The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri #SRC2015

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this year's BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge for the fun of it, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #SRC2015

This week we are getting jazzy in New Orleans!

Another week, another great destination for our #SRC2015 reading journey. Remember, you can follow along and join in on the fun on BookSparks Facebook page or follow along with their FB Event Page.

True magic is born from sorrow...

Situated deep in the Louisiana bayou is the formerly opulent Sorrow Estate. Once home to a magical family - the Sorrows - it now sits in ruins, ever since a series of murders in 1902 shocked the entire community. Now the ghosts of girls in white dresses shift in and out of view, stuck in time as they live out the past on repeat. 

When Frances Green Sorrow is born carrying the "signs" of the so-called chosen one, it is believed she will bring her family back from the brink of obscurity, finally resurrecting the glory of what it once was and setting the Sorrows ghosts free. 

But Frances is no savior. 

Fleeing from heartbreak, she seeks solace in the seductive chaos of New Orleans, only to end up married too young in an attempt to live an ordinary life. When her marriage falls apart shortly after having a son, she returns home again - alone - just out of reach from the prying eyes of her family. But when her son disappears, she is forced to rejoin the world she left behind, exposing her darkest secret in order to find him and discovering the truth of what really happened that fateful year in the process. 

Set amidst the colorful charm of The French Quarter and remote bayous of Tivoli Parish, Louisiana, Suzanne Palmieri's The Witch of Bourbon Street is a story of family, redemption, and forgiveness. Because sometimes, the most important person you have to forgive....is yourself.

My Review

Last year I had the pleasure of being introduced to author Suzanne Palmieri through the #SRC2014 selection, The Witch of Belladonna Bay. It was a lovely and haunting story. Really the sort of read I love to sink my teeth into over the summer. So, I was thrilled that another of Palmieri's "Witch" novels was on this year's BookSparks' line-up.

Palmieri's writing is in the same hauntingly beautiful and tragic style. She is a master with imagery and beautiful scene setting. Great characters, real and flawed, perfect for exploring the ideas of redemption and family. We all have flawed families, but family just the same.

I really love the characters that this author creates. They have "shine", but that isn't always helpful. They struggle to navigate fate, love, family and life like everyone else. They just feel more deeply and we are invited along to see their emotional scars and their personal journey through pain and awakening.

The Witch of Bourbon Street is a book that will transport you to both the French Quarter and the bayous of Louisiana, uncovering all the secrets of the Sorrow family, while appreciating all you have in your own life. This book won't let you go until that last page...