The Witch of Bourbon Street

I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday.  I am sorting out my studio.  I used to do papercrafting, but it has gotten to the point where I cannot do it anymore (between the rheumatoid arthritis and the fibromyalgia).  I am selling off everything in my studio (and there is a lot).  Stamps, dies, paper, ink, various machines, and embellishments.  I have to keep everything up high so Doozy does not chew on any of it (he will wait until 4 a.m. and then have his fun).  Doozy defies training despite my best efforts (I have not had this trouble with any of my other dogs).  Yesterday, though, Wolfie (our Siberian Husky) decided she wanted treats but did not want to do tricks.  When I asked for a trick, she would shake her head no (which in a way is a trick)!

I just finished The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri. The book starts off in 1901 with all but one member of the Sorrow family dead.  People believe Sister Vesta Grace killed off the family while others think it was the voodoo witch, Rosella.  The truth has not come out in all these years.

Back in the present, Frances Green Sorrow has hidden herself away on her family estate in a small shack (that is how they describe it).  She has left behind her husband (they are now divorced), her son, Jack, her friends, and family.  Frances does not leave the area.  She quit running the bar at 13 Bourbon Street (which she started at fifteen) and doing tarot readings for clients.  The Sorrow family is magical, but Frances has not used her gifts in many years.  Why did she hide herself away?  Is she ready to come out of hiding and rejoin her family? 

Sippie Wallace (they never explained how she got such an outlandish first name) is the adopted daughter of Simone (committed suicide when she was six) and Eight Track (a drunk and drifter).  Sippie is sixteen years old and on her own.  The Crow has come to give her a message.  The Crow has taught her things all her life.  Now it is time to find her biological family.   

Danny Amore is Frances’ ex-husband (he is a shrimper with the boat The Gypsy Witch).  He has custody of their son, Jack Amore Sorrow.  Jack wants to spend more time with his mother at the Sorrow estate.  He has gifts and wants to embrace them.  Jack has a plan to get his parents back together.  He has made a plan to run away and wait for his parents to come together to find him (he goes to a shack across the canal from his mother).  Jack is confident his plan will work (he is twelve).  He has only told one person about his plan and that is Millie.  Millie grew up with Frances.  She came to the family when she was six years old and Frances was four years old.  Millie has been acting strange lately.  She is lashing out at everyone. 

The Witch of Bourbon Street is told from different points of view throughout the book.  Frances, Sippie, Millie, Danny, and Jack (it changes with each chapter).  Some of the dialogue is written as though they are talking with New Orleans accent (which is hard to understand and figure out depending upon who is talking).  The Witch of Bourbon Street is a strange and depressing book.  It was hard to get into with the way it kept jumping from one person to the next.  It does contain a copious amount of foul language (which is really not needed).  The book got a little better towards the end when all the story lines starting coming together.  I give The Witch of Bourbon Street 2.5 out of 5 stars.  I thought this would be a wonderful and magical book, but I was incorrect.  There is very little magic in the book (there are some ghosts though). 

I received a complimentary copy of The Witch of Bourbon Street in exchange for an honest review.  The review and opinions expressed are my own.

The Witch of Bourbon Street will be out on June 30, 2015.   Have a lovely weekend and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader