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Nocturnal Book Reviews

Blogging at Nocturnal Book Reviews since May 2011 about steampunk, urban fantasy, historical & paranormal fiction, contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi & erotica.

Rory (The Ghosts of Palladino, #1)

Rory (The Ghosts of Palladino, #1) - Ciye Cho This was a slightly bizarre, unusual and charming book which made me think of Alice in Wonderland.

Rory is an 18 year-old girl with a mother in a psychiatric hospital. All her life her mother believed in demons who take young girls away in the dark of night and made Rory walk around with a torch and a knife, and stay home after dark.

One day Rory can't escape the dark and she is taken away to the ghost town of Palladino, where young girls are groomed and educated to serve The Ruling Lords and give them their memories, so the monsters will remember how to be alive.

The only thing Rory wants to do is to survive and escape, but her bravery, boldness and her talent as a cake maker attract attention of two of The Ruling Lords. One is Herve The Hunter, a dark sadistic monster, who tortures and kills anything surrounding him, and the other is Martin Marius, a whimsical mad hatter, an inventor and a dreamer with a penchant for cats.

Only one of them can set her free, but she is stuck in a tug of war between two enemies in a plot bigger than her escape, plot that threatens the existence of Palladino, the town of ghosts.

I really enjoyed Ciye Cho's writing. It's simple but but at the same time whimsical and beautiful. Also you can't help but fall in love with the descriptions of Palladino and with Rory's best friend - a ghost cat Cookie. Recommended.