There were many, well “painted” scenes in which it was a pleasure to get lost. The above criticism does not mean that I did not enjoy the book, for I did. Sadly, this was the case with the one or two with which I most connected, thereby leaving me hungry for more. Again, I fear that with so many themes introduced, there was just no way to conclude all of them. Some of them weave together seamlessly towards a logical conclusion, others left me wanting. Amidst all of this new chaos, Violet and her little cousin Seeley stumble across Thomas, a wounded Union soldier. Before leaving for the war Violet’s father decides to marry, she gains a new step-sister, and a young cousin comes to stay. Her little corner of the world has begun to see food shortages, sacrifices for the troops, and wild marauders stealing food and livestock from homesteads. The Civil War has claimed the life of her twin brother, and taken her father away to defend the Southern way of life.
Violet is living during a time of great change. A strong development of any of these would have made for a really interesting story, but none were ever completely explored.
Nickerson introduces a wide range of themes throughout the novel communicating with wildlife, the Civil War, slave society, voodoo, xenophobia, blended families, love, and treachery. The conflicts present in Jane Nickerson‘s The Mirk and Midnight Hour most certainly could have made for a lot of high tension drama, but, unfortunately, they fell short. This may be because the absolute horror of the time tends to lend itself really well to dramatic tension. There’s a languid ease to the prose that invites readers to become fully immersed.I tend to love Civil War Era novels. “An atmospheric story in which darkness houses mysteries, rich imagery and imaginative subplots.” -Kirkus Reviews “An exciting story-juicy, romantic and at times quite chilling.” -BookPage Against the dangers of war and threatening powers of voodoo, Violet fights to protect her home, her family, and the man she’s begun to love. Someone has been tending to his wounds-keeping him alive-and it becomes chillingly clear that this care hasn’t been out of compassion. Thomas is the enemy-one of the men who might have killed her own brother-and yet she’s drawn to him. When she comes across a severely injured Union soldier lying in an abandoned lodge deep in the woods, things begin to change. Seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey has been left at home in Mississippi with a laudanum-addicted stepmother and love-crazed stepsister while her father fights in the war-a war that has already claimed her twin brother.
A Gothic thriller and captivating love story set in Civil War Mississippi
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