The details…
- Title: Consecrated Ground
- Author: Virginia Black
- Publisher: Bywater Books
- Publication date: February 7, 2023
- Available formats: ebook, paperback
- Digital file size: 1722 KB
- Print length: 257 pages
- Genre: speculative fiction/romance
- Themes: vampires, war witches, POC, multiracial romance, women loving women relationships, small town, queer, sapphic
- Tropes: second-chance, returning to home, good vs evil
The blurb from the publisher…
Consecrated Ground is a multiracial lesbian paranormal tour de force that will leave you wary of the shadows and absolutely breathless.
Like her father before her, Joan Matthews is a witch. For generations, their family of binder witches has protected Calvert, Oregon from vampires by strengthening the land with spellcraft. Pushing back against tradition, Joan defied her father and left town to become a war witch, one who fights the monsters hand-to-hand. But when her father dies, Joan returns to find her hometown assailed by a vampire lord’s endless attacks—and the answers lie with the one woman who chose a rival over Joan.
Leigh Phan once believed her heart was safe and her future was set. When Joan left town, Leigh’s choices led to ruin and unintended consequences. Now Leigh harbors a dark secret forcing her to live a moment-to-moment existence. Her only hope of survival lies in trusting the war witch who left her behind.
Now it’s up to Joan to fight for a town she left behind, while Leigh faces a destiny she never imagined was possible. With Calvert on the brink of total destruction, Joan and Leigh join forces and face inconvenient truths in order to save their town—and each other.
My thoughts…
Consecrated Ground is a well-written story. Readers will be pulled in immediately. The story world and word building is fantastic. It’s a fast read full of suspenseful moments and hard-hitting action, making it hard to resist. Basically, once one starts this, they won’t be able to put it down.
I should mention that I’m not much for speculative fiction, especially stuff that ventures into places filled with vampires and war witches. This one, however, got ahold of me and wouldn’t let go. Virginia Black is a wonderful storyteller and I was immediately captivated with her creativity. The way she tells a story, filling it with layers upon layers of beautiful, descriptive language. And the action!! It’s so intense and charged!! Black knows how to structure the story elements so splendidly. It creates a dimensional, textured world for readers to fall into—even for vampire-avoiders like me.
Black rolls up her sleeves and reveals some real storytelling muscle with this debut book. The story arc is complex, making readers the true beneficiaries of her sharp plotting. I don’t want to give anything away, but know Consecrated Ground is one heck of a ride. She blends all of the sub-plots nicely, and the development is seamless. More importantly though, the story world makes sense. It’s grounded and credible. She does this through meaningful dialogue and well-constructed scenes, proving she knows how to create a sound narrative. However, the real tell here is this: readers feel invested and involved in the storytelling. They care about the story world and its characters, a hallmark that clearly illustrates Black’s talent.
Final remarks…
This is a must for readers that love speculative fiction filled with vampires and war witches. It’s not just spec fic though; there’s a strong love story woven into the fabric of this tale, giving romance lovers something to rejoice over. Overall, readers will find this to be rich and spectacularly plotted. It’s hard to believe Consecrated Ground is Black’s debut novel; it’s pure indulgent escapism. Fans of dark, demon-filled worlds should definitely take note of Black; she’s going to be the one to watch in this genre.
Strengths…
- Well-written, well-developed
- Engaging plot
- Intriguing characters
- Hard to put down
This book is available from…
A bit about the author…
Virginia Black lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wife of twenty years and their savagely witty teenage daughter. She writes contemporary romance and speculative/science fiction. All her stories feature prominent lesbian characters and in the end, the girl ALWAYS gets the girl. She’s got rules, and she’s determined to make sure more of these empowering stories see the light.
Though Consecrated Ground is her first full-length novel, she’s curated an impressive list of writing credits. She’s contributed to Sapphire Books’ Fandom to Fantasy series and Bold Strokes Books’ anthology In Our Own Words: Queer Stories from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Writers.In addition to that, she’s credited for “Constant” in the Golden Crown Literary Society Writing Academy anthology Writing for Freedom.
When she’s not penning dark speculative fiction, she is almost always reading. Want to know more about Virginia Black?
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