Review: A Real Page Turner
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 28, 2014
Let me say that I devoured this book in less than 24 hours.  Normally I don't have the time to read so quickly, and even if I wanted to, some books just don't flow that way.  This one does and keeps you on the edge as well.This is the story of young Mia and her mom, Caroline who come to the town of Blackwell to settle affairs after the death of Caroline's mother.  They find themselves put in the awkward position of visiting the town "witch" at the coaxing of the church pastor, not suspecting that there might be more to his request than simple Christian charity.Nellie (the one eyed witch) isn't the only character in this story that leaves you unnerved.  There's the pastor of the Baptist church himself, for instance.  You wouldn't expect to find such hatred and negativity coming from a church pulpit, but this guy really knows how to dish it out.  He leads his flock into a frenzy and before you know it you might even find yourself confused as to who the real bad guy is the backward town of Blackwell.  I think the thought that people could be convinced that such hatred is the "will of God" frightened me more than the possibility that Nellie was a witch.  With the Ku Klux Klan and fire and brimstone preachers thrown in to boot, lets just say it's not always clear whether or not Nellie is the real evil presence of the story.The descriptions of Nellie and her filthy house are quite well done, to the point where you just might be grossed out a bit.  Nellie is a crass, crusty old lady, used to being on her own and the woman has no filter!  She says whatever is on her mind, using colorful language in most every sentence that comes out of her mouth, however, let me say that I never felt the use of vulgar language with regard to Nellie as gratuitous in any way.  It truly fit her character and it felt natural coming from her.  In my experience, the use of foul language in a book can seem forced, but in this book it didn't.Nellie's past, which comes up and is more fully explained in the last half of the book explains why she is the way she is, why she is who she is and why she has such huge walls up around herself.  You find yourself liking this foul-mouthed old lady, despite your initial reactions.  In the beginning, her treatment of Mia and her mother is positively the worst, and I have to say that I began to wonder how Caroline could have allowed her daughter to endure such treatment, whether for the sake of Christian duty or not.  But as the story goes on, the characters find a way to deal with each other, and for reasons I won't get into, find themselves needing each other, and ultimately their relationships evolve.I enjoyed this book mostly because it kept me wanting to know more with every page and I wasn’t disappointed.  Things are explained nicely along the way. I have recommended this book to some friends who love the horror genre and I am also pleased to recommend it here on Amazon as well.