Priest, Cherie: Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Writer: Cherie Priest
Genre: Horror
Pages: 285
Ah, another one of my lovely challenge reads that I do with emerald_ibis. She's probably going to kill me for plowing through our May/June selection so fast, but since I took forever with our last challenge read, I decided to get ahead of the game.
I can't remember where I first heard of Cherie Priest. I suspect it was somewhere on Live Journal, as I stumbled upon her user name (wicked_wish, for those of you so inclined) on some kind of writer's list. Anyway, I saw this book, and noted with interest that she (then) resided in Chattanooga, which is a good two hours from my home base. I added her book to my list, and kept reading the first chapter on Amazon, happily entranced by the scene, her writing, and her protagonist.
So when emerald_ibis suggested we read this book for May/June, I was not disappointed.
There is so much I loved about this book. The writing grabbed me. The character grabbed me. Her situation (which correlates with my own childhood fascination with ghosts in the South) fascinated me. This is Southern Gothic Lit folks, and it makes me very happy.
It's hard to really articulate anything about this novel. And that's a good thing. I mean, in some ways, this is no different than other Southern Lit I've read (like Sheri Reynolds): you've got your female protagonist who is mixed up with ghosts, and a dark, complex family history to boot. What makes this particular novel so compelling? Priest's voice for one. Just read that opening scene. Go on, read it. It's enchanting. It's compelling. It's the kind of thing you want to keep reading because you just want more of that voice and the stories that voice will tell you.
Priest does not disappoint. While I admit I preferred the scenes in Eden's childhood over the scenes when she's an adult (because let's face it, when you're a kid, ghosts are far more fascinating, and it's easy to connect to that childhood fear/enchantment), the scenes with Eden as an adult and her discovering her family history were also compelling. While I never knew exactly where the plot was going, I never cared. I was invested in Eden as a character from page one, and Priest, despite this being her debut effort, never faltered in her telling of the tale. I was more than satisfied with the ending, though a bit perplex, but that's where the sequels will come in, I imagine.
This is a writer I happily add to my "must buy whatever she writes" list. I'll be getting the sequels to this book as they come out (it's a trilogy), and most likely, anything else she writes. It's a beautiful tale that kept me turning the pages, and I recommend it to everyone (even if you hate reading the first person pov). Just go to Amazon. Read those first pages. And if you aren't enchanted or at least the tiniest bit interested, I don't know what's wrong with you. :)