Review: The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart

THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART
Magic Most Foul #2
Leanna Renee Heiber
Paranormal Young Adult
332 pages
Sourcebooks Fire
Available now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
I'm coming for you.

The whispers haunt her dreams and fill her waking hours with dread. Something odd is happening. Something...unnatural.

Possession of the living. Resurrection of the dead. And Natalie Stewart is caught right in the middle. Jonathon, the one person she thought she could trust, has become a double agent for the dark side. But he plays the part so well, Natalie has to wonder just how much he's really acting.

She can't even see what it is she's fighting. But the cost of losing her heart, her sanity...her soul.

MY THOUGHTS
The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart picks up immediately where Darker Still left off, giving us the barest of hints as to what happened previously and encouraging us to really dig deep into the recesses of our minds to recall all the finer and darker details of Natalie and Jonathon’s meeting. Ms. Hieber gives us ample time to remember however, as the second leg of Natalie’s journey into the world of the supernatural moves forward slowly and carefully, setting each piece of the story purposefully on the playing board before the game actually begins in the last third of the novel.

Part of this second installment’s quieter feel stems from the separation of Natalie and Jonathon shortly after tour reintroduction to them, our desire to see their relationship strengthen and deepen now that canvas and curse no longer stand between them strong enough that we can’t help but be a touch disappointed when we’re denied time to see them truly together. There was a declaration of love in Darker Still despite the brevity of their acquaintance – the dire situation they both faced allowing for a level of believability with regard to rapid escalation of their feelings – and we crack the spine of book two with the hope that we’ll finally get to see the emotional connection that supports the vocalization of those three little words. Unfortunately, their relationship doesn’t quite reach the bar we set for them prior to reading, at least in this installment, but the potential for them as a couple is undeniably present.

While the romance is a touch lackluster in this second book, it should be noted that the focus of the story is clearly not intended to be on Natalie and Jonathon’s love, though it does play a major role, but instead on the mystery surrounding those who cursed Jonathon in the first place and their reasons for doing so. Jonathon’s imprisonment in the painting was clearly but a cog in a darkly insidious paranormal machine, and Ms. Hieber does a beautiful job of taking us by the shoulders in this book and turning us in a slow circle so we can clearly see how much larger and more terrifying the Society’s plans actually are. Our eyes are forced open wide, the realization of how far the claws of supernatural malevolence reach and how deeply they’ve sunk into a variety of people ensuring we’re on the edge of our seats during the action-packed conclusion.

Overall, The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart takes a little while to really get rolling, but once it does, the outcome of what’s been started is something we simply cannot breathe another minute without knowing. The darkest things are clearly still to come, and I will certainly be continuing on with Natalie and Jonathon to see how their light fares against a seemingly unstoppable blackness.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: Darker Still

DARKER STILL
(Magic Most Foul #1)
Leanna Renee Hieber
Paranormal Young Adult
320 pages
Sourcebooks Fire
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY
It's not easy being a young woman in New York City in 1882. For Natalie Stewart, life is a bit more difficult for her than other young ladies her age given she's mute. She has an adoring father, but her marriage prospects are relatively nonexistent given her condition and she finds friends are rather few and far between.

Her life gets infinitely more interesting, however, when she comes to hear of a supposedly haunted painting. Rumor has women of all ages fainting at the sight of a truly stunning young man known as Lord Denbury in all his painted glory, his uncannily realistic portrait causing a stir wherever it's displayed.

The reason Lord Denbury seems so very alive in painted form is because his soul is trapped in the painting, a prisoner of dark magic who is unable to reach anyone in the world outside his gilded frame. Except for Natalie. She alone can communicate with him, and she takes it upon herself to figure out just what happened to Jonathon and how his curse can be reversed, but in doing so, she makes herself a target for the demonic being responsible for trapping him in the first place.

MY THOUGHTS
Magic, mystery, and murder combine in this first book of Ms. Hieber’s new young adult series, catapulting us quickly into a world of what-ifs, hows, and whys while teasing us with just a touch of romance to ensure our hearts are as equally involved in the story as our minds. Written in journal entry format, we often find ourselves with Natalie after events have occurred, riveted to the page and dying to know what’s happened from the moment she put down her pen to the time she's picked it up again, left completely on edge and anxious to be kept in the loop. The case of the eerily realistic painting of Lord Denbury unravels slowly but captivatingly, little clues popping up now and again to provide some hints at answers before a whole slew of new questions descend upon us, tying us to the outcome of Denbury’s fate as surely as if we knew him personally.

Natalie is a strong and memorable heroine, her status as a mute instantly creating a sympathetic friend in us (though she neither wants nor needs any such sentiment from anyone) as she is forced to continually remind those around her that an inability to speak does not amount to an inability to hear or a reduced IQ. She’s extremely intelligent and possesses a sense of humor we as readers alone get to experience given we are privy to her words, making her easily someone we want to read more about. Her relationship with Jonathon is tortuously slow, the unknown ramifications of their actions within the painting keeping them to an excruciating yet delicious pace of courtship. Despite their attraction to one another, both keep their wits about them, never slipping into the “I can’t function without you” phase but rather relishing their time together while also utilizing their time apart to do what needs to be done.

The only mild complaint with this story is with the shortage of information we have about the who and why of Jonathon’s painting predicament, knowing very little of him in general and even less about the dark magic responsible for his circumstances. This is the first in the series however, so inevitably more details will be forthcoming in the next books. We are given a nice conclusion to this first enigmatic tale, one door shut while several others are left wide open, beckoning us to walk through and see what secrets they shield from view. We close the last page wanting to take those few steps toward the waiting doorways and more answers, but we are not frustratingly desperate to do so, content instead with what we’ve been given thus far and with what we still have yet to learn.

Rating: 4/5

Character Interview: Lord Denbury of Darker Still

I am beyond excited–maybe even bordering on ecstatic–to welcome Jonathon Whitby, also known as Lord Denbury, from Leanna Renee Hieber's paranormal young adult novel Darker Still to the blog today to answer some questions for me. Not only is he incredibly attractive and well-mannered, but he also calls me "Miss Snark" (*giggles*) which makes him completely adorable and a little bit in danger of becoming my next book boyfriend. Lucky him ;-) Darker Still just released this week, so be sure and pick up a copy if you haven't already so you can meet the oh-so charming Denbury!

If you could choose any other painting in which to be trapped, which one would you choose and why?

Oh, dear Lord, Miss Snark, you'd curse me into another one?! Well, let me see. If I had to be trapped, make it something out in the open; one of those glorious classic hunting scenes, so I'd at least be free to run about my estate. While I never liked killing on the hunt- it seemed inhumane- I do miss my hunting dogs. Otherwise, I'd ask to be put into one of Waterhouse's paintings. Miss Stewart looks a good deal like one of those pretty Waterhouse heroines and I'd like to be her knight in shining armor.

Let’s say you had the portrait of yourself commissioned instead of forced upon you; is the study the room you would have chosen as a backdrop or is there somewhere else you think would have been better suited to who you are?

I'd have preferred to be painted in the rooms of the clinic I opened with my student friends in London. I think of myself as a student of medicine more than I think of myself as a Lord.

Natalie is brave and trusting, wanting to help you despite the fact that you are a virtual stranger mixed up in quite unusual circumstances. Would you have been as eager to help her were your roles reversed?

A thousand times yes. You can't imagine how unbearable it's been not to be able to be as brave for Miss Stewart as she's been for me. The peculiarity of our situation meant we met soul-first. We met seeing the best, the most intimate parts, of ourselves first. I know I'd have felt the same way about her no matter what. I'd do anything for the girl and I hope she'll let me prove that to her. I helped her fight against the demons of her own nightmares, and for that, I'm grateful. To have been able to do something was my only solace. I'm a man of action, so being imprisoned while a girl I've grown to adore puts herself in danger has been my own particular version of hell.

What are your thoughts on the fact that women of various ages wind up unconscious before your portrait, having purportedly fainted due to your good looks?

*laughter* If the painter weren't so bloody evil, I'd have commended him for his fine work. I suppose I'll take the compliments. In our London clinic, I thought women swooned around me because they were ill. Perhaps I'm not as good as diagnosing their correct symptoms as I thought...

Natalie wrote every detail of recent events down in her journal, including her reactions to, and her interest in, you. What is the first thought that popped into your mind when she stumbled into your painting?

Miss Snark, I am a gentleman; I cannot possibly tell you the first thought that 'popped into my mind' when I first held Miss Stewart. What I will tell you is that I was relieved beyond all imagining that I was no longer alone, and that the light that shone around Miss Stewart meant she was the girl to help me. More directly, I thought; good God, she's lovely, my day has most certainly improved!

What is your favorite memory of your time with your parents before their unexpected passing?

The day mother gave me my key to the estate library. I was seven. She told me any book was mine for the taking and instituted a weekly allowance for any new books of my choice. We understood something about one another then; that books were the salve for our restless minds and souls. She was always fussing about, active and fastidious, but never was a book far from her reach. I'm very much my mother's son. While father wasn't a reader, he never discouraged her, or me. Having parents who don't deter you from your passions or calling is the greatest gift in the world. I wish they were here so I could tell them that. I can only hope they know.

When you resigned yourself to the fact that you were trapped in the painting, what is the first book you picked up off the shelf in your study and read to pass the time?

Ironically, I turned to works of Edgar Allan Poe, to see how his characters dealt with situations of horror and inexplicable acts. Can't say that was a comfort really. Depressing sot, that Poe. I read "The Oval Portrait" and nearly wept, feeling hopeless about my situation. So instead I read a good adventure novel to put my mind off my dread fate. Nothing like The Three Musketeers to take your mind off evil curses and demons. It also inspired me to practice my fencing with a letter opener. I maintain, I'm rather good with a blade, so I'd be wary of challenging me to a duel...

Do you think you’ll ever look at any painting the same way again?

Dear God, no. If I have art in my future home it will be sculptures. Perhaps some pottery. It's a shame, really, because I adore art. I love what these "impressionists" are doing these days. Fascinating. The less lifelike the better for me. Miss Stewart is going to have to be very persuasive to get me back into her beloved Metropolitan Museum of Art. But the dear girl is nothing if not persuasive, so I'm sure eventually I'll come around.

Thanks so much for stopping by Jonathon! I think I'm going to legally change my name to "Miss Snark" or at the very least demand everyone call me that from now on ;-) For more information on Leanna and her fabulous books, you can find her here:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

DARKER STILL

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathon Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.