I loved the premise, though I think the execution could have been a bit better.
Rating: 3/5
Olivia and Edward Lereux live a quiet life with their chocolate Border collie, Axel in a picturesque cottage flanked by Maine’s blustery cliffs, far from town and people. Outwardly, their lives appear normal, but they’re not ordinary people. The Lereux family is cursed with something that has claimed their ancestors many years.
When Ravine Lereux receives a distressing letter from her Uncle Edward, she must return to a place she swore never to return, a place that’s haunted by something, an abnormal presence she feared as a child. Now she must face it again. As she races to the aid of her aunt and uncle, she makes an unsettling discovery about herself and her family.
I received a free copy of Ravine Lereux through Blackthorn Book Tours for their January Quick Bites in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity!
This was an interesting quick bite. I loved the premise, though I think the execution could have been a bit better.
We follow a short story where the Lereux family has been cursed many years ago by a Scottish witch. We bounce between Ravine Lereux who receives an alarming letter from her uncle and is now making her way to their cliffside home. Then, we see Olivia, Ravine’s aunt, and old age is causing Olivia’s memory to waver. Olivia struggles to remember what day it is or when she last saw her husband, Edward.
I really had no idea what I was reading at the beginning of this one. I was a little confused. I was able to guess a lot of what was happening the further I read, but it was still a confusing read for most of the way through. Even as things are sort of “explained” it’s not until we’re nearing the end, that things start properly making sense. But by then, the story is wrapping up.
I wasn’t particularly drawn to either of our characters. Ravine came across as selfish, and Olivia’s chapters just didn’t make much sense for most of it. I spent a lot of time having to reread sections, mostly within Olivia’s chapters, to make sense of what I was reading, piecing things together. Which as I said, made for an interesting read. Though, I think it would have been a better read if I didn’t need to do all that.
Overall, I thought the premise was unique. Though, the execution was lacking a bit for me. I would love to see this same idea flushed out into a full-length novel. There were several parts that just left me going “Woah!”