Maplecroft

This one is really hard to rate. I guess overall it gets a 3.5 from me - it starts out so strong, but suffers from inconsistencies and dumb science toward the end. Still, I loved the idea and the atmosphere so much, I'm rounding up my 3.5.

The key, enchanting question is, “What if Lizzie Borden did kill her parents, but she had a very good reason to do so, that must be kept secret?” It has to be a secret because no one would believe it, and she needs to stay free and prevent interference as she tries to defend her sister, her town, and perhaps the entire world from a force only her family has confronted . . . so far.

This was at its best when it was setting up the situation, establishing characters' relationships (the sisters' conflicted feelings toward each other, and the bond between Nance and Lizzie were key drivers of the story, and felt very genuine - also nice to see LGBTQ+ representation!). During the first half, the novel creates a sense of mystery and dread, and gets the reader invested in the players. The sense of desperation and isolation is palpable and touching.

As the story develops, Priest tries to create scientific insight and rules, a la your average zombie or vampire plot. This not only feels hamfisted, it also introduces a turn in the story where I feel like Priest or her editor lost their organizational and logical skills.

First, the wafer-thin scientific justification for a potential cure (becoming a monster involves symptoms x, y, and z, and this known infection creates symptoms y, z, and q, so . . . immunizing . . . er, no, infecting . . . ummm, both? will fight the monsters? Somehow?) is so silly as to be insulting.

Second, continuity errors suddenly abound. How many guns are in the house? (Early chapters two, later chapters, one) All the tables in the basement get overturned, but are magically back in order two scenes later. Lightning follows thunder. Tetanus comes from a well-understood pathogen, but also somehow comes from rusty iron. Lizzie hits a monster in the neck, explicitly missing its head, but two paragraphs later it has a head wound. It just becomes too much of a mess for suspension of disbelief, which is a shame because I was still very invested in the characters and I thought the evil (when not stupidly reduced to a scientific puzzle) was very compelling.

So, read this if you love eldritch monsters from the deep and Lizzie Borden, but go in knowing that it goes off the rails a bit at the end.