Music and Malice in Hurricane Town

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Stripes Publishing and NetGalley*3.5 starsJude Lomax lives in Baton Noir, a place full of magic, witches and vampires.Jude hates cajou magic and uses her talent for playing the trumpet to earn money, but she struggles to provide for herself and her father.When Jude's band is asked to play at the cajou queen's funeral, Jude is possessed by the queen's spirit.Ivory Monette, the dead cajou queen, wants to work out who murdered her. Jude finds herself agreeing to help, and becomes entangled with magic, secrets, and the dark side of Baton Noir.Who killed Ivory?Going into Music and Malice in Hurricane Town, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it, but I'm happy to say that I did end up really liking it.Jude was a good protagonist. She was likeable, relatable, and had been through a lot. I thought she handled the situations she was put in very well.The Phantom of Moonfleet was one of my favourite characters. He was intriguing and I would love to find out more about him. I also liked Sharkey and his grandma, who I would have liked to have seen more of. Etienne the vampire was another character that I would like to find out more about.The setting was interesting, with the swamp, legba, cajou magic, and segregation in Baton Noir.The plot was good and held my attention. It did take me a while to get into, but towards the end I found myself reading faster to find out what would happen next as I got caught up in the tension and storyline. I did guess a couple of the plot twists, but not all of them.The writing was atmospheric and easy to follow. I definitely want to read more by the author, and would absolutely read more books set in Baton Noir.If you like magic, secrets and a New Orleans-style setting, then this book is for you.Overall this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

(Apologies in advance if I use any pejorative terms, please correct me and I will alter.)Baton Noir is a city of magic, gods and spirits known as legba. Sadly, not all the magic is good or kind. Jude finds herself caught up in vengeance from beyond the grave when a cajou queen locks on to her, determined to see her plans carried out even after death. Unraveling it will take luck, strange allies - and maybe a little magic.Alex Bell is the queen of horror stories. This is less bone chilling than Frozen Charlotte, more creepy than downright terrifying, but it's a fascinating world and Alex has clearly done her homework on Southern magic. There's a level of detail here that really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to reading more in this universe; there's a lot to unpick.The romance story didn't do much for me, although I liked the male character in all other respects; I just thought the romance part was kind of tacked on. That's entirely like me when it comes to romance, though. I liked the characters, and a twist near the end took me by surprise, which I always love.I'll be looking out for more in this series, I'm very eager to find out what happens next.

This is a really entertaining romp through New Orleans alongside witches, vampires and things that go bump in the night. What sets it apart from similar books is the brilliant writing, atmospheric setting and the numerous clever ripostes to tired tropes within the genre. Whilst the book might deal with the supernatural, the thoughts and of Jude are firmly grounded in reality:"Look, I'm not saying I'm in love with you. How can I be? I don't really know you." I actually shouted "Yes" out loud to this line, it was such a refreshing change. I think I fell in love with her a little bit more when she listens to a vampires tired excuses for his cruelty "That other man is...he isn't me. Not really""That's convenient," Jude said, ......"When it comes to disowning any cries he may have committed."I hope that this is the start of a new series, and we learn more about Jude and her friends. I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for the author's next book.My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Honestly at first I wasn’t sure I’d like this book. It was quite hard to get into but I am glad I kept going.After the first few chapters I became hooked on the storyline. It was something so new and different to what I read before and it was intriguing to go deep into dark magic like that.I also find myself having a soft soft for the Phantom and I hope there will be another book written because that ending just left me wanting more.

Music and Malice in Hurricane Town is a fantastical blend of folklore, magic, and mystery. It took a couple chapters for me to get drawn in, but once I did I lost two nights of sleep telling myself “Just one more chapter…”

Alex Bell does ‘creepy’ so very well, and Music and Malice is a fantastic addition to her YA works. Jude is a likeable but flawed character with a tragic past, thrown into a world of cajou magic, witchcraft and vampires when she’s possessed by the spirit of a murdered cajou queen, Ivory Monette.The world is richly and darkly imagined and described; it was easy to root for Jude and be transported to the smoky streets of Baton Noir. The witchcraft element was a real strength. As with the author’s previous novel, The Haunting, a lot of research has gone into curses and hexes, and anyone with a liking for horror will be thrilled by the spells and the grim history of Jude’s and the inhabitants of Moonfleet Manor in particular. Admittedly I’m already a huge fan of Alex’s Bell’s, but I loved it.