Salem's Vengeance
Salem's Vengeance - Aaron Galvin 3/5
I received a free copy of this from Netgalley and I have to be honest and admit that I'm not a fan of historical fiction, but being a horror writer I am intrigued by the Salem Witch Trials and have read countless books regarding the subject both fiction and nonfiction. As I began to read Vengeance I was immediately pulled into the story. Galvin certainly did his research and it shows in his writing. It's a well thought out book that truly captures the era that the story takes place. This is also the first book in a trilogy which usually means a lot of back story so that the next two books have something to hinge upon. The first book is how the author captures your attention and Salem's Vengeance does that.
As a whole the book is hit or miss. By the second half of the book it begins to falter a bit but Galvin manages to pull you back in through the mysterious journal that Sarah is given. Who wrote the journal? That is the big question and as the story unfolds you begin to see just why Sarah is so important. The main theme here is vengeance and Galvin plots the story in such a way that when he does reveal something it's quite shocking. We begin to see people as they once were, and we see that no matter how much you try to escape your past it's always there. You can't escape it.
The shadow of Salem looms over these characters and Galvin expertly melds true historical events with fiction. It all blends together seamlessly, but sometimes the book does drag a little in the middle and I found myself skimming a little because there was nothing important happening. The book did keep me guessing and even though I'm not big on historical fiction or even trilogies this was one that was well thought and handled its subject matter well. That alone makes the book worth checking out but for fans expecting a dark tale filled with horror you're not going to find it here.. Overall there is a bit of creepiness but not so much that you'll want to sleep with the lights on. Salem's Vengeance is a novel for people who want an interesting story and enjoy popular fiction.
I think that's why the book seemed to drag so much for me. It's an ordinary story that will appeal to reader's of by the number fiction. This is the kind of book that some will find edgy, but it's really not. There are tons of books like these being pumped out and I was hoping that Salem's Vengeance would frighten me a little or at least make me think a little. It just didn't do that. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad book at all, and fans of popular fiction will drool all over this but to me it was good, but nothing memorable.
I received a free copy of this from Netgalley and I have to be honest and admit that I'm not a fan of historical fiction, but being a horror writer I am intrigued by the Salem Witch Trials and have read countless books regarding the subject both fiction and nonfiction. As I began to read Vengeance I was immediately pulled into the story. Galvin certainly did his research and it shows in his writing. It's a well thought out book that truly captures the era that the story takes place. This is also the first book in a trilogy which usually means a lot of back story so that the next two books have something to hinge upon. The first book is how the author captures your attention and Salem's Vengeance does that.
As a whole the book is hit or miss. By the second half of the book it begins to falter a bit but Galvin manages to pull you back in through the mysterious journal that Sarah is given. Who wrote the journal? That is the big question and as the story unfolds you begin to see just why Sarah is so important. The main theme here is vengeance and Galvin plots the story in such a way that when he does reveal something it's quite shocking. We begin to see people as they once were, and we see that no matter how much you try to escape your past it's always there. You can't escape it.
The shadow of Salem looms over these characters and Galvin expertly melds true historical events with fiction. It all blends together seamlessly, but sometimes the book does drag a little in the middle and I found myself skimming a little because there was nothing important happening. The book did keep me guessing and even though I'm not big on historical fiction or even trilogies this was one that was well thought and handled its subject matter well. That alone makes the book worth checking out but for fans expecting a dark tale filled with horror you're not going to find it here.. Overall there is a bit of creepiness but not so much that you'll want to sleep with the lights on. Salem's Vengeance is a novel for people who want an interesting story and enjoy popular fiction.
I think that's why the book seemed to drag so much for me. It's an ordinary story that will appeal to reader's of by the number fiction. This is the kind of book that some will find edgy, but it's really not. There are tons of books like these being pumped out and I was hoping that Salem's Vengeance would frighten me a little or at least make me think a little. It just didn't do that. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad book at all, and fans of popular fiction will drool all over this but to me it was good, but nothing memorable.
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