A couple weeks ago I reviewed Cherie Priest’s Maplecroft, a novel mashup of Lizzie Borden and H. P. Lovecraft. You can read that review here. I enjoyed the drama as dark forces closed in on the Borden sisters. Chapelwood takes place 30 years after the events of Maplecroft. A strange church in the woods outside Birmingham, Alabama takes on a cosmic task. A series of brutal murders draws Lizbeth Borden and Inspector Simon Wolf to the South to investigate this new threat. As much as I enjoy faux-Lovecraftean stories, Chapelwood lacks the weirdness of Maplecroft. If Cherie Priest is going to continue this series, she needs to amp up the dread and action. I enjoyed Chapelwood but I was hoping for more. GRADE: B
If time permitted, that would appeal to me, but sadly there isn’t enough time to read and review the books I want/need to do. Audio books help me a lot, which is why my music listening is way down.
Maggie, I know the feeling: so many books so little time.
I do like the cover.
Jeff, I liked the covers on MAPLECROFT and CHAPELWOOD.
Perhaps she was rushed?
Patti, that could be the reason this sequel doesn’t have the energy of the first book.
Priest has a good reputation in the field, but I doubt this series is her best work. Perhaps it’s more for commercial purposes. Not the sort of thing I’d read, there is enough dread in the world as is.
Rick, there might be a lot of dread in the world, but there needs to be a lot more dread in Priest’s book to keep me reading.
Looking forward to both of them
Scott, I enjoyed both MAPLECROFT and CHAPELWOOD. But the first book is better.