The Family Plot was my introduction to Cherie Priest, so when I got the chance to read this book was I pretty happy since The Family Plot is an awesome book.

Brimstone story follows two POV's one is Alice Dartle in Cassadaga, Florida. she is a clairvoyant. The second POV is Tomas Cordero a man who has lost his wife during the time he fought in the Great War. What they share is a connection, both dreams of fire. For Tomas is the fire a link to his dead wife, but Alice feels that the fire is bad, really really bad...

I found both storylines interesting to follow. However, the pacing was a bit off now and then and I did not think the story really took off and I did not really find the story as thrilling and interesting to read as The Family Plot. It was good, just not spectacular. The best part came towards the ending when the pacing steps up and finally, the answers started to come. Also, I did like Tomas and Alice, and I wouldn't mind reading more books with them since I liked the community of Cassadaga and the time period.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

This is my fourth novel by Cherie Priest and I'm pretty much blown away by it.

The ones I read before were all steampunk and while I really did like them, I grew out of interest in them. Luckily, Priest wrote another period piece taking place after the First World War.

The two main characters, Tomas and Alice, revolve around each other but for a very non-romantic reason. Tomas lost his wife to the Spanish Flu and he suffers shell-shock from his experiences with a flamethrower in the war, the horrific images of it. Alice is a clairvoyant moving to a town filled with clairvoyants gathering together for safety, but she, too, is haunted by flame.

What surprised me the most was that this was, at its core, a horror novel. All the build up and focus on trying to keep things together in the normal world was punctuated by flame, flame, flame. I loved it. I was thrilled by it.

The core, however, was always about love, loss, and hate. The story was pretty fantastic and universal and interesting. It's more window dressing, the fact that it's set in post-WWI. :)

I have nothing but good things to say about this novel. :) It left a very fine taste in my mouth. Delightful. :)


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Is it possible to communicate with the dead? And is it possible that attempting to do so could open the veil between worlds to a horrifying evil?

Now, I’m perfectly willing to suspend my disbelief for a well-written suspense story that tackles these questions. Unfortunately, “Brimstone” isn’t it.

This leisurely-paced novel alternates POV characters between Tomás, a young man who returns home from the trenches of WWI to find his young wife dead, and Alice, a rather complacent young woman who has joined a community of Florida spiritualists to develop and control her psychic powers. The pair don’t even manage to meet until halfway through the book. There is no arc of suspense, no feeling of evil except that which Priest tells us is there, rather than showing us. The most horrific scenes are written in casual, matter-of-fact language that utterly fails to frighten or awe.

Priest does manage to bury one clever little reference, which I didn’t spot until almost the last minute, but this single literary coup is overshadowed by continuity lapses – a piece of cotton scorched by an iron magically becomes a piece of wool a few chapters on – and at least three major anachronisms are dropped into the mix – multiplex theaters, CPR, and reference to a phone call as “dialing up” – none of which would have been around in the 1920 setting. The errors are jarring and yank the reader out of whatever involvement he or she may have had in the story.

Worse, what should have been a “big reveal” about the young man’s wartime experiences is splashed all across the back cover of the book – an action which, in my opinion, should be classed as felonious assault upon the innocent reader.

There might have been a truly frightening story set within this plot framework, but Cherie Priest hasn’t delivered it.
( )

1) Cassadaga, FL is a real place. Cool.
2) Here's a nifty review from NPR (I'm not much of a reviewer, let's be honest): http://www.npr.org/2017/04/11/521959808/brimstone-burns-brightly-despite-a-few-f...
3) I basically agree with that review, thus the inclusion.
4) Fave quotes:
When Alice asks of a senior spiritualist: "Do we believe in saints?"
"Certainly we believe in people who've manifested extraordinary abilities throughout the ages. If they honed their skills through religion, we are prepared to respect their expertise. Who are we to say which path to grace is correct? How can we even know how many paths exist?"
[lovely tolerance, yes?]
"We seek the very Highest Good, to the best of our understanding - and we trust Him to honor our intent. Or Her. Or some combination of the two, or neither one. It's impossible to guess the gender of the universe."
[So mote it be.] ( )

I picked this up on a whim based solely on the cover. I didn't expect much from the story, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Thomas portions of this story, in particular, were really moving and interesting. Alice wasn't quite as enjoyable to me - she came off anachronistic and more immature then I think she was meant to be. I had a hard time accepting the basic premise of her being sent off alone given the timing of this book and her behavior didn't make it easier to buy. Still, I liked the conclusion and I would certainly try another by this author. ( )