The House on Blackstone Moor by Carol Gill
The author invites the reader to a gripping Victorian era tale of horror
on the first page. We meet Rose,a young woman, after she discovers
that her father killed her mother and sister and then himself. Rose is
so grief-stricken others must take care of her. Unfortunately for Rose,
"care" turns is a trip to the insane asylum.
Rose encounters new
horrors during her stay at the asylum. The author has the unique ability
to put us inside Rose's head so we see her world through her eyes and
experience her tragic tale as if it were our own. The head of the
hospital, Doctor Bannion, rescues Rose from the asylum by taking her to
the Dartons. They employ her as a governess for their two children.
At
first, it seems that Rose has found a refuge from the horrors she has
experienced. She has great affection for the children she cares for, and
they for her. She falls in love with the Louis Darton, who returns her
affection. But all is not as it seems, and Rose slowly learns the true
nature of her situation.
Rose sees the children commit a horrible
act, but she refuses to accept what they did. When she sees a vampire
doing what a vampire always does, Rose realizes she is in the midst of
horror and evil on an immense scope. The author creates a time and place
and characters that are not for the faint of heart.
Ms. Gill
uses "sacred" portions of vampire lore in new ways. To reveal them would
be to say too much. As Rose plunges deeper into the evil maelstrom, she
makes decisions that change her very essence. She moves to the dark of
her own accord, and the hellish nature of the events in her life worsen.
Louis Darton rescues her time and again, but he is part of the
darkness.
Gypsies aid and befriend Rose in her fight to survive
the onslaught of evil forces. The battles between the forces who seek to
destroy Rose and those who protect her rage to the end of the novel.
The immensity of the evil that Rose encounters grows greater and
greater. At the end of the novel Rose must make the final decision about
her fate.
Blackstone Moor is a creative and imaginative novel.
It is well-written and the author demonstrates a mastery of the subject
matter. The plot is complex and the characters are well delineated. The
author created a horror novel best not read before going to sleep.
If you like good horror novels, buy this one. Below is a link to other reviews for this novel on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/House-Blackstone-Moor-Vampires-ebook/product-reviews/B00804XJBA/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_3?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=3&showViewpoints=0
Lady Ducayne by Mary E. Braddon is a story about what happens to the
young women who work for the Lady Ducayne. These young women start out
in good health but soon become pale, wan, and sickly. Strange bite
marks appear on the bodies of these ladies. Are they victims of giant
mosquitoes, or something much worse?
Unholy Embrace is a swift paced,
action-packed novel about the relationship between a mortal man and his
immortal female vampire lover as they fight werewolves, vampires, and other
creatures in their effort to kill a soul eating demon.
