The Book of Shadows

James Reece

I felt a tug of sadness upon reading the last page of this novel, that feeling that lingers when you know your time with a good friend has ended. This is a novel which never stops delivering. A gothic piece set in the rich, colorful, and far often violent backdrop of the early 19th century, locale Europe, where church and superstition hold hands like well practiced lovers. It's the story of Herculine, an orphaned child who spends the first years of her life within the confines and practice of a convent. It is her narrative voice which tells the story of witches and religion, of ghosts and demons, and that voice delivers the story in rich and beautifully written pages. Erotica, delivered up like a fine wine, accompanies her story in the guise of incubus and succubus, and mortals who deny the pleasures visited upon them in the night's dark. Reece has filled this novel with climatic moments, those in which the darkest of secrets are revealed, and the strongest dreams fulfilled. Herculine is an enigmatic character and her story pulls the reader onward without hesitation. The characters which evolve around Herculine's story are fascinating, lovely, cruel, and often startling, as they're revealed in their fullness to the reader. This is a rich and masterful novel Reece has penned, and though his first, it suffers no weakness for that fact. For those of you with a fondness for witchcraft and superstition, for erotica and passion, it won't disappoint. It's one you shouldn't miss.