Tag: Veronica Henry

Book Review – Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry

RyanLeave a comment

Bacchanal

Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry is the author’s newly published, debut novel. Set during the Great Depression in the Southern United States, the story follows Eliza Meeks, a young black woman barely getting by in Baton Rouge, abandoned by her family many years previously. Thanks to a latent, otherworldly power that allows her to communicate with animals, she is noticed by a talent prospector and hired by the G. B. Bacchanal Carnival as a new crowd-drawing oddity.

Among the other carnies and strange folk, Liza finds a place to call home, but Bacchanal is not entirely as it seems. Lurking behind the games, attractions, and sweet treats is a demonic being that feeds on innocent lives and imbues the carnival with the presence of spirits from beyond the veil. Only Liza has a chance at stopping her, if she can come to understand the true nature of her burgeoning powers.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – June 2, 2021

Ryan6 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Berserk 28I’ve started reading more Berserk by Kentaro Miura, specifically Volume 28. So far, this volume has really reminded me of the warmth and tenderness Miura was able to inject into his work, despite all the darkness and violence that permeates the story. It was a simple moment where a normally stoic character breaks down despite herself, and our gruff and detached hero Guts is able to provide a modicum of comfort for her. I was thinking more about moments like these thanks to a tweet I read reflecting on Miura’s work in the wake of his passing, and it’s a good reminder of how important positivity is, even in stories full of struggle and despair.

Recently Finished

BacchanalOver the weekend I finished reading my ARC copy of Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry. I wanted to have the review up yesterday, but I wasn’t quite able to get it finished, and I really didn’t want to rush it out. Nevertheless, I should have it up soon. Overall, I quite liked this book. There were some notable hitches in the plot for me, but the setting and characters really won me over. It was a slow burn for a lot of the book, but I really liked the way it took its time getting Liza to understand the nature of her supernatural abilities. I was more than happy to spend lots of time with this otherworldly carnival too. I’ll have to keep an eye out for more of Henry’s work in the future.

Reading Next

HogfatherBetween personal reads that I didn’t list and getting ARCs done, I’ve gone off the rails a little as far as my reading challenges are concerned. So, I’m going to get back on track and start reading a few of those soon. To stay on top of my desire to read a Discworld book every quarter, I’m going to start reading Hogfather by Terry Pratchett next. It’s the penultimate Death novel, which makes me sad, but it’s also one I’ve seen most referenced, so I’m excited to finally check it out for myself. Feels a bit odd to read a Christmas-y book in June, but I shan’t put it off.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – May 26, 2021

RyanLeave a comment
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

BacchanalI’m about 28% of the way through Bacchanal by Veronica Henry, an ARC I hope to have finished within the next week. I’m enjoying the setting and I really like what’s being done with Liza’s powers, which allow her to psychically communicate with animals. At this time, she still hasn’t gotten the hang of this power, as there seems to be a give and take, so when she pushes too hard she can kill the animal. With only a Tasmanian tiger and a tortoise at her disposal at the Carnival, where she must put an act together or get thrown out, the stakes are understandably high. I’m excited by the fact that I have no idea where this book might be going, since it’s only been laying foundation so far, establishing friends and foes, but leaving plot a little nebulous.

Recently Finished

ThePrincessDiaristI’ve not finished anything new since last week, but shortly after my last post I realized that I completely forgot to mention that I finished reading The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher. I had oddly mixed feelings after concluding this book, partly to do with the fact that I have almost no desire to review the book. I liked it, but it felt like such a personal thing related to Fisher that trying to review it would just feel off, for me personally. It inspired a bit of melancholy in me by the end, since I really wish she’d have been able to see the sequel trilogy through, considering Episode IX was meant to focus a lot on Leia and she talks a bit about her involvement in the new films. I wish it had been a bit more about the production of the film rather than her relationship with Ford, but it was still interesting as a peak behind the curtain into the lives of people before they became larger-than-life.

Reading Next

Berserk 28I’m undecided on what novel I’d like to read next, goodness knows I’ve got a laundry list to choose from. What I do know, however, is that I’m going to read through another batch of Berserk volumes by Kentaro Miura. If you haven’t heard, the news recently came out that Miura tragically passed away on May 6. He was such an influential artist, it has been an upsetting turn of events, to say the least. This has spurred me to continue on with his series sooner rather than later, which I’ve sometimes let languish on the shelf, though it’s not been all that long since I read my last volume.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – May 19, 2021

Ryan4 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Nothing! 👻 I’m between books at the moment. I did take the free time to finally post my review of Light of the Jedi, if you’d like to check that out. It’s not often that I’m behind on reviews (because I read so slow).

Recently Finished

Doctor Aphra Unspeakable Rebel SuperweaponOver the weekend I finally read through the last two volumes of the first Doctor Aphra series, Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon and A Rogue’s End, both by Simon Spurrier et al. I really wish I had read through these a lot sooner, as they tied together with details from earlier books, which I was fuzzier on the specifics of this far removed from reading. She continued to be an appreciably complex figure, her selfishness harming people she cares about so often, and these last two books had some great twists and turns that really dove into her oscillating nature. I also love how this series continues to be the place for all the weirder little details in the Star Wars universe. I wish the more mainstream stuff would take a leaf from this series.

Courting JusticeI also read through Courting Justice by R.L. Sommer (sequel to Recusal) over the weekend, an eARC I received a little while ago, which is set to be published next week. It was pretty short, so I’m happy to have gotten through it so quickly. I don’t normally start books if I haven’t read the first in the series, but I was assured that reading the first one wouldn’t be necessary to appreciate this book. I wonder how much it would have made me feel differently if I had. Nevertheless, fiction about the legal system isn’t in my usual wheelhouse, so I thought I’d give it a go. I plan to have a review up on Monday, so I don’t want to expound too much about specifics here. Not one of my favourites, I’ll tell you that much.

Reading Next

BacchanalUp next, I’m going to be reading another eARC, which I’m hoping to have done before the end of the month: Bacchanal by Veronica Henry. Featuring a young woman with latent magical powers joining an evil carnival that travels around the Depression-era South, this is a book I’ve been especially curious about over the last little while. I’ve stopped myself from looking into too much more information about this book, so I can go in as fresh as possible, but I have a good feeling about it. It’s ticking a lot of boxes for me.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.