Annabel’s husband, who has been missing for years, is finally discovered among the bowels of White Chapel England during the horror of Jack the Ripper. His discovery brings Annabel and her family to the turn of nineteenth-century England hoping to rescue Michele from the Black Witch’s cage. What they discover is that the Black Witch has been forced into an insidious pact with the devil and the … devil, with malicious intent, is luring them all into a web of death. Can they escape his grasp?
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This book definitely has a unique story. The concept grabbed me pretty quick, and though I felt the supporting characters could have been fleshed out and created with more than surface depth (this could be because this is the second book), the story itself really is the fuel here. Prose and style are well-done. A lot of books I read it’s the other way, so this is a refreshing read. The author can always add depth, you can’t add the ability to be creative. I definitely want to see more from Olivia Ray (this is book two, by the way, for those reading this…make sure you grab the first one, too, it’s worth the couple of dollars on Kindle). The description is stellar, and there are a lot of real, historic events that were clearly researched well. Authorial liberties were taken, for sure, but it was a fun ride to go through this adventure with Annabel (a “white witch” from the Americas…one of those from infamous Salem) and how she interacted with “the Black Witch” in England to fight against the ever-looming threat of death at the hand of the devil and his cohorts. This book is a great read, with dark overtones, but I definitely encourage reading the first one (where the characters that appear in this book are stronger) that way you can have a good feel for the world and universe that was beautifully created by Olivia Hardy Ray.
Those four M’s sum up this interesting wintry read for me. It takes place in the 1800s in England around the time of the murderous Jack the Ripper. It is the tale of two magical women: Genevieve Tetu (the Black Witch of Pau) and Annabel Horton (the White witch of the Salem Trials in the Americas) both uniting because of how Genevieve has imprisoned Annabel’s husband Michele for her devious spells. The story, to me, has a great plotline but the way it is written is kind of all over the place. There is a huge cast of characters but the main ones are Annabel and Genevieve, and the devil who has a name (Urbaine) and a priest by the name of Julian. The great thing about this book is its blend of cultures: Black and White. The element of this book that I found to be quite challenging was the devil worship and the gory details of some of the happenings in it. It was a rude awakening for me one time when Annabel was mistaken for a wife by a dangerously horrific doctor with the last name of Williams. His home was the haven for animals he has captured off the streets for him to use their organs for his experiments…(shudders).
The mystery part of this novel comes around the final sections of the book where Genevieve Tetu’s true story was revealed by an Urbaine-look alike that Annabel meets at the home of a well-to-do couple that hired her husband Michele to tutor their girls. Aside from all those, Genevieve at one point had a very interesting conversation with God and He (yes He is male in here) told her this which caused goosebumps on my skin: “How to know God, you ask, Genevieve? To know God is to fall in love, in love with the sun as it sets in lime greens and yellows. To know God is to be in love with somber skies the color of ash and shadows. To know God is to be in love with the roar of thunder like a mighty burst of gunfire that might still your heart. To know God is to fall on the deep green emerald grass held in nature’s arms, for God is the call of birds and the white of snow. God is the black of ebony skies filled with the light of stars. We are all God, Genevieve. We are all one, never less than one, and we are always everything there is. “
I recommend this book to progressive readers. Their acceptance of everything about science and magic and God and race will find this book to be entertaining and forthcoming. I think this book holds some very interesting ideas and thoughts on the future of mankind and on the mystery of magic, God, the devil and time travel. I also recommend this book to those who love horror stories for there is a lot of that in this book. It is a mixture of sci-fi, horror, and mystery. I lastly think this is a great read for this winter season. It will make a fine reading item during the cold months coming up where you are in the comfort of your home, on the way to work on a bus/train, or at the library, you will find this book to be very unique.
Annabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau is the second book in a series by Olivia Hardy Ray. The book is a piece of paranormal historical fiction that does an excellent job of blending the two genres. Olivia Hardy Ray takes us back in time thanks to her beautiful descriptions and her excellent attention to detail.
The characters in the book are all excellent characters to spend time with and before you know it you are drawn into the thrilling battle of good vs evil which is the lynchpin of the narrative. The book doesn’t paint things so simply though and Olivia Hardy Ray manages to be a narrative that is both complex and highly enjoyable.
Annabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau is the perfect book for those who love bold, experimental genre hybrid pieces.
Annabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau is the second book in the series and it is just as compelling as the first, by one of my new favourite authors. This book kept me wrapped up in Hardy’s world when I was reading and also when I was not, which for me is a sign of a well-written story. This book is a perfect read for those who love experimental genre hybrid pieces. I already recommended this to bookworm friends and will look out for others by Hardy in the future. 5 stars
New York author Vera Jane Cook writes suspense filled sci-fi novels – PHAROAH’S STAR and ANNABEL HORTON, LOST WITCH OF SALEM and now ANNABEL HORTON AND THE BLACK WITCH OF PAU using the moniker ‘Olivia Hardy Ray,’ while maintaining her true name she has authored a number of prize winning women’s fiction novels – DANCING BACKWARD IN PARADISE, THE STORY OF SASSY SWEETWATER, PLEASANT DAY, WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW, and LIES A RIVER DEEP. Her sci-fi novels luxuriate in a historical milieu while her women’s fiction novels are very much in the contemporary vein.
Having read a novel in each of this talented author’s two realms, it is comfortable to report that she/’they’ are fine story spinners. The quality of prose is as enchanting as the stories she weaves.
A taste of her gifts is evident in this winning tale, set in 1888 in London, as she welcomes us into her world – ‘The moon floated past my window like a round, celestial ship; it seemed detached from the sky as it beckoned me, this segregated, white, globular light. Clouds that looked like smoke nearly covered it, but it was still bright and full. I stood in the shadow it threw across my floor and whispered the incantations of conquest as I stared at it. Only when the moon is full could I do this. It kept me potent, this incantation. I have been whispering it for many years, mostly for others, but tonight, it was for me…’ And so we meet the Black Witch of Pau and this story is launched.
This is Book 2 of her Annabel Horton series, and as a reflection, from the Salem Witch trials through the Nineteenth Century and beyond, Annabel Horton was pursued by the devil’s disciple, Urban Grandier, the demonic priest from the incident at Loudon. Now for the continuing saga, the plot is quickly summarized – ‘Annabel’s husband, who has been missing for years, is finally discovered among the bowels of White Chapel England during the horror of Jack the Ripper. His discovery brings Annabel and her family to the turn of nineteenth-century England hoping to rescue Michele from the Black Witch’s cage. What they discover is that the Black Witch has been forced into an insidious pact with the devil and the devil, with malicious intent, is luring them all into a web of death. Can they escape his grasp?’
This is a fine visit to old England, witches, and mythology, and in ‘Olivia’s” hands the tale has both suspense and dark flavors that make is a successful read. Just the tale for a dark winter’s night. Recommended.
In recent years, I have become a big fan of historical fiction. I love how it can immerse you in a world so completely different from your own. ‘Annabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau’ by Olivia Hardy Ray certainly took me to another time, to the murky streets of London, crippled by fear during the killing spree of Jack the Ripper. Annabel has a lot more to fear than the infamous serial killer. Her husband has found himself in the clutches of the Black Witch and will have to battle with the Devil himself if she wants to set him free.
I really enjoyed the ‘Black Witch of Pau’ it blended some many great genres, being a beautiful hybrid of historical fiction, sci-fi, supernatural fiction, and horror. It was well written, and a great take on the classic good vs. evil storyline. When I read this I didn’t realise it was part of a series, but the other books are definitely on my ever-growing ‘to read’ list.
Annabel Horton And The Black Witch of Pau is the second book in the series, I want to read the next book. A historical paranormal fantasy a story of suspense, evil, drama, danger, the Devil, and time travel. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.