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The Promise Keeper
"A young girl, on the cusp of sexual maturity, in what is now known as Benin, West Africa, is seduced by a beautiful stranger, a man the likes of which she has never seen before. Their encounter changes her forever. She becomes an asiman, a vampire: one of the undead.
The Promise Keeper comes to her, willing her to do his bidding — to keep an unspoken promise. He probes her mind and plants suggestions so she will follow his plan, until she fights back. She runs, her travels taking her to Europe and the Caribbean over centuries to escape him. She finally settles in New York City, convinced that she has eluded him… until she falls in love.
The Promise Keeper is a story of love, despair, murder, and deceit. It is also a vampire tale like no other.
Could you keep this promise?"
The Promise Keeper comes to her, willing her to do his bidding — to keep an unspoken promise. He probes her mind and plants suggestions so she will follow his plan, until she fights back. She runs, her travels taking her to Europe and the Caribbean over centuries to escape him. She finally settles in New York City, convinced that she has eluded him… until she falls in love.
The Promise Keeper is a story of love, despair, murder, and deceit. It is also a vampire tale like no other.
Could you keep this promise?"
227 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2012
4 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
L. Marie Wood
51 books97 followersL. Marie Wood is an award-winning author and screenwriter. She is the recipient of the Golden Stake Award for her novel The Promise Keeper, as well as the Harold L. Brown Award for her screenplay Home Party. Her short story, "The Ever After" is part of the Bram Stoker Award Finalist anthology Sycorax's Daughters. Wood was recognized in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Vol. 15 and as one of the 100+ Black Women in Horror Fiction. Wood holds an MFA in Speculative Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University and serves as the Director of Curricula for the Diverse Writers and Artists of Speculative Fiction (DWASF.org). She is also the Director of the horror track for MultiverseCon.
Visit lmariewood.com to learn more.
Visit lmariewood.com to learn more.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 11, 2021
They call it the Death House.
For the women awaiting execution at Raskin Correctional, it’s the last place they’ll ever know. This is where Lucky meets Angie, and the two forge a friendship through the walls of their cells. But Angie is no regular inmate. She is an asiman, a vampire-like creature from African folklore, and she’s lived many lives before coming to the Death House. Before she’s executed, Angie begs Lucky to become an asiman herself, return to the world, and protect Angie's son from the creature that turned her — the Promise Keeper.
This is a lush horror story that crosses continents and spans decades, with all the sex and bloodletting of the best vampire tales. But Wood goes deeper, using vampire lore to paint a moving portrait of two women forced to make impossible choices in an unforgiving world where the evil lies in both monster and man.
Reimagining vampire stories through a female lens and a Black lens is bold, and that boldness makes for a richer, more complex and impressive vampire story. Angie and Lucky's fight against The Promise Keeper is their fight against the structural and cultural oppressions that landed them in the Death House to begin with, and the curses that get passed down aren't only the bloodsucking kind. The horror here is supported by smart, engaged world-building, and you get a lot of bang for your buck with this book.
Vampire fans will get their fill here, as will horror readers thirsty for a fresh, unexpected take on one of the genre’s oldest mythologies.
For the women awaiting execution at Raskin Correctional, it’s the last place they’ll ever know. This is where Lucky meets Angie, and the two forge a friendship through the walls of their cells. But Angie is no regular inmate. She is an asiman, a vampire-like creature from African folklore, and she’s lived many lives before coming to the Death House. Before she’s executed, Angie begs Lucky to become an asiman herself, return to the world, and protect Angie's son from the creature that turned her — the Promise Keeper.
This is a lush horror story that crosses continents and spans decades, with all the sex and bloodletting of the best vampire tales. But Wood goes deeper, using vampire lore to paint a moving portrait of two women forced to make impossible choices in an unforgiving world where the evil lies in both monster and man.
Reimagining vampire stories through a female lens and a Black lens is bold, and that boldness makes for a richer, more complex and impressive vampire story. Angie and Lucky's fight against The Promise Keeper is their fight against the structural and cultural oppressions that landed them in the Death House to begin with, and the curses that get passed down aren't only the bloodsucking kind. The horror here is supported by smart, engaged world-building, and you get a lot of bang for your buck with this book.
Vampire fans will get their fill here, as will horror readers thirsty for a fresh, unexpected take on one of the genre’s oldest mythologies.
January 5, 2019
The promise Keeper written by L. Marie Wood and narrated by Brenda Scott Wlazlo is a book about vampirism, evil, and a promise. I have read a many vampire related books, from my all time favorite, Salems Lot, to classics such as Dracula and I am a fan of Anne Rice, so how does the promise keeper hold up to such heavy completion, I recommend checking out this audiobook, it is a unique take that explains the origins of vampirism in a simple yet satisfying way without losing the element of mystery which is hard to do.
The story follows two woman, one a vampire named Angie and a non vampire named Lucky, both are in death row for murder and most of the books are based on reflections and stories between these two women while they wait to get executed. I know you must have questions right off the bat as I did; but they are answered as you listen through the story. As we learn about how they got into their current situation and the evil entity that haunts them both, we learn about the promise and what it takes to keep it.
I enjoyed the story and would compare it to a Anne Rice type novel, where we walk with immortals and experience new places and time periods through the. I believe that all the main characters are of African decent and this adds a new dimension to the story as to how someone could survive unscathed through those turbulent times, I only wish they would of explored that avenue more, it was brushed upon; but that could be whole story unto itself. For these reasons I give the story a 4 out of 5.
Brenda Scott Wlazlo surprised me in the narration department, she fleshed out two very distinct personality types with different accents and a lot of non English words intermittent in the story to great avail, I was very impressed with how well the narration was performed, the cast is a relatively small one so who knows how far she could stretch this talent; but for this book she was fantastic and for this reason I give narration a 5 out of 5.
I enjoyed this book, the story and narration alike; at the beginning I thought it was an erotica type novel; but they were scenes to add to the overall vibe of the story, being that I enjoyed I would listen to it again; but although I enjoy vampire books I do not necessarily relisten or reread (Salems lot excluded). I have never reread an Ann Rice novel and more than likely would not relisten to this book; but that is more than likely due to my particular taste in literature and may differ for you if you love vampire stories, for this reason I give listenability a 2 out of 5.
The story follows two woman, one a vampire named Angie and a non vampire named Lucky, both are in death row for murder and most of the books are based on reflections and stories between these two women while they wait to get executed. I know you must have questions right off the bat as I did; but they are answered as you listen through the story. As we learn about how they got into their current situation and the evil entity that haunts them both, we learn about the promise and what it takes to keep it.
I enjoyed the story and would compare it to a Anne Rice type novel, where we walk with immortals and experience new places and time periods through the. I believe that all the main characters are of African decent and this adds a new dimension to the story as to how someone could survive unscathed through those turbulent times, I only wish they would of explored that avenue more, it was brushed upon; but that could be whole story unto itself. For these reasons I give the story a 4 out of 5.
Brenda Scott Wlazlo surprised me in the narration department, she fleshed out two very distinct personality types with different accents and a lot of non English words intermittent in the story to great avail, I was very impressed with how well the narration was performed, the cast is a relatively small one so who knows how far she could stretch this talent; but for this book she was fantastic and for this reason I give narration a 5 out of 5.
I enjoyed this book, the story and narration alike; at the beginning I thought it was an erotica type novel; but they were scenes to add to the overall vibe of the story, being that I enjoyed I would listen to it again; but although I enjoy vampire books I do not necessarily relisten or reread (Salems lot excluded). I have never reread an Ann Rice novel and more than likely would not relisten to this book; but that is more than likely due to my particular taste in literature and may differ for you if you love vampire stories, for this reason I give listenability a 2 out of 5.
March 3, 2024
THE PROMISE KEEPER is a story of a woman who is on the run for centuries from a mysterious man who continues to draw her into his web. This is a spoiler-free review so continue with confidence that aside from saying outright this is a vampire tale, the juicy twists will be kept under wraps.
This story is from the twisty mind of L. Marie Wood, recipient of the Golden Stake Award from the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival 2019. IMHO, any organization that specializes in assessing the vampiric arts means this book has a pretty high recommendation!
The book starts in 1950s NYC with the main character Lucky and her imprisonment. Does it involve a man? Of course, it does! You’ll need to read for yourself to find out how. While incarcerated on death row, she builds a bond with other women in the cells next to her. Although she has not seen them, she grows attached to them. One in particular, Angie, is where things really pop off. Angie isn’t all that she seems, and she pulls Lucky into her dying wish to protect her son.
The story incorporates aspects of Benin, West African culture, and the asiman (the undead or loosely a vampire) infusing the lore with magical qualities like regeneration, dream travel, and implanting mental suggestions. Found that to be really interesting and now I want to know more.
There are time shifts when it goes back and forth from the present time in the book and back in time to Benin and other locations so you may have to pay attention when those shifts occur. I did the audio version which made it more challenging because, this is MY opinion so take with a grain of salt, you may not feel the same, the narration choices were confusing making it a little hard to figure out what character was which. Every once in a while, I didn't connect with the narrator.
The book summary ends with - THE PROMISE KEEPER is a story of love, despair, murder, and deceit. I couldn’t agree more. If you like vampires, sexy times, and mind games, this is the book for you.
This story is from the twisty mind of L. Marie Wood, recipient of the Golden Stake Award from the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival 2019. IMHO, any organization that specializes in assessing the vampiric arts means this book has a pretty high recommendation!
The book starts in 1950s NYC with the main character Lucky and her imprisonment. Does it involve a man? Of course, it does! You’ll need to read for yourself to find out how. While incarcerated on death row, she builds a bond with other women in the cells next to her. Although she has not seen them, she grows attached to them. One in particular, Angie, is where things really pop off. Angie isn’t all that she seems, and she pulls Lucky into her dying wish to protect her son.
The story incorporates aspects of Benin, West African culture, and the asiman (the undead or loosely a vampire) infusing the lore with magical qualities like regeneration, dream travel, and implanting mental suggestions. Found that to be really interesting and now I want to know more.
There are time shifts when it goes back and forth from the present time in the book and back in time to Benin and other locations so you may have to pay attention when those shifts occur. I did the audio version which made it more challenging because, this is MY opinion so take with a grain of salt, you may not feel the same, the narration choices were confusing making it a little hard to figure out what character was which. Every once in a while, I didn't connect with the narrator.
The book summary ends with - THE PROMISE KEEPER is a story of love, despair, murder, and deceit. I couldn’t agree more. If you like vampires, sexy times, and mind games, this is the book for you.
March 7, 2023
The dialogue-driven horror story follows Lucky and Angie, but while the story is told from Lucky's point of view, the story focuses more on Angie and who she is before Lucky follows the same fate.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 1, 2021
L Marie Wood’s novel The Promise Keeper was first released in April 2018, and it is being re-released by Cedar Grove Publishing in May 2021 with a brand new absolutely killer cover by the immensely talented Lynne Hansen. This re-release news is fantastic as The Promise Keeper is a wonderful novel by an incredibly talented #ownvoices creator. For those who cannot get enough of erotic horror and want more diverse characters, The Promise Keeper is required reading. Readers will find the story of vampires, sex, history, travels, love, and broken hearts scintillating.
Wood, also an award-winning screenwriter, writes vivid, lush scenes that jump off the page. The opening scene is heady and mesmerizing, setting the scene for a vampire transformation that would make even E.L. James and fans of Fifty Shades of Grey blush. We soon learn that there is West African mythology in the mix, of family bonds from years ago that resonate until this day. Fans of Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories to L.A. Banks’s Vampire Huntress series must read The Promise Keeper. It is addictive and compelling, and it will keep you turning the pages to race to the ending. Fans of the television series The Vampire Diaries will also love this book, particularly if they wished more of the erotic elements had been played up. Do yourself a favour and take a bite out of The Promise Keeper before it devours you.
Wood, also an award-winning screenwriter, writes vivid, lush scenes that jump off the page. The opening scene is heady and mesmerizing, setting the scene for a vampire transformation that would make even E.L. James and fans of Fifty Shades of Grey blush. We soon learn that there is West African mythology in the mix, of family bonds from years ago that resonate until this day. Fans of Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories to L.A. Banks’s Vampire Huntress series must read The Promise Keeper. It is addictive and compelling, and it will keep you turning the pages to race to the ending. Fans of the television series The Vampire Diaries will also love this book, particularly if they wished more of the erotic elements had been played up. Do yourself a favour and take a bite out of The Promise Keeper before it devours you.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews