Author: Leanna Renee Hieber. Release
date: 2012. Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire. ISBN: 9781402262036.
Annotation:
After
freeing him from his prison inside a painting at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, Natalie and Lord Denbury are on the run, seeking refuge with one of Denbury’s
longtime friends in Saint Paul. They soon discover, however, that their
troubles are far from over, and the Society that cursed Lord Denbury is now
working on a much larger, and more sinister, plan.
Personal
thoughts: Darker Still was one of
my favorite young adult books that I’ve read within the past few years. I was
really excited for the sequel, so much so that I held off on reading it for
awhile so that I could really enjoy it when I finally got to crack it open.
Unfortunately, I was exceptionally unimpressed with The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart. I’m not sure what
happened, it just took a complete turn into dullsville for me. Where Darker Still was original and charming,
the sequel was very blah. I am really sad about how much I didn’t enjoy it
because I still really love the first novel. Hopefully the author can turn it
around for the third installment, but I do have to say, it’s unlikely I will
bother completing the series.
Plot
summary: Lord Denbury is free from his prison inside a cursed painting and
the demon who was inhabiting his body has been vanquished. Now he and Natalie
are on the run, seeking refuge with one of Denbury’s longtime friends in St.
Paul. Not sure where the answer to their troubles lies, they are shocked upon arriving
in St. Paul to learn that the Society that cursed Lord Denbury in the first
place now has much larger and more sinister plans in store. It seems that the
Society has capture Rachel Horowitz, a friend of Natalie’s from New York, who
cannot hear or speak but has the ability to communicate with spirits. Through
visions and premonitions, Natalie is able to see Rachel being held captive,
forced to draw spirits out of objects, mementos, even body parts. What is the
Society planning and how does it relate to the demon that once cursed Lord
Denbury?
Review: Author Leanna
Renee Hieber continues her love-affair with Victorian literature in this sequel
to her 2011 novel, Darker Still.
Unfortunately, where her first novel shone in its marriage of mystery, romance
and suspense, the sequel falls markedly short. There are several reasons why The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart is
not a successful follow-up to its predecessor. The first is that Darker Still had a very intriguing and
well-written plot: Lord Denbury’s imprisonment in the painting, Natalie’s inability
to communicate due to being mute, a murder mystery on the streets of Victorian
New York. The plot of the sequel, however, is muddled, convoluted and not very
entertaining. The “big reveal” at the end of the novel is very anti-climactic,
and the build-up to that point is lackluster. Characters are introduced then
never really expanded upon, and the romance between Natalie and Lord Denbury
doesn’t really go anywhere. The charm of the setting in Darker Still is also absent, with little attention given to the
Victorian surroundings and sensibilities that the author obviously cares for.
There is an attempt at a cliffhanger that does little to motivate the reader to
want to pick up the third novel which is set to be released in November of
2013. Overall, a disappointing follow-up to a story that had loads of
potential.
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Reading
level: Grade 7+
Similar
titles: Darker
Still by Leanna Renee Hieber, Entwined
by Heather Dixon, Dearly, Departed by
Lia Habel, Wrapped by Jennifer
Bradbury, Haunting Violet by
Alyxandra Harvey.
Themes: Curses, demons, secret societies, ghosts,
psychic abilities, Victorian era, New York City.
Awards/Reviews:
Positive review from Booklist.
Series
Information: Second installment in Magic
Most Foul series. First installment, Darker
Still, released in 2011. Third installment, The Double Life of Incorporate Things, set to be released November
2013.
Discussion
questions:
- How would you explain what the Society was
trying to do with Rachel and her abilities?
- Do you trust Mrs. Northe? Why or why not?
- Do you think Natalie still struggles with her
speech?
- What was the significance of the runes in the
story?
- Who was your favorite character? Why?
- Do you enjoy this novel more or less than Darker Still? Why?
- What would you like to see happen in the third
novel?
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