Title: Music and Malice in Hurricane Town
Author: Alex Bell
Pages: 384
Publisher: 4th April 2019
Release Date: Stripes Publishing
Blurb from Goodreads:
“There are no angels in Baton Noir. Only devils.”
Jude Lomax scrapes a living playing the trumpet on the neon streets of Baton Noir. Then she is invited to play at the funeral of the infamous cajou queen, Ivory Monette. Passing through the cemetery gates, Jude finds herself possessed by the murdered queen’s spirit. And Ivory won’t rest until she’s found the person responsible for her death.
If Jude wants to be rid of the vengeful spirit, she must take a journey deep into the dangerous underbelly of the city, from the swampy depths of the Black Bayou to the velvet opulence of the vampires’ secret jazz clubs. But as Jude untangles Ivory’s web of secrets, she is confronted with a few dark truths from her own past…
The first in an eagerly awaited series from the author of FROZEN CHARLOTTE, a WHS Zoella Book Club title in 2016, which is sure to enthral fans of Holly Black, Maggie Steifvater, Amanda Foody and Stephanie Garber.
My Review:
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Stripes Publishing and NetGalley*
Jude Lomax lives in
Baton Noir, a place full of magic, witches and vampires.
Jude hates cajou
magic and uses her talent for playing the trumpet to earn money, but
she struggles to provide for herself and her father.
When Jude's band is
asked to play at the cajou queen's funeral, Jude is possessed by the
queen's spirit.
Ivory Monette, the
dead cajou queen, wants to work out who murdered her. Jude finds
herself agreeing to help, and becomes entangled with magic, secrets,
and the dark side of Baton Noir.
Who killed Ivory?
Going into Music and
Malice in Hurricane Town, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it,
but I'm happy to say that I did end up really liking it.
Jude was a good
protagonist. She was likeable, relatable, and had been through a lot.
I thought she handled the situations she was put in very well.
The Phantom of
Moonfleet was one of my favourite characters. He was intriguing and I
would love to find out more about him. I also liked Sharkey and his
grandma, who I would have liked to have seen more of. Etienne the
vampire was another character that I would like to find out more
about.
The setting was
interesting, with the swamp, legba, cajou magic, and segregation in
Baton Noir.
The plot was good
and held my attention. It did take me a while to get into, but
towards the end I found myself reading faster to find out what would
happen next as I got caught up in the tension and storyline. I did
guess a couple of the plot twists, but not all of them.
The writing was
atmospheric and easy to follow. I definitely want to read more by the
author, and would absolutely read more books set in Baton Noir.
If you like magic,
secrets and a New Orleans-style setting, then this book is for you.
Overall this was an
enjoyable read that I would recommend.
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