Book Blurb:
Cinderella, Necromancer by F.M. Boughan
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Month9Books
Cinderella, Necromancer is Chime meets Anna Dressed in Blood and was inspired by a real medieval grimoire of necromancy from 15th-century Germany.
Ellison lost her mother at an early age. But since then, her father has found love again. He's happy and doesn't quite notice that Ellison does not get along with his new wife or her mean daughters. When Ellison discovers a necromantic tome while traveling the secret passages of her father's mansion, she wonders if it could be the key to her freedom. Until then, she must master her dark new power, even as her stepmother makes her a servant in her own home. And when her younger brother falls incurably ill, Ellison will do anything to ease his pain, including falling prey to her stepmother and stepsisters' every whim and fancy.
Stumbling into a chance meeting of Prince William during a secret visit to her mother's grave feels like a trick of fate when her stepmother refuses to allow Ellison to attend a palace festival. But what if Ellison could see the kind and handsome prince once more? What if she could attend the festival? What if she could have everything she ever wanted and deserved by conjuring spirits to take revenge on her cruel stepmother?
As Ellison's power grows, she loses control over the evil spirits meant to do her bidding. And as they begin to exert their own power over Ellison, she will have to decide whether it is she or her stepmother who is the true monster.
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(Excerpt from Chapter Twenty-Six: The Second Ball)
They left. I did not hesitate.
I set up the parlour as if by rote, though the ease with which I fell into the routine stirred a concern. I buried it.
The spirits did their work, and I would do mine.
I had no doubt of my power, though if anyone had asked, I couldn’t have explained why I continued to tempt my eternal fate. I was as though driven by some force—something unseen—to use the ability, now that I had it.
I don’t excuse what I did. I only wish to explain why I continued to seek retribution despite my misgivings.
What is more, I longed for something deeper. Harsher. More severe, for a part of me believed that no matter what, I still held control over the spirits and what they did. And that same part of me wanted to see Charlotte suffer.
And so it was with this in mind that I turned further pages in The Book, knowing full well what I sought.
“To inflict harm,” I read, “make an image of wax on the day and in the hour of intent, in the name of the one to be harmed. Thus, you should use wax of candles burned at a funeral, and on the likeness, fashion hands in the place of feet, and feet in the place of hands.”
And so I did. With candles from my room that I had saved from Mother’s funeral, I molded a crude figure of my stepsister. With my fingernail, I inscribed Charlotte’s name on the wax doll’s forehead, and on its chest and shoulder, carved the book’s images of circles, planets, and five-sided stars.
Then I called my spirits. With the bridle still, I had no need of the first spirit. To the second, I had only to repeat my request. And to the third, I gave the wax doll, which he consecrated with spit smeared over the doll’s eyes.
“What would you have me do?” Oliroomim spoke with an unsettling eagerness.
From my hair, I drew a pin. With a hollowness in the pit of my belly, I pierced the spine of the doll.
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My Review:
4 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Another-World, Fairytale, Ghosts, Mystery, Royal-Court, Scary, Supernatural, Witches--
When her father announces he found a new mother for Ellison and her younger brother Edward, Ellison is enraged that her father would dare to replace her beloved mother only a year after she passed. But her fate is so much worse- her step mother is subtly unkind, her father leaves for an unknown time on business, her new "sisters" arrive, and her beloved Edward falls ill. Life changes drastically for Ella, now a berated servant in her own home and rumors of terrible things roaming the night abound. Ella finds a secret passage by her room and discovers a book of what appears to be magic and while following a passage, she bring something to her, something not of this world. Trying to make the best of this terrible situation she finds herself in, and in a desperate attempt to protect her ill brother, Ella seeks out the dark magic that exists within the book. This is a dark, scary version of Cinderella you never saw coming.
I heard of this book months ago and I am always down for fairytale retellings and add in necromancy and I knew I was going to read this story, it was inevitable. I was pleasantly surprised that this was like a meshing of my favorite version of Cinderella, the movie Ever After with it's banter between Ella and the prince in disguise and her resourcefulness, mixed with the movie The Craft, with a teen girl playing with dark forces she has no understanding of. It was such a cool yet dark premise that I could not help but to be entranced. I had no idea what would happen and it was such a delightful twisted train wreck I could not look away.
This was so much a love story, and no I am not talking specifically about romantic love, but love in general and the lengths that someone would go to and sacrifice of themselves for love. Pretty much all of Ellison's actions (be them awesome or terrible) were motivated by her need to protect her brother, the person she loved the most. There was also a slow developing romance in the story as well that played a role in Ellison's character development, but it was not the main focus of the story, more like a positive side note that gave her something to look forward to in her depressing, soul sucking existence.
The story is told by the only main character, Ellison, a confused and abandoned girl who has to learn how to survive the terrors she is dropped into. I really wanted her to lash
out at the injustices done against her, yet at the same time understanding why she couldn't. I really empathized with her and rooted her on, even while knowing nothing was a certainty in this story. I was confused at first by how the story was delivered, but then I realized that Ellison was narrating the story as seen by her use of reflection of her mistakes and pointing out how wrong her assumptions were. It was almost as if she was telling this to someone, but who I had no idea. I was super intrigued to find out who this story was being told to, and I determined it must be her speaking to the reader...and that's all I can say on the topic, except that I really liked Ms. Boughan's writing style.
The best part of this story was all the creepiness crammed into the pages. The story started slow, with the general Cinderella-esque plot, but then ever so slowly, strange and unnatural things were drawn into the story. At first it was just hints, shadows and ideas and then it was a touch by a seeming person, to full blown scary moments with all the imagery included. By the end of the book, Demon's were reigning down on the characters and living was not a guarantee for anyone.
This story is coming out at the best time of year, with Halloween just around the corner so this is the perfect first taste of the horror of the holiday. I really enjoyed this story and the surprises the author brought forth. I highly recommend this title to anyone who wants a little Cinderella with their horror and I most certainly will read more from this author in the future.
Author Bio:
F.M. Boughan is a bibliophile, a writer, and an unabashed parrot enthusiast. She can often be found writing in local coffee shops, namely because it’s hard to concentrate with a cat lying on the keyboard and a small, colorful parrot screaming into her ear. Her work is somewhat dark, somewhat violent, somewhat hopeful, and always contains a hint of magic.
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