Books
"Poignant, shocking and horrifying...Part love story and part gothic horror, the novel explores what happens when traditions are challenged, and the bloody consequences of a woman’s fight to build a fairer society. Despite its relatively short length, this is a rich story full of atmosphere and solid characterisation. Reminiscent of the works of such writers as Angela Carter, Frances Hardinge and Shirley Jackson, this is a rewarding novel that I feel has series potential." -- Jonathan Oliver, British Fantasy Award-winning editor and author of The Language of Beasts
In the blackened heart of a cursed forest, a banshee haunts her crumbling castle with lethal screams.
Lady Vago is trapped in this place. She cannot fulfill her purpose as a banshee: to warn her loved ones of their deaths and watch over them while they pass. To solve the mystery of her imprisonment, she must sift through the rubble and ruin that surrounds her. By communing with old paintings, broken furniture, and even the stones themselves, she will rediscover who she was in life.
Every memory of what Rovena loved is a reminder of what she lost, but she cannot let grief halt her search. Devoted spectres of ash are begging their lady for an end to their torment, and she will not let their agony – or her own – go unanswered anymore.
"While Lady Vago’s Absolution encompasses a wider world than the original novel, it also allows the reader to experience even more delightfully gothic elements. The characters are each unique and plagued by their own desires and tests of faith. The overshadowing mystery torments not only the characters but the reader as well, demanding answers and a resolution to feelings of distress. If you enjoy gothic fantasy novels, you must read this duology." -- Behind The Pages
Deep in the heart of a corrupted wood, a mystic hears the banshee’s lethal scream…and lives.
After surviving her communion with Lady Vago, Ysoldette Elethia vowed to break the curse on the deadly but captivating banshee. A spiritual tether guides Ysoldette toward the banshee's killer, a now-ancient sorcerer. The search leads to the remote town of Basalt Ridge, where things are already dire. The sorcerer knows Ysoldette and her holy company are in pursuit. The dead rot unburied in a scorched sanctuary. An elusive horror stalks the woods. The lord in residence cowers in dread, wondering who will riot first: his living subjects or the ghosts drawn to his manor?
It’s a race to find and stop the sorcerer before Basalt Ridge meets the same fate as the Vago barony. Ysoldette walks a thin line between holiness and blasphemy as she tries to unravel a grand plan woven over centuries, but her desperate efforts deepen the rift of mistrust between herself and her holy company. A rift the sorcerer is eager to exploit. Ysoldette can’t break the banshee’s curse unless she reclaims what was stolen, but seeking absolution for Lady Vago risks her own fall. Upholding her vow will lure her toward madness and treason against heaven itself.
An unnatural snow covers desolate vineyards.
A beloved nobleman's ghost torments his family.
The mystic sent to save them is at death's door.
Now a lowborn novitiate must work alone to unearth the secrets of Bardane Manor before the corrupt spirit brings everything to frozen ruin.
On a foggy spring morning, Ysoldette comes to the district of Kohlcourt in her ailing mentor's place, bearing an invitation to an outdoor choir recital wreathed in candlelight. But Madam Lurene, the singer she's meant to attend with, refuses to go.
Ysoldette soon learns that a choir of spirits haunts the abandoned gardens. However, facts about the choir's origins and the recital's host prove elusive. Everyone she meets has something to hide, and certain locals are strangely protective of the choir despite the curse their extraordinary music inflicts.
Through persistence, persuasion, and the uncanny power of a haunted set of chimes, Ysoldette discovers why the mystics who came before her have failed to cleanse the gardens. But to ensure the choir's next manifestation is their last, uncovering the truth of Kohlcourt Gardens won't be enough.
As the hour of the recital draws near, it's not fear of the curse that holds Ysoldette back. It's the pain of allowing beautiful music to fade.