Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Cherie Priest
288p. Tor, $13.95
ISBN: 0765313081
(October 2005)
Debut novelist Cherie Priest sets out to update the Southern gothic and although
itıs a not entirely successful effort, itıs definitely an enthusiastic one.
Multiracial, cool, gorgeous Eden Moore is a heroine so full of spunk that she
verges on the obnoxious at times but, like the novel itself, she possesses a
certain undeniable charm. Unlike her literary predecessors, who couldnıt manage
much more than screams and faints, Eden handles everything with aplomb. From a
seeing the dead to a determined, if ineffective, stalker-cousin with murderous
intent to revelations of rotting incestuous family roots to an over-the-top
supernatural finale set in the middle of a swamp -- Eden can handle it. Priest
is most effective as a writer when describing Edenıs youthful ghostly encounters
with eerie panache, but with sequels in the offing she may stick with Buffyesque
supernatural butt-kicking rather than more nuanced chills. She has obvious
potential no matter what path she takes.
(CFQ Vol. 37, Issue #8)
Note: The book also sports a terrific John Jude Palencar cover and a well-designed interior.