. As with his previous release (THE TOOTH FAIRY), Graham Joyce starts his new novel (DARK SISTER) by painting an innocent scene that soon spirals into something deadly. The entertaining story line never gives the reader an oxygen break as it spins deeper towards an incredible climax. Even before the presence of evil raises the stakes, Alex struggles with unbelievable pressure from his archeological dig. His personal problems, added onto Maggie's curiosity, make the characters warm and genuine, which in turn adds to the overall feeling of terror and doom. Mr. Joyce provides readers with an intelligent trip into the dark. Fans will understand why the British Fantasy Award was bestowed on him for this novel. HarrietKlausner
Rating:
Summary: a pleasant surprise
Review: As a wiccan I was pleasantly surprised to find a well researched portrayal of witchcraft without an extreme bias for or against. The characters were realistic in a way seldom found when dealing with any religious subject and yet did not go in depth into the religious beliefs of the wiccan community nor their conflict with mainstream beliefs. An engrossing read!
Rating:
Summary: Swift and engrossing
Review: As another reviewer mentioned, this book is inspiring. It has influenced me to research both wicca and herbalism. Although Mr. Joyce doesn't write in a style that I particularly admire (his language is overly simplistic in my opinion), the book moves swiftly and its plot is engrossing. My only qualm with the book is its ending, which I felt to be mildly disappointing. I wish the ending had been longer, and more plot lines had been brought to their full conclusion. (It felt a bit as if Mr. Joyce had been in a hurry to finish the book.)
Overall, _Dark Sister_ is a very enjoyable book, and even with its few flaws, I recommend it (especially to people with interests in wicca and/or herbal lore). This is the first book of Mr. Joyce's that I have read, and I will certainly look into his other work.
Rating:
Summary: a good but dark read
Review: I am a reader of fictional books on magick. That is the obvious reason I went right into this one. The charactors were easy to love and hate as the book was written quite vividly. Sometimes it was very hard to tell what to think of a charactor though as the twists in the story lead you deaper into the mystery of who the "dark sister" really is. I suppose what was least enjoyable about the book was that with all the characters so real that every twenty pages you would get almost a glimps of Wonderland... these quite disturbing happenings that are occuring don't quite fit in the novel. It reminds me to some degree of "Practical Magic" the novel in its dark randerings... except Joyce's style of writing is very fast paced. The witchcraft in this book does not enter at all into the spiritual aspect and I can not say how well of a basis that the Herbal lore/magick has, though it is written in such a way that it is inrapturing. Overall it is not a book to read to brighten the mood, or to read unless you want to feel a little thrill and douse yourself in someone elses problems for a while.
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