Book Review: Maplecroft

Title: Maplecroft
Author: Cherie Priest
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Page #s: 435
Publication Date: 2014
Location in Series: 1

Summary:

The people of Fall River, Massachusetts, fear me. Perhaps rightfully so. I remain a suspect in the brutal deaths of my father and his second wife despite the verdict of innocence at my trial. With our inheritance, my sister, Emma, and I have taken up residence in Maplecroft, a mansion near the sea and far from gossip and scrutiny.

But it is not far enough from the affliction that possessed my parents. Their characters, their very souls, were consumed from within by something that left malevolent entities in their place. It originates from the ocean’s depths, plaguing the populace with tides of nightmares and madness.
Good Points:

• Lesbian main character
• Character suffering from chronic illness
• Epistolary style (not as dry as classic epistolary, has a more modern tone)
• Lovecraftian plot
• Fun ties between science, magic and Lovecraftian creatures
• Focuses on what happens to a family post-tragedy
• Tight plot
• Didn’t lose steam near the end/reveal key points of the final showdown and ruin it all

Bad Points:

• Light on horror (I didn’t lose any sleep but then I handle Lovecraft better than anything else)
• Epistolary style (depends on if you enjoy that kind of thing or not)

Triggers:

• Straight up murder
• Creepy things trying to get into your house

Rating: 5/5