Review: DeadRoads

DeadRoads by Robin Riopelle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of dark fantasy, horror, beautiful writing
Book Available: April 2, 2013
Trigger Warnings: murder

My Thoughts: The characters from this story are from Lousiana, and some of the dialogue is done in Cajun, French and Acadian, and/or in a proper Louisiana bayou dialect as well, which is really neat, even if I didn't necessarily understand everything the characters were saying in those sections. However, I did recognize the word pattern, and I have the Sookie Stackhouse books to thank for that. Funny, that.

Riopelle does a great job with characterization. Her characters are really vivid, created with broad strokes, but enough details to bring them to life for the reader. The writing was likewise vivid, beautiful. I sat with my eyes wide open, just drinking them in. A really talented author, and one whose upcoming works I will definitely be watching for. Yes, this amazing book is her debut novel, and what a debut! I literally forced myself to read it as slowly as possible, to absorb the words, the cadence, the whole thing.

I have this listed as dark fantasy, because it's not quite horror, but... without going into spoilers, don't expect a happy ending. This is dark fantasy, but so beautifully done. I highly recommend this book if you like dark fantasy. This book is scheduled for release on April 2, 2013 from Night Shade books, so definitely be on the lookout for it.

Disclosure: I received an e-galley from Night Shade Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Lutie always wanted a pet ghost—but the devil’s in the details.

The Sarrazins have always stood apart from the rest of their Bayou-born neighbors. Almost as far apart as they prefer to stand from each other. Blessed—or cursed—with the uncanny ability to see beyond the spectral plain, Aurie has raised his children, Sol, Baz, and Lutie, in the tradition of the traiteur, finding wayward spirits and using his special gift to release them along Deadroads into the afterworld. The family, however, fractured by their clashing egos, drifted apart, scattered high and low across the continent.

But tragedy serves to bring them together. When Aurie, while investigating a series of ghastly (and ghostly) murders, is himself killed by a devil, Sol, EMT by day and traiteur by night, Baz, a travelling musician with a truly spiritual voice, and Lutie, combating her eerie visions with antipsychotics, are thrown headlong into a world of gory spirits, brilliant angels, and nefarious demons—small potatoes compared to reconciling their familial differences.

From the Louisiana swamps to the snowfields of the north and everywhere in between, Deadroads summons you onto a mysterious trail of paranormal proportions.



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