Banishing The Dark by Jenn Bennett
This is the 4th and final ‘Arcadia Bell’ novel. I haven’t read the 3rd novel ‘Binding The Shadows’ but apparently it ended on a cliff-hanger. I disparaged the banal 2nd book but this is a vast improvement. Arcadia realises she didn’t treat her evil mother unduly harshly as the murderous vainglorious old bat is after her, again. Arcadia has to evade her mother, uncover her origins and for added poignancy there are changes afoot in her life. Can Arcadia overcome her insecurities and triumph?
Will the raucous self aggrandising grating stupid teenage boy stop imperilling himself in self-indulgent and profoundly embarrassing fashion? After zingers, revelatory confrontations and sex with her garrulous portentous jackass sugar daddy, Arcadia fills up with righteous indignation and vows to eradicate her dismissive ghastly scumbag hectoring mother. This was good and compelling as the mother daughter mutual warfare is ended and all the simmered bitterness and grief comes out.
Will the raucous self aggrandising grating stupid teenage boy stop imperilling himself in self-indulgent and profoundly embarrassing fashion? After zingers, revelatory confrontations and sex with her garrulous portentous jackass sugar daddy, Arcadia fills up with righteous indignation and vows to eradicate her dismissive ghastly scumbag hectoring mother. This was good and compelling as the mother daughter mutual warfare is ended and all the simmered bitterness and grief comes out.
Best Lines:
“An old spell that grizzled old magicians had used over the centuries to hide treasure and grimoires and secret sex chambers.”
“Realized that I was sitting around with a group of men and women, supposedly the most talented magicians in the world, yet half of them were déclassé trash with boring middle class lives.”
“That sounded like some bad BDSM alias.”
“He smells like a hippie.”
“I brought that horror into your life.”
“It is the Invocation of the Great Serpent.”
“Pig’s blood summoning circle behind us in the shed. A great first impression.”
