World Lit

Review: The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

~ megs14malloy

The Haunting of Moscow HouseThe Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Haunting of Moscow House is set in 1921, after the Bolshevik Revolution. In this novel we follow two sisters, Irina and Lili, whose family home, a once lush mansion in the heart of Moscow, has been taken over by a group of Boleshevik soldiers.

The remaining family members are banished to the attic living space of the home, even though many rooms in the lower levels remain vacant. Crammed in, frequently cold and hungry, it’s a huge transition for this once powerful family.

The sisters understand that the way they used to live is a thing of the past and they must adapt quickly to this new political landscape, or perish trying.

For its part though, this once stately home isn’t as adaptable and it certainly hasn’t forgotten the past.

Anxious to escape the haunted halls, the sisters end up getting jobs working for an American relief agency. This provides good pay, food, a place to escape during the day, as well as some potential love interests.

At night though, the house seems to be becoming increasingly unsettled. Unexplained things are happening, noises and apparitions. People are getting hurt.

Is the explanation supernatural, like ancestral spirits wrecking havoc, or is someone more corporeal to blame?

While this wasn’t necessarily to my tastes, I think for Historical Fiction fans who enjoy a potential Supernatural twist, this could work really, really well.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the direction the author took with this story and I’m glad I took the time to read it. I do have a lot of interest in this time period of Russian history, so having it focused around that was quite captivating.

I did feel a lot of empathy towards the remaining members of the Goliteva family, whose ages ranged from small children, who didn’t understand what was going on, to elder family members, who had lost everything they had previously cherished and enjoyed.

The situation in the city at that time, brought to life here by the author, did provide a lot to think about.

It made me think how I may have dealt with such upsetting and dire circumstances. It’s an uncomfortable thing to consider, but I appreciated how Olesya Salnikova Gilmore got my mind working.

Without giving too much away, in order to maybe spur more Horror Readers into picking this up, it does have a bit of an Occult bent to it, so if that is something that interests you, check it out.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I did enjoy the atmosphere and the character work of this quite a bit. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

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Review: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

~ megs14malloy

The Ghost BrideThe Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous book for a very long time. After recently reading through some glowing reviews from friends, I decided not to put it off any longer. Proving that sometimes I do make good choices. It’s rare, but it happens.

One of my favorite aspects of this ended up being the striking atmosphere. It was such a good fit as we transition from a spooky October into a still spooky, yet more cozy November…

Set in the 19th-century port town of Malacca, in colonial Malaya, this story follows 17-year old, Li Lan, who lives with her father and loving nursemaid, Amah.

Li Lan’s family was once well-off, but due to her father’s persistent opium addiction, they now find themselves virtually bankrupt.

Li Lan is at the point in her life when most young women her age are getting married. Due to their status, however, Li Lan finds herself without many prospects.

When her father first presents her with the idea of becoming a ghost bride for the wealthy Lim family, he says it lightly, sort of in passing; like he wasn’t really considering it.

The local practice of ghost brides are said to calm restless spirits of those who have passed on. The Lim’s son, Lim Tian Ching, has recently died under mysterious circumstances and his mother seems set on finding him a ghost bride.

Even though Li Lan would be set for life, having a lavish place to live, never wanting for anything, she’s not into it. Tying herself to a dead man for the duration of her life, no thank you. She wants more, maybe even love.

When she gets invited to the Lim home for a visit however, she does accept. There’s no reason to be rude. Plus, she’s genuinely curious about the family.

It is a very interesting visit. She’s mesmerized by their lifestyle and the characters fluttering around their lush estate. After the visit, the haunting of Li Lan begins.

In her dreams, Li Lan is visited by the dead Lim Tian Ching, whose spirit makes her incredibly uncomfortable for a host of different reasons. The nightly interactions begin to wear heavily upon her.

She even goes as far as visiting a medium to try to find a way to free herself of his spirit. In short, she’s given a potion of sorts to try to help and after taking too much, Li Lan slips into a coma.

Y’all, I am really simplifying this here, but you get the gist. Through her condition, Li Lan is transported to the parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, where vengeful spirits, ghost cities and monstrous establishments abound.

There she meets Er Lang, a sort of spiritual guide, and they help her upon her journey. The more ensnared Li Lan becomes in this world, the greater the risk becomes that she will never be able to return to the mortal realm. It’s a race against the clock.

I adored the menacing, magical tone of this. I loved the infusion of Chinese folklore. It’s so interesting to read about and learn about. I have read a couple of other novels tackling similar concepts and always end up really enjoying the imagery of the dark underworld.

I did end up listening to the audiobook and I would absolutely recommend that format. It is actually narrated by the author and is completely mesmerizing.

I love when an author narrates their own story. If done right, it can just breath such energy and authenticity into it. Only they know exactly how their words should be read and wow, Yangsze Choo could be the best I’ve ever heard!!!

I know I am probably forgetting a million things that I wanted to say about this one. The goodness of it all has just zapped thoughts straight out of my brain.

Overall, I found this story to be beautifully-lyrical, fantastical and compelling. I’m so glad that I finally made time for it. I am definitely planning to read more from Yangsze Choo; looking forward to it. I’m a fan!

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Review: The Daughter of Patience by Hussin Alkheder

~ megs14malloy

The Daughter of PatienceThe Daughter of Patience by Hussin Alkheder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

When Mustafa’s sister, Hadiya, dies unexpectedly in her home, he suspects foul play.

Hadiya was a healthy woman, in her 40s, a housewife and mother to five children. He has a suspicion that his estranged brother-in-law, Mazen, may be to blame.

Mazen, who lives full-time in Dubai, reportedly like a King, sends home barely enough money for his wife and children to scrape by.

What sort of man is this? He has not only essentially abandoned his family, he has also skipped town on numerous debts, including one to Mustafa.

Mustafa reaches out to Mullah Abdullah Al-Allab for assistance getting to the bottom of what happened to his sister.

The Mullah is a staple of Hadiya’s neighborhood and just so happens to dabble unofficially in private investigation.

As we know, I love a Mystery with an amateur sleuth!

The story then follows the Mullah as he tracks clues through the streets of Damascus, to Dubai and back again. We meet Hadiya’s children and find out, all is not well in their home.

There is a heart-wrenching mystery involving the youngest daughter in the home, Zakiya, who suffers from severe injuries that belie explanation.

Who is hurting her? The other children are not speaking and while Hadiya has already lost her life, the Mullah knows he must act fast to prevent Zakiya from suffering the same fate.

This is a debut novel for Hussin Alkheder and I think he should be incredibly proud.

The construction of this story is very well done and the pacing excellent. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if I would ever connect with the story, but eventually I really did connect with the Mullah.

He is an engaging protagonist, who tries his best to be a force of good, no matter how unkind the world can be. He is a loving family man, who tries to protect, not only his family, but other families within his community.

There is a heavy religious undertone to this novel; as you can imagine, since the protagonist is an Imam at his local mosque. He views the world, and his actions within it, through a religious prism.

While I understand and appreciate that, and know Alkheder is being culturally accurate in his portrayal of this character, at times, small aspects of that element would shake me out of the story.

There were also some elements that made me uncomfortable, most notably, a scene involving a queer boy’s treatment at the hands of local law enforcement.

With that being said, overall, I really enjoyed this. It is definitely a novel that will stick with you, long after you turn the last page.

The final few scenes of this were super intense and I love the way it ended.

I really hope Alkheder plans to turn this into a series. I would absolutely go along with the Mullah as he solves another mystery!

Thank you so much to the author, Hussin Alkheder, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I’m so glad I took the chance to pick it up!

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