Gathering Deep ~ Lisa Maxwell (earc) review [@isamaxwellYA @fluxbooks]

Gathering Deep (Sweet Unrest #2)
Flux
October 8, 2015
336 pages
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When Chloe Sabourin wakes in a dark, New Orleans cemetery with no memory of the previous days, she can hardly believe the story her friends tell her. They say Chloe was possessed by a witch named Thisbe, who had used the darkest magic to keep herself alive for over a century. They tell her that the witch is the one responsible for the unspeakable murders that nearly claimed the life of Chloe's friend, Lucy. Most unbelievable of all, they say that Thisbe is Chloe’s own mother. As she struggles with this devastating revelation and tries to rebuilt her life, Chloe wants nothing to do with the magic that corrupted her mother…especially since she feels drawn to it.

Now, a new series of ritualistic killings suggests that Thisbe is plotting again, and Chloe is drawn unwillingly back into the mystical underworld of the French Quarter. To stop Thisbe before she kills again, Chloe and her friends must learn what they can from the mysterious Mama Legba. But when her boyfriend Piers vanishes, Chloe will have to risk everything and embrace her own power to save the one person she has left… even if that means bringing down her mother.

I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into Gathering Deep in the beginning. While it did do a very nice job reminding readers what had happened in Sweet Unrest and where things were left, it did not immediately grab me; it was hard to devote my full attention to the story.

However, once the story was established: once we knew what had happened in the previous book, who the characters were, what their relationships were, what the new(ish) problems were and who wsa going to be involved in their resolution, things picked up considerably.

The tension was definitely there, with them likely dealing with Thisbe again, after everything that transpire din Sweet Unrest. This time, there was the added element of all that Chloe is now struggling with. She knows that her mother is Thisbe, the witch who used dark magic to live for over a century. She has to figure out what that means about her life, growing up, and the Momma she loved.

Chloe also has to figure out what it means for her and the pull she feels toward magic.

I really enjoyed the story being told by Chloe after all of the revelations of the last book. She has a lot to come to terms with in this novel and I liked that exploration of her character. The beginning that involved that, but also a lot of where her relationship with Piers stood, felt almost tedious.

I liked where that left her character, though and how things could then really get moving into the new drama and danger.

Gathering Deep does a great job using voodoo, magic, history and souls to tell a compelling, intriguing story. The addition of the family bonds, slavery, and social hierarchy - both past and present - that are included only make it a richer tale.







review copy received thanks to publisher, via NetGalley