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Camdeboo Nights
Helen Ashfield’s world is about to be turned upside down. Is she ready?
Helen Ashfield’s life is complicated. Not only must she adjust to her parents’ divorce, but she has to come to grips with her new school in the small South African Karoo town of Graaff-Reinet. She’s sorely mistaken if she thinks she’s going to slot seamlessly into her new life. Her growing magical powers have attracted the unwanted attention of Trystan, a vampire, who may not have her best interests at heart.
Outcast from his kind for drinking another vampire’s blood, Trystan has been on the run for almost a hundred years from Mantis–the closest thing their kind has to an enforcer. All Trystan wants is an existence of quiet anonymity, but Helen turns his world upside-down.
Helen’s powers also mark her as one of Mantis’ targets. If Mantis gets control of Helen, she’ll change the course of history…for the worse.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence, language.
A Lyrical Press Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Helen Ashfield’s life is complicated. Not only must she adjust to her parents’ divorce, but she has to come to grips with her new school in the small South African Karoo town of Graaff-Reinet. She’s sorely mistaken if she thinks she’s going to slot seamlessly into her new life. Her growing magical powers have attracted the unwanted attention of Trystan, a vampire, who may not have her best interests at heart.
Outcast from his kind for drinking another vampire’s blood, Trystan has been on the run for almost a hundred years from Mantis–the closest thing their kind has to an enforcer. All Trystan wants is an existence of quiet anonymity, but Helen turns his world upside-down.
Helen’s powers also mark her as one of Mantis’ targets. If Mantis gets control of Helen, she’ll change the course of history…for the worse.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence, language.
A Lyrical Press Young Adult Paranormal Romance
270 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Nerine Dorman
70 books238 followersNerine Dorman is a South African author and editor of science fiction and fantasy currently living in Cape Town, with short fiction published in numerous anthologies. She is a contributor to the Locus Award-winning Afro-Centered Futurism in Our Speculative Fiction edited by Eugen Bacon (Bloomsbury, 2024). Her novel Sing down the Stars won Gold for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2019 and The Percy Fitzpatrick Award for Children's and Youth Literature in 2021. Her YA fantasy novella, Dragon Forged, was a finalist in the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2017, and she is the curator of the South African Horrorfest Bloody Parchment event and short story competition. Her short story “On the Other Side of the Sea” (Omenana, 2017) was shortlisted for a 2018 Nommo award. Her novella The Firebird won a Nommo for “Best Novella” in 2019. In addition, she is a founding member of the SFF authors’ co-operative Skolion.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2013
This book is reminiscent of an Alice In Wonderland type-tale which starts out as an ordinary teen under duress as a result of her parents' divorce. When a strange boy shows up on her balcony one night, a chain reaction begins that culminates in a snowball of wow after WOW! on this fast-paced, energetic read. No plodding lulls to be found in this volume which kept me latched on until the end that left me positively exploding with questions and wants. Of course I want to see a sequel.
As characters go, Nerine paints a diverse canvas of personalities with every sort of nook and cranny covered. From a boy struck with dwarfism to a girl whom appeared to me as a retro-Goth along with the requisite bullies, Camdeboo Nights doesn't pull punches when presenting a vivid picture of South African culture.
Descriptions in the story were incredible. Nerine knows her plant life and architecture and certainly has a knack for describing Spielberg-movie-quality action.
Highly recommended for the inquisitive teen and up who has a thirst for a story that isn't spoon-fed by the mother of Duh and fathered by too-stupid-to-live.
ARC review, five stars, recommended
As characters go, Nerine paints a diverse canvas of personalities with every sort of nook and cranny covered. From a boy struck with dwarfism to a girl whom appeared to me as a retro-Goth along with the requisite bullies, Camdeboo Nights doesn't pull punches when presenting a vivid picture of South African culture.
Descriptions in the story were incredible. Nerine knows her plant life and architecture and certainly has a knack for describing Spielberg-movie-quality action.
Highly recommended for the inquisitive teen and up who has a thirst for a story that isn't spoon-fed by the mother of Duh and fathered by too-stupid-to-live.
ARC review, five stars, recommended
February 7, 2013
Helen Ashfield is not a happy girl. Her parents' marriage is faltering, her mother is sick, her grandmother insists on being called by her first name and is a virtual stranger, and she has to start over in a new school.
Used to the big city, Helen and her brother must move to a small South African town and go to a boarding school run by a group of odious bullies.
Thrown into an uneasy alliance with Arwen, a teen witch, and Etienne, a loyal and remarkably level-headed young little person, Helen begins to realize something is different about her. It all starts in a graveyard at midnight when Arwen calls some sort of magic up within Helen.
Drawn to Helen's Essence, outcast vampire, Trystan, risks everything to be with her.
In a genre filled with dystopian settings peopled with teens fighting huge social and ethical problems, Nerine Dorman's Camdeboo Nights is a refreshing change. The South African setting is at once wild and mysterious, but hardly dystopian. Her characters suffer problems that are huge to them - bullies, family issues, falling in love with the wrong person, but typical teen issues.
The fun part is that Arwen really is a witch and Trystan is a vampire. And Helen, well, it's hard to tell what she is, but she's got some sort of magical essence within her that the witches and the vampires want.
Although Helen is the main character, equal time is devoted to Arwen, Etienne, and Trystan. Each of them have a unique voice and perspective and the author weaves their stories together seamlessly.
The bullies get their comeuppance, but it is hardly satisfying for the reader. It is, in fact, tragic, and, unfortunately, altogether too real. Although this book is peopled with supernatural characters, the problems they face are realistic. This is not some light and airy teen romance. It is a visceral, often brutal depiction of living on the fringe. Each character is marginalized by something - physical, emotional, bad past decisions or just being plain different.
Yet none of the main characters let any of this bog them down. They struggle past adversity and find their own paths whatever they may be.
The ending is ambiguous enough that there's room for a sequel and I hope the author treats us to more about Helen, Arwen, Trystan, and Etienne in the future.
Used to the big city, Helen and her brother must move to a small South African town and go to a boarding school run by a group of odious bullies.
Thrown into an uneasy alliance with Arwen, a teen witch, and Etienne, a loyal and remarkably level-headed young little person, Helen begins to realize something is different about her. It all starts in a graveyard at midnight when Arwen calls some sort of magic up within Helen.
Drawn to Helen's Essence, outcast vampire, Trystan, risks everything to be with her.
In a genre filled with dystopian settings peopled with teens fighting huge social and ethical problems, Nerine Dorman's Camdeboo Nights is a refreshing change. The South African setting is at once wild and mysterious, but hardly dystopian. Her characters suffer problems that are huge to them - bullies, family issues, falling in love with the wrong person, but typical teen issues.
The fun part is that Arwen really is a witch and Trystan is a vampire. And Helen, well, it's hard to tell what she is, but she's got some sort of magical essence within her that the witches and the vampires want.
Although Helen is the main character, equal time is devoted to Arwen, Etienne, and Trystan. Each of them have a unique voice and perspective and the author weaves their stories together seamlessly.
The bullies get their comeuppance, but it is hardly satisfying for the reader. It is, in fact, tragic, and, unfortunately, altogether too real. Although this book is peopled with supernatural characters, the problems they face are realistic. This is not some light and airy teen romance. It is a visceral, often brutal depiction of living on the fringe. Each character is marginalized by something - physical, emotional, bad past decisions or just being plain different.
Yet none of the main characters let any of this bog them down. They struggle past adversity and find their own paths whatever they may be.
The ending is ambiguous enough that there's room for a sequel and I hope the author treats us to more about Helen, Arwen, Trystan, and Etienne in the future.
April 30, 2013
Camdeboo Nights by Nerine Dorman is a roller-coaster ride through a small town in South Africa, which is a well-planned journey that makes for an exciting and different read to what you’d ordinarily expect from new-adult fantasy. With memorable characters that are both unusual and delightful, spectacular editing of the novel and that je ne sais qoui that goes along with this particular author’s work, you’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat as you get transported to a whole new place filled with fantasy and suspense.
Synopsis: “Helen Ashfield’s life is complicated. Not only must she adjust to her parents’ divorce, but she has to come to grips with her new school in the small South African Karoo town of Graaff-Reinet. She’s sorely mistaken if she thinks she’s going to slot seamlessly into her new life. Her growing magical powers have attracted the unwanted attention of Trystan, a vampire, who may not have her best interests at heart. Outcast from his kind for drinking another vampire’s blood, Trystan has been on the run for almost a hundred years from Mantis–the closest thing their kind has to an enforcer. All Trystan wants is an existence of quiet anonymity, but Helen turns his world upside-down. Helen’s powers also mark her as one of Mantis’ targets. If Mantis gets control of Helen, she’ll change the course of history…for the worse.”
The plot line of Camdeboo Nights is well-developed, however what I found interesting was the sub-plots that gave some extra flesh to the novel. Where one would have expected a quick read that had little to no value on the memory-scale (like so many books about vampires, witches and the like do these days), Dorman was able to intertwine the threads together to create a story arc that I personally couldn’t get enough of. What’s more is that the whole novel is rounded off to such an extent that I struggled to find something wrong with it. Perhaps the only thing I didn’t exactly love was the mainstream feeling that I got from the book, yet I’d be more than willing to see it become a bestseller, because let’s face it, Camdeboo Nights has a helluva lot more going for it than some other mainstream novels that’s getting far too much publicity for being absolute crap. At least Dorman understands the importance of literature and plot developments.
I can’t wait to read the sequel, if it comes out, because although this book does well as a stand-alone novel, a second novel will be greeted with open arms by those who have read Camdeboo Nights. It’s different, it’s got exactly the right amount of everything between the covers, which will appeal to most young adult readers, new-adult readers and vampire lovers, and best of all it’s got a beautiful setting in a place rarely seen by outsiders. The Karoo isn’t for sissies and Dorman’s characters aren’t sissies.
So, if you are intrigued with the story then I suggest you go and get yourself a copy of Camdeboo Nights at Amazon today. You will not be disappointed.
(Originally posted on www.tentaclebooks.com)
Synopsis: “Helen Ashfield’s life is complicated. Not only must she adjust to her parents’ divorce, but she has to come to grips with her new school in the small South African Karoo town of Graaff-Reinet. She’s sorely mistaken if she thinks she’s going to slot seamlessly into her new life. Her growing magical powers have attracted the unwanted attention of Trystan, a vampire, who may not have her best interests at heart. Outcast from his kind for drinking another vampire’s blood, Trystan has been on the run for almost a hundred years from Mantis–the closest thing their kind has to an enforcer. All Trystan wants is an existence of quiet anonymity, but Helen turns his world upside-down. Helen’s powers also mark her as one of Mantis’ targets. If Mantis gets control of Helen, she’ll change the course of history…for the worse.”
The plot line of Camdeboo Nights is well-developed, however what I found interesting was the sub-plots that gave some extra flesh to the novel. Where one would have expected a quick read that had little to no value on the memory-scale (like so many books about vampires, witches and the like do these days), Dorman was able to intertwine the threads together to create a story arc that I personally couldn’t get enough of. What’s more is that the whole novel is rounded off to such an extent that I struggled to find something wrong with it. Perhaps the only thing I didn’t exactly love was the mainstream feeling that I got from the book, yet I’d be more than willing to see it become a bestseller, because let’s face it, Camdeboo Nights has a helluva lot more going for it than some other mainstream novels that’s getting far too much publicity for being absolute crap. At least Dorman understands the importance of literature and plot developments.
I can’t wait to read the sequel, if it comes out, because although this book does well as a stand-alone novel, a second novel will be greeted with open arms by those who have read Camdeboo Nights. It’s different, it’s got exactly the right amount of everything between the covers, which will appeal to most young adult readers, new-adult readers and vampire lovers, and best of all it’s got a beautiful setting in a place rarely seen by outsiders. The Karoo isn’t for sissies and Dorman’s characters aren’t sissies.
So, if you are intrigued with the story then I suggest you go and get yourself a copy of Camdeboo Nights at Amazon today. You will not be disappointed.
(Originally posted on www.tentaclebooks.com)
March 9, 2013
Camdeboo Nights Nerine Dorman
I received this book free via publisher in exchange for an honest review. I don't gush and give false praise – I don't believe that helps readers or authors so what you read is what I truly feel about a book.
Helen Ashfield and her brother move to live with their grandmother after her parents divorce and her mum is sick. Of course the school has some diverse characters she befriends – the loyal and intelligent dwarf (or vertically challenged if you prefer that term) Etienne and Goth girl Arwen, a teenage witch. Helen herself also turns out to have supernatural powers. There are also some typical nasty bullies in the school, and being slightly different the trio fall foul of them on occasion. Then there's the strange boy who appears very solitary but Helen is attracted to, and it seems the attraction is mutual. Only what she doesn't know is Tristan is a vampire...
The story itself is well edited and written and very involved, and I loved the unusual South African setting. Make a welcome change form the typical American settings we're used to – sometimes I wonder if authors realize there is more to the world that just the US : ) The characters have clearly been selected carefully to fit within the specifics of the main plot – Etienne – I felt for him poor guy especially when he was stuck in the bin.... and Arwen – loved her. Typical stroppy teen at times, standing out in her dress and manner despite the bullies – loved it when she cursed them after they burned her tarot cards. Nerine writes from a teens perspective really well, it brought back memories of my own teens and the agonies of not fitting in with the right crowd! The plots are very detailed and flow well into each other, and packed with action. However,I'm not usually a young adult fan so its hard to review accurately as I'm looking for something different to the typical teen, new adult in my reading. Although the story is well told, with some gripping fast paced plots and the characters feel very real it just wasn't really to my taste. However I imagine older teens and new adults will love it – its got all the issues that are so very real to them, bullying in school, social and family problems and the difficulties of trying to find your own feet within parental rules, and of course the absolute angst and driven passion of teen romance.
Its a decent length read at 261 pages and that allows for the adventures to be realistic in setting – no bam, whack, and its over but plots that overlap and take time to resolve, and that are integral to the overall main theme. The ending is left open enough that there could well be further adventures from the characters and I'm sure that would be welcomes by those that enjoy this book.
Stars: well for me its a three and half – not quite a four star but better than just a three star OK. Priced at £3.90 for kindle its about average fort the 261 pages.
I received this book free via publisher in exchange for an honest review. I don't gush and give false praise – I don't believe that helps readers or authors so what you read is what I truly feel about a book.
Helen Ashfield and her brother move to live with their grandmother after her parents divorce and her mum is sick. Of course the school has some diverse characters she befriends – the loyal and intelligent dwarf (or vertically challenged if you prefer that term) Etienne and Goth girl Arwen, a teenage witch. Helen herself also turns out to have supernatural powers. There are also some typical nasty bullies in the school, and being slightly different the trio fall foul of them on occasion. Then there's the strange boy who appears very solitary but Helen is attracted to, and it seems the attraction is mutual. Only what she doesn't know is Tristan is a vampire...
The story itself is well edited and written and very involved, and I loved the unusual South African setting. Make a welcome change form the typical American settings we're used to – sometimes I wonder if authors realize there is more to the world that just the US : ) The characters have clearly been selected carefully to fit within the specifics of the main plot – Etienne – I felt for him poor guy especially when he was stuck in the bin.... and Arwen – loved her. Typical stroppy teen at times, standing out in her dress and manner despite the bullies – loved it when she cursed them after they burned her tarot cards. Nerine writes from a teens perspective really well, it brought back memories of my own teens and the agonies of not fitting in with the right crowd! The plots are very detailed and flow well into each other, and packed with action. However,I'm not usually a young adult fan so its hard to review accurately as I'm looking for something different to the typical teen, new adult in my reading. Although the story is well told, with some gripping fast paced plots and the characters feel very real it just wasn't really to my taste. However I imagine older teens and new adults will love it – its got all the issues that are so very real to them, bullying in school, social and family problems and the difficulties of trying to find your own feet within parental rules, and of course the absolute angst and driven passion of teen romance.
Its a decent length read at 261 pages and that allows for the adventures to be realistic in setting – no bam, whack, and its over but plots that overlap and take time to resolve, and that are integral to the overall main theme. The ending is left open enough that there could well be further adventures from the characters and I'm sure that would be welcomes by those that enjoy this book.
Stars: well for me its a three and half – not quite a four star but better than just a three star OK. Priced at £3.90 for kindle its about average fort the 261 pages.
May 24, 2013
For me, it's typical to know whether I like or dislike a book within a few pages, but Camdeboo Nights didn't really stir a reaction in me one way or the other. There's nothing wrong with the writing or the story, and the cast of characters are all defined in their roles. The main character Helen is someone forced to move to a new place after her parents separate, and here she makes new friends and enemies. Among her new friends are Trystan, a vampire, Arwen, a witch, and Etienne, a dwarf.
But the story and the characters just didn't reach me. The book is a long chase scene, which is triggered when Arwen suggests that Helen help her cast a spell. This causes Helen's magic energy to spike, and then everything is hunting her. Then she gets caught, and the book is over. That's pretty much the most direct route through the story, but nothing that happens raises the tension for me, despite everyone suffering major injuries and the odds becoming a grim fight for life.
I can't say there's anything I didn't like, but there was nothing that really grabbed me and pulled me into the story. Helen is a little too "everyman" for me to see her as anything but a blank, and Arwen is a plot device who enables Helen to become a prized untapped power. Once the chase starts, Etienne acts as the loyal friend who saves the day for Trystan and Arwen, but the book abruptly drops the chase for Helen just ending with a new character coming out of nowhere.
It's probably left open-ended for a sequel, but none of the characters, good or bad, are given much to anchor them to the chase. There's vampires, and witches, and possibly a demon and and a spirit. Everyone is chasing Helen because they sensed her great power. But no one ever mentions a plan to use her. So for me it feels like all chase and not enough detail to invest me in the ending.
Location descriptions are detailed, with Helen showing a certain level of architectural knowledge. But most of the locations given the most personality with history are briefly touched on, and once the chase starts, all the new locations become a blur. The same is true of all the characters brought in during the second half of the story. They're given ample descriptions when they appear, but have no time to establish any motives for why they've become invested in this chase. Everyone wants Helen, but no one will say why.
I'm giving Camdeboo Nights three stars. It's not a bad story, but perhaps akin to an action movie. Things just happen because they need to for the story to progress. But despite the rising tension and the bloody fight scenes, the characters just aren't fleshed out enough for me to feel anything for the outcome.
But the story and the characters just didn't reach me. The book is a long chase scene, which is triggered when Arwen suggests that Helen help her cast a spell. This causes Helen's magic energy to spike, and then everything is hunting her. Then she gets caught, and the book is over. That's pretty much the most direct route through the story, but nothing that happens raises the tension for me, despite everyone suffering major injuries and the odds becoming a grim fight for life.
I can't say there's anything I didn't like, but there was nothing that really grabbed me and pulled me into the story. Helen is a little too "everyman" for me to see her as anything but a blank, and Arwen is a plot device who enables Helen to become a prized untapped power. Once the chase starts, Etienne acts as the loyal friend who saves the day for Trystan and Arwen, but the book abruptly drops the chase for Helen just ending with a new character coming out of nowhere.
It's probably left open-ended for a sequel, but none of the characters, good or bad, are given much to anchor them to the chase. There's vampires, and witches, and possibly a demon and and a spirit. Everyone is chasing Helen because they sensed her great power. But no one ever mentions a plan to use her. So for me it feels like all chase and not enough detail to invest me in the ending.
Location descriptions are detailed, with Helen showing a certain level of architectural knowledge. But most of the locations given the most personality with history are briefly touched on, and once the chase starts, all the new locations become a blur. The same is true of all the characters brought in during the second half of the story. They're given ample descriptions when they appear, but have no time to establish any motives for why they've become invested in this chase. Everyone wants Helen, but no one will say why.
I'm giving Camdeboo Nights three stars. It's not a bad story, but perhaps akin to an action movie. Things just happen because they need to for the story to progress. But despite the rising tension and the bloody fight scenes, the characters just aren't fleshed out enough for me to feel anything for the outcome.
July 26, 2013
To relegate Camdeboo Nights to being a mere gothic romance would be unfair and inaccurate, although a romance between a vampire and a young woman is at the center of this tale. Despite its misleading cover, Camdeboo Nights is an urban fantasy novel mixing western superstitions with the more native folklore set in the South African Karoo, written by one of South Africa's best dark fantasists, Nerine Dorman.
The story centers around a young woman name Helen Ashfield, whose life in the Cape has been uprooted due to her parents going their separate ways. She, her brother and her seriously depressed mother have relocated to Niue Bethesda, home to Helen's enigmatic grandmother, a clan of Wiccans and a vampire named Trystan who is in hiding from his own kind. What Helen doesn't realise is that she has an untapped source of 'Essence' within her that is like an open flame attracting every dark creature out there to her, including Trystan, who instantly becomes completely obsessed with her. Thinks come to a head when Arwen, one of Helen's new friends, unwittingly ignites the Essence within Helen during an unsanctioned ritual in a local grave yard and suddenly every vampire within a hundred miles is out hunting for Helen. If that wasn't bad enough, older and far more dangerous forces are stirring and taking an interest in Helen too.
Dorman's writing reflects her work as a travel writer as she is quickly becoming a master of recreating environs full of sensory descriptions that place the reader within the lustrous, dark settings of her novels. The plot, whilst slow to start with, gradually picks up pace drawing together a range of well-realised characters together.
Dorman is clearly a leading (dark)light in the South African horror circles and it is only a matter of time before the rest of the world discovers her engaging dark musings.
The story centers around a young woman name Helen Ashfield, whose life in the Cape has been uprooted due to her parents going their separate ways. She, her brother and her seriously depressed mother have relocated to Niue Bethesda, home to Helen's enigmatic grandmother, a clan of Wiccans and a vampire named Trystan who is in hiding from his own kind. What Helen doesn't realise is that she has an untapped source of 'Essence' within her that is like an open flame attracting every dark creature out there to her, including Trystan, who instantly becomes completely obsessed with her. Thinks come to a head when Arwen, one of Helen's new friends, unwittingly ignites the Essence within Helen during an unsanctioned ritual in a local grave yard and suddenly every vampire within a hundred miles is out hunting for Helen. If that wasn't bad enough, older and far more dangerous forces are stirring and taking an interest in Helen too.
Dorman's writing reflects her work as a travel writer as she is quickly becoming a master of recreating environs full of sensory descriptions that place the reader within the lustrous, dark settings of her novels. The plot, whilst slow to start with, gradually picks up pace drawing together a range of well-realised characters together.
Dorman is clearly a leading (dark)light in the South African horror circles and it is only a matter of time before the rest of the world discovers her engaging dark musings.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews