Black Dust Mambo
Product Type: Book
Product Price: $7.99
Manufacturer: Pocket
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Description
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!
“There will be times, girl, when all your magic ain’t going to be enough, times when it will seem to dry up like mud under the noonday sun, or even make matters worse. . . .”
Kallie Rivière, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance’s annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching—the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju—a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her.
Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer—even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie’s search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated—back home to Bayou Cyprés Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie’s aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead.
Reviews
Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2010-09-09
Summary: "Disappointed but hopeful"
I picked up Black Dust Mambo after seeing reviews for it on several book review sites. It sounded promising and exciting. Having never read books about Voodoo and such, I was eager to dig in. However, I had a hard time getting into this book and staying engaged. I found myself putting the book down several times due to annoyances, frustrations, and overall not caring what happens. Let me explain.
What I liked:
1. Voodoo & Hoodoo--The magic was there! Definite laws were in place about what magic could and couldn't do. It was fun to watch the kinds of magic used.
2. Storyline--This one was a like and a sorta dislike for me. I really enjoyed the storyline, but disliked that it was told from so many POV that there was no mystery in it. You know the "who dun it and why" the entire time. But watching it unfold was fun. That, and seeing the cummupence was great. I love it when people get what they deserve. "An eye for an eye is never enough. Never, never, never."
What I didn't like:
1. Kallie Rivère is supposedly the main character, but I hardly know her. The book constantly jumps from character to character to the point it's confusing on who's POV I'm reading from now and why they matter to the story. It felt like I got to keep seeing the same things from multiple POVs. Not only that, but it took forever for the story to progress because it's constantly shifting POV. I see it from Kallie's POV, then her best friend Belladonna, then the nomad Layne, then back to Kallie. Also, while Kallie does her thing we have "Meanwhile across town this happens....." type scenario. So we know EVERYTHING that is going on at this exact time in the world. Everything. Nothing left to the imagination. Everything. The entire book spans 1 day. That's right. Only 24 hours. And I know what everyone was doing that day, every hour of the day.
2. Characters--Who are these people anyway? With all the POV jumping, I never really got to know any of them or understood why all the sudden the world revolves around Kallie and everyone wants to protect her. Oh, but we do get to see everyone's sexual fantasy even the character who we only meet for 6 pages.
3. Romance? I was disappointed by what Ms. Phoenix terms as romance. While we do get to see everyone's sexual fantasies, lots of descriptions of scantily clad woman, of the men in the wet boxers contest, and such there was no true romance here. Kallie has a one night stand who ends up dead. While the body is still warm in her bed, she meets her "love interest" Layne. Layne is a Vessel able to "house" dead souls so they can accomplish unfinished business before crossing over. However, most of Kallie's interactions with Layne are while another person's spirit/soul are controlling Layne's body.
4. Language--Another review pointed out the language used in the book is hard to understand. I have to agree with that. I speak French and found myself wondering if others would even understand the use of the French language and idioms used. There was also a lot of bastardized French and horrible "Cajun" speak where everything is "dat" for that and t'ink for think and worse. It made the characters come off as stupid and uneducated, which they're not...at least I think. It was distracting.
5. Black Dust Mambo--Know what that means? Me neither. In the end, Kallie pulls one over the "bad guy." The bad guy whispers "Black Dust Mambo" in shock of the magic she wields. Kallie thinks to herself, "what does that mean" and no explanation is sought or given. I find it a bit irritating that the book is titled Black Dust Mambo and the one reference to it is never explained.
With all the dislikes aside, I did find myself enjoying the story. I just had to overlook a lot to do so. I do find myself curious to what will happen next because even if this bad guy is gone, there still is the matter of where her cousin is and they mystery that is Kallie Rivère. I think I will probably pick up book 2 when/if it comes around, but I will most likely wait to get it from the Library.
Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2010-09-09
Summary: "Hated it"
I usually like books with black magic and romance, but this one was for the birds. Do not believe the reviews, it is hard to read because it is written as if we talked like swamp living, voodoo practicing, idiots. After wading through the language I hunted for the romance. Couldn't find that either.
Kallie a hoodoo witch or priestess, whatever, wakes up with a dead man in her bed and finds the hex was meant for her but since she passed out in the bathroom on the floor before she got to the bed, she wasn't in the bed with her chosen man for the night.
The rest is bull, as she and his friend as well as her teacher search for the one who is trying to kill her and her soul.
I hated it. I will not be buying anymore by this author. Spend your money at your own risk.
Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-08-25
Summary: "This story has a lot going on from the beginning. And I unfortunately, could not like the heroine."
Black Dust Mambo by Adrian Phoenix
Urban Fantasy-June 29th, 2010
3 ½ stars
Kallie Riveri, a hoodoo apprentice from Bayou Cypres Noir. She wakes up to find her lover dead in her hotel room, killed by a soul eating hex. Bewildered and angry, she searches for the killer who continues to dog her steps, plotting to harm her friends one by one. Can Kallie stop the hoodoo killer? As the clues lead her to her own aunt, Gabrielle LaRue, will Kallie trust the woman who raised her as her own daughter and taught her hoodoo? Can Kallie even save her friends in time?
This story has a lot going on from the beginning. There's not much set up or back ground info. From very the first page, you are on the move, trying to find out who's the killer and why. Like Kallie, the main character, you are confused and bewildered as you try to find out who's lying and who's trustworthy. Phoenix is a skilled writer; she's able to sustain the thrill for over 300 pages, building up the suspense up till the end as you slowly uncover the plot page by page. However, because there's so much going on, the first few pages can be very daunting.
The main problem is that Phoenix keeps introducing new characters in the first 65 pages. I understand that this is a necessity since this is the first book in a new series, but I feel like there are too many them characters to keep track of. At times the plot feels uneven and awkward because Phoenix is busy introducing new people. Also, when you have such a large cast, it's hard to get to know your main guy/girl. I can't say that I feel attached to Kallie or Belladonna (her best friend), or Valin (her love interest). In fact, I unfortunately, thoroughly disliked Kallie. I know the popular trend nowadays are for sassy female leads, but she's rude and mean to her friends. Who goes around punching other people without hearing them out? Because of this I found her really obnoxious and unreasonable. Her actions make it hard to like her.
On the other hand, the setting is beautiful. The bayous, the rippling waters, even the hotel where most of the action happens. Phoenix is a beautiful writer who knows how to invoke the mysterious and eerie world of Lousiana. Her writing is really good - instead of dumping info on you, she breaks it into tantalizing chunks and insert it carefully in between passages, giving us hints and clues of the character's background. I really liked how she sets up the book, and I really like her writing style. I just wish that I enjoyed Kallie's character more. Hopefully, the next book in the series will be much smoother and engrossing.
Reviewd by Pauline from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-10
Summary: "Very good book! Adrian Rocks it agian!!"
There will be times, girl, when all your magic ain't going to be enough, times when it will seem to dry up like mud under the noonday sun, or even make matters worse. . . ."
Kallie Rivière, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance's annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching--the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju--a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her.
Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer--even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie's search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated--back home to Bayou Cyprés Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie's aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead.
....................................................................................
Kallie Wakes up to find her date for the night dead by evil JuJu, wail still trying to get a grip on the situation she is confronted by the handsome demanding nomad Layne . Even with the tragedy of the events that have just happened in her hotel room she cant help but feel drawn to this strange nomad who is blaming her for his clan members' death. Finding out that the nomad is also a vessel for the dead . He decides to speak to the dead nomad and fond out who caused his untimely death only to find out his soul was taken by dark evil JuJu and that the spell still has enough juice to attack Layne . So Kallie brings up as much power as she can muster to cleanse him and save him . She can not let another person today die she won't. Then to make matters worse the hot nomads pixy like ( in body only ) ex-wife joins them only to see what has happened she also blames Kallie for the nomads death.
But as the events unfold more attempts on Kallies friends lives happen it seems evident that the actual target is Kallie her self.
It looks like the only to clear her name and find this evil conjurer is to go back home to Bayou Cyprés Noir. So with a little help from the hot nomad Layne , she sets out find who did this and stop them before they hurt someone else.
I thought this was a good book. I loved the Hoodoo aspect i have never read about that before, Ive done witches and stuff but hoodoo is different . I loved the nomad aspect to . Layne is yummy! His ex-wife is a pip she is a bit much at first , but you see that is just her personality and you except it. All the side characters in this book are very strong also . I don't want to say to much and give away the whole book. I recommend you to buy and read it your self . It is a quick and light read. you can can get sucked into from the very beginning. I can not wait until the next book comes out . I want to know about all the characters in this book.
Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-04
Summary: "Fantastic New Hoodoo Series"
I'm a sucker for a good voodoo/hoodoo mystery. I love Adrian's The Maker's Song series and this new series has intrigued me just as much. Set in Louisiana's dark and dangerous world of hoodoo practitioners. Adrain successfully created a world that felt like Death lurked around every corner, the character's felt completely authentic and Adrian seamlessly blended the American-African-Cajun cultures.
This book hooked my attention from beginning to end. The story was dark, fast paced, with lots of action, magic and humor.
I highly recommend this book to fellow dark urban fantasy and look forward to the next book in this new hoodoo series, BLACK HEART LOA due out 2011 and I can't wait for the next book in the Marker's Song series, Etched in Blood due out 2/22/2011.
I also recommend:
Beneath the Skin: Book Three of The Maker's Song
Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, Book 2)
Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 1)
Fatal Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 3)
Master of None