Bayou Myth by Mary Ann Loesch - Review, Excerpt, and Giveaway

Welcome to Reading It All's stop on the Bayou Myth book tour presented by Reading Addiction Blog Tours!




Title: Bayou Myth
Author: Mary Ann Loesch

Synopsis: As a sixteen year old voodoo queen in the making, Joan Renault just wants to be like all the other girls in the small town of Monte Parish, Louisiana—obsessed with boys and swamped with social lives. If the other kids would quit calling her “hoodoo hag,” she might have a small shot at normality. It would also help if Joan’s weekend outings with her secret crush, Dave, weren’t always being interrupted by her dead Grandmere, the legendary Marie Laveau. After all, it’s hard to make out with your best friend when your grandmother is watching! But when you come from a long line of voodoo priestesses with dried gator heads decorating the wall of their huts, normal doesn’t come easily. 

When Joan witnesses the brutal sacrifice of a child to a tree Druid, she learns her Grandmere’s scandalous past has come back to haunt those living in the present. Hera, a vengeful voodoo priestess is determined to use the residual energy of Pandora’s Box to revive a sleeping voodoo god and declare war on the descendants of Marie Laveau, especially Joan. Suddenly, Greek myths are being re-enacted all over town, and Joan has her hands full trying to sort it all out. With the approach of Samedi’s Day—the voodoo day of resurrection—Joan must learn to accept her destiny in order to stop the approaching threat to her family and friends.

My Thoughts: I haven't read many books about voodoo but I have been noticing a little bit of a trend of them lately. Maybe they will be the next big thing. I know that Bayou Myth by Mary Ann Loesch is a wonderful example of a Young Adult novel about voodoo. I had a lot of fun reading it and I truly felt like I was pulled right into the story.

Joan, or Baby Girl, is a really great character. She is learning to be a voodoo priestess all while trying to survive normal teenage things, like boys and friends. She is pretty spunky, and the times where she showed some attitude were so great. This entire book was a learning experience for her and she spent a lot of time trying to figure out who she could trust. 

Dave and Joan have an interesting relationship. They are best friends and he is one of the only people outside of her family who understands her voodoo. He also completely supports her learning more about her abilities. Their unexplored feelings for each other make for some great moments in this book. 

Joan's Grandmere Marie is really great. She is one no-nonsense kind of lady. She doesn't want any lip and things better get done her way. Hera is an awesome villain. She jumps right into making trouble for Joan. I love all the background that we get on both of the voodoo priestesses from the past. 

This book was fast paced and held my interest easily. I really had fun reading all the Greek myths that were coming to life in the book. I think that a lot of people will enjoy this book. With all the voodoo, Greek myths, and relationship between Joan and Dave, people will have a lot of fun reading Bayou Myth.

Rating:

About the Author:

Mary Ann Loesch is an award winning fiction writer from Texas. Her urban fantasy, Nephilim, was published in July 2011 by Lyrical Press Inc. An avid blogger for All Things Writing (http://www.allthingswriting.blogspot.com) and Loesch’s Muse (http://www.loeschsmuse.blogspot.com), Mary Ann has also contributed stories in the horror anthology, All Things Dark and Dastardly. Her latest book, Bayou Myth, will be released in the summer of 2012. While she loves dirty martinis and cuddling with her dachshund, she loves fan mail even more! 

Contact her through:

Website

Excerpt:

A teenage girl stood in the hazy glow. Unlike the other spirits, her form held solid. I got the sense that she drew energy from the surrounding spirits. Her lowered head made it so I couldn’t see her face, but the style of dress she wore dated back at least a century. Not surprising, really. Monte Parish could trash its roots to the late 1700’s.

The ghost lifted her head. Her eyes were empty sockets and rotted flesh hung from her face revealing bone. She watched me, and the hatred pumping from her aura sucked my breath away. Her head moved as if she were looking at Dave. A sly smile formed on what remained of her lips, and the hatred crawling in the air multiplied. She moved towards us with an unsteady gait. The closer she got, the sicker to my stomach I felt.

She meant to harm Dave. But not because he’d done anything to her. It was because he belonged to me. Though she never said a word, her intentions spilt off her and my psychic conduit picked it up. 

“Let’s go. We need to leave right now.”

“What’s wrong?” Dave asked, but he complied with my request and closed up the tailgate.

The girl continued our direction. She raised a hand, and the sleeve of her dress slid back. Even from the distance we were at, the long white scar on her arm could be seen clearly in the moonlight. She pointed a finger at me.

You saw…the words hissed across the cemetery, raising goose bumps on my arms.

Enter below for your chance to win an e-copy of Bayou Myth! a Rafflecopter giveaway *Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*