Have you ever wished for a totally different life? What would you do to attain that wish? For one particular group, taking part in an occult ritual was the way to go, but keeping silent about your deeds can be difficult, especially when you have someone snooping around looking for answers.

For the start, you become aware that Nick, the main character of the piece, is ill-equipped for the task he has taken on, which is to find out about the death of his lover, Floriana. He can’t even decide how to introduce himself to the men he has tracked down, believing that “Private, private investigator” is the way to go.

I really enjoyed the way each interaction with the people involved in the ritual played out. It felt like a connected series of short stories, which is not to suggest that the book is disjointed, as it certainly is not. Even when the found men speak, there still feels like an air of mystery to the entire ordeal, which keeps you turning the pages, looking for a larger reveal.

There is an air of negativity and unhappiness hanging around each of the people involved in the ritual, proving that the grass is not always greener when you have everything you want. Finding the answers seems to deliver that same feeling to Nick, dragging the reader to an unpleasant ending that hits hard.

This is a fantastic debut novel and one that I am more than happy to recommend to horror lovers, especially if you are a fan of occult horror.

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Jazzie and Seth are mysterious teenagers new to town, but there seems to be more to them that meets the eye. 17-year-old Casimir is instantly drawn to Jazzie, who is both beautiful and mysterious. What is it about here that seems so different?

We soon find out that the brother and sister duo are in fact vampires. Their backstory begins in New Orleans, where the tragedy of their turning and the ruination of their family is really well told by the author.

It does take quite a while for that story to unfold and for their reasons to be in their new abode to be made clear, but you never really feel that the story is dragging, as the history and lore delivered is really quite good.

Compared to the buildup that established the backstories of the main characters, the second half feels somehow rushed. There is a police detective sub-plot that doesn’t really add much to the overall story. That was a little disappointing, as it had some potential to add a cool element to the tale.

While there is no suggestion that this is going to be a series, the ending feels very much open-ended. If there was a sequel, there was enough in this one to make me come back for more.

4 stars out of 5

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