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brennanlafaro 's review for:
Nightshade's Requiem
by Anthony Hains
There's something inherently terrifying about setting your story in a psychiatric hospital. Old, new, abandoned, inhabited. It's just a scary place. Anthony Hains sets the first story in his Nightshade Chronicles in Saint Edward's Hospital, mainly in the pediatric wing.
Cole Nightshade, our titular character, has been committed in 1962 following some false allegations put forth by the foster family he was with. The 1960's setting works perfectly for the story for a couple reasons, one of which I'll hit later. The first is the way kids are treated by adults, and are able to be simply committed, is more believable given the time frame. The horrible things that adults do to kids is a theme throughout, and it is very thoughtfully executed.
The story revolves around Cole coming to terms with supernatural ability. What exactly that ability entails is best left to the reader's discovery. From the outset, we are given lots of extremely creepy situations, some horrifying inside-the-asylum imagery, and the illusion that this story will be a purely supernatural affair. There is plenty of that, but rest assured there's a whole other depth to this tale. This depth makes it a tough read at times, especially as a parent, but is rewarding.
One of the big strengths of this book is in it's cast of children. They quickly build an It or Stranger Things-type camaraderie that helps the reader genuinely invest in all that goes on. Certain parts of the story hit real part because of that establishment.
It's no secret that this is the first book in a series. It says so right on the front cover. This leaves the reader looking for clues regarding where it might go next, but Hains doesn't furnish us with a clear-cut answer. Instead he leaves us with possibilities. This is the other reason the 1960's setting works so well. We end a relatively self-contained story with various places we could travel to next. Who knows? We might have even had a sneak peek at book 3 or 4 in the series.
Book 1 in The Nightshade Chronicles: Nightshade's Requiem is out now.
I was given a copy of this title by the author for review consideration.
Cole Nightshade, our titular character, has been committed in 1962 following some false allegations put forth by the foster family he was with. The 1960's setting works perfectly for the story for a couple reasons, one of which I'll hit later. The first is the way kids are treated by adults, and are able to be simply committed, is more believable given the time frame. The horrible things that adults do to kids is a theme throughout, and it is very thoughtfully executed.
The story revolves around Cole coming to terms with supernatural ability. What exactly that ability entails is best left to the reader's discovery. From the outset, we are given lots of extremely creepy situations, some horrifying inside-the-asylum imagery, and the illusion that this story will be a purely supernatural affair. There is plenty of that, but rest assured there's a whole other depth to this tale. This depth makes it a tough read at times, especially as a parent, but is rewarding.
One of the big strengths of this book is in it's cast of children. They quickly build an It or Stranger Things-type camaraderie that helps the reader genuinely invest in all that goes on. Certain parts of the story hit real part because of that establishment.
It's no secret that this is the first book in a series. It says so right on the front cover. This leaves the reader looking for clues regarding where it might go next, but Hains doesn't furnish us with a clear-cut answer. Instead he leaves us with possibilities. This is the other reason the 1960's setting works so well. We end a relatively self-contained story with various places we could travel to next. Who knows? We might have even had a sneak peek at book 3 or 4 in the series.
Book 1 in The Nightshade Chronicles: Nightshade's Requiem is out now.
I was given a copy of this title by the author for review consideration.