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The Haunting of Priscilla Laviolette
Mauvaise Partance Bonne Arrivée
A bad beginning brings a good end,” that’s what Mawmaw Guidry used to say. They’re the words Priscilla Laviolette, Catherine Millet, and Desiree Guidry have lived by all their lives, but when a fatal car accident brings Desiree’s life to an abrupt end, Catherine and Priscilla are left reeling.
Catherine must face the horrors of once again being known as a survivor while Priscilla is haunted by her guilt-ridden grief and hunted by a monster that seeks to consume her.
A bad beginning brings a good end, but is there one to be found in the carnage?
A bad beginning brings a good end,” that’s what Mawmaw Guidry used to say. They’re the words Priscilla Laviolette, Catherine Millet, and Desiree Guidry have lived by all their lives, but when a fatal car accident brings Desiree’s life to an abrupt end, Catherine and Priscilla are left reeling.
Catherine must face the horrors of once again being known as a survivor while Priscilla is haunted by her guilt-ridden grief and hunted by a monster that seeks to consume her.
A bad beginning brings a good end, but is there one to be found in the carnage?
- GenresHorror
83 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2023
2 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 1, 2023
Addicting. Seriously this was such a captivating read from start to finish. I felt all the feelings, especially freaked out and disgusted. But in a good way.
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September 23, 2023The Haunting of Priscilla Laviolette is a debut short horror novella of grief, identity, and love. It’s melancholy, eerie, and so visceral. It’s delightfully queer with a really soft heart! The setting and dialect really ground this story in a sense of place. It was a little too descriptive for me, but that’s just a preference thing. Really hope we‘ll see a short story collection or longer novel from Alexis Richoux one day! Would love to watch this author grow from strength to strength.
August 3, 2023
Loved this so so much!
Different from what I normally reach for BUT SO SO GOOD!
This book will keep you invested the whole way through (I literally read it in one sitting) and will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings!
Kitty is an Angel on earth and Cilla is the definition of disaster bisexual but we love her all the more for it!
Felt myself saying “ouch same” when Cilla talked about her feelings towards being queer and being condemned for it (yay religious trauma)
Seriously just do yourself a favor and pick this up!!
Different from what I normally reach for BUT SO SO GOOD!
This book will keep you invested the whole way through (I literally read it in one sitting) and will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings!
Kitty is an Angel on earth and Cilla is the definition of disaster bisexual but we love her all the more for it!
Felt myself saying “ouch same” when Cilla talked about her feelings towards being queer and being condemned for it (yay religious trauma)
Seriously just do yourself a favor and pick this up!!
January 12, 2025
2.5 stars
I found this book a few years ago at B&N and was excited because it's a local author in Louisiana (where I'm from). You could call this Cajun horror. It has some Cajun French, a creature based in swamp folklore, and explores some themes very central to Louisiana (like internalized homophobia due to extreme religion). I didn't hate this novella, but I found it to be lacking in execution of ideas. A lot of the story hopped around and we opened with one POV and didn't see that POV until the very end There wasn't enough build-up of why Priscilla led to the creation of this cryptid who wanted her to pay for her "sins." I found it to be pretty homophobic in its implications that her sexual attraction to her best friend/lover where the reason why she caused her death and had to pay for her selfishness. I thought it implied that because she had a relationship with her bestie in the woods and felt conflicted and ashamed due to her upbringing, she created the monster that eventually hunted her down. It was giving bury your gays and I don't know how I feel about it, but that's how I read it/ interpreted. I don't know if I would recommend this one. It's a very quick read, but if I wasn't Cajun myself, I would not have picked this up at all. It's probably a very niche find.
I found this book a few years ago at B&N and was excited because it's a local author in Louisiana (where I'm from). You could call this Cajun horror. It has some Cajun French, a creature based in swamp folklore, and explores some themes very central to Louisiana (like internalized homophobia due to extreme religion). I didn't hate this novella, but I found it to be lacking in execution of ideas. A lot of the story hopped around and we opened with one POV and didn't see that POV until the very end There wasn't enough build-up of why Priscilla led to the creation of this cryptid who wanted her to pay for her "sins." I found it to be pretty homophobic in its implications that her sexual attraction to her best friend/lover where the reason why she caused her death and had to pay for her selfishness. I thought it implied that because she had a relationship with her bestie in the woods and felt conflicted and ashamed due to her upbringing, she created the monster that eventually hunted her down. It was giving bury your gays and I don't know how I feel about it, but that's how I read it/ interpreted. I don't know if I would recommend this one. It's a very quick read, but if I wasn't Cajun myself, I would not have picked this up at all. It's probably a very niche find.
December 8, 2023
Having known Alexis through the Indigenous Bookstagram community I was excited to read her dark sapphic debut novella. And wow, does this little novella pack a punch!
It can be hard to establish a setting quickly but Alexis’ writing is incredibly atmospheric and descriptive. There’s a sense of dread that feels omnipresent on each page. The story consumed me from page one and read it in one sitting.
Again, it can be hard to build solid characters quickly but each of them feels tangible. We primarily focus on Priscilla as we see her spiral through grief, guilt, trauma, and shame in her emotional fallout after the accident. Each of the emotions explored are so palpable and they seem to become their own entities that leap off the page.
The only downside I can think of is that it was just too short. It left me wanting more. I cannot wait to see what Alexis writes next!
It can be hard to establish a setting quickly but Alexis’ writing is incredibly atmospheric and descriptive. There’s a sense of dread that feels omnipresent on each page. The story consumed me from page one and read it in one sitting.
Again, it can be hard to build solid characters quickly but each of them feels tangible. We primarily focus on Priscilla as we see her spiral through grief, guilt, trauma, and shame in her emotional fallout after the accident. Each of the emotions explored are so palpable and they seem to become their own entities that leap off the page.
The only downside I can think of is that it was just too short. It left me wanting more. I cannot wait to see what Alexis writes next!
October 4, 2023
3.5 stars, round up to 4 for GR.
I went back and forth on how I wanted to rate this book. It was a short and easy read, but I was left wanting more. The needing to reference the French Cajun phrases in the back also took me out of it because I was reading on my Kindle. But that's a me problem.
Overall a good book and would look to read more from this author.
I went back and forth on how I wanted to rate this book. It was a short and easy read, but I was left wanting more. The needing to reference the French Cajun phrases in the back also took me out of it because I was reading on my Kindle. But that's a me problem.
Overall a good book and would look to read more from this author.
October 2, 2023
whaddahellwhaddahellwhaddahell
I NEED ANSWERSSSSS
*full rtc!*
I NEED ANSWERSSSSS
*full rtc!*
November 17, 2023
I really liked this one!!
November 20, 2023
beautiful little horror novella, easily read it in one sitting. dark magical realism vibes, i think this may have even woken me from my 2 month long reading slump
December 12, 2023
3.5 rounded up
January 3, 2024
A cool debut. I had the pleasure of signing with Alexis a while back, and after hearing her pitch this story a hundred times that day, I had to pick it up for myself. I look forward to more from her.
March 28, 2024
What a good story, I love the little slips of Cajun French..
August 8, 2024
Loved this book! Short but horrory-sweet! Very vivid. Beautiful writing!
September 23, 2023
This short story managed to warm my little Cajun heart and scare the crap out of me. I may be biased, but this was a great read. Despite it's 59 page length, Richoux manages to pack this story with vivid (and accurate) imagery, haunting prose, and a downright terrifying
"monster." A fellow native to South Louisiana, she nails the experience of growing up in a community where not fitting in equates to hellfire and damnation. This short story focuses on Priscilla Laviolette and the emotional fallout following a devastating car crash. I absolutely loved the use of Cajun French throughout the story, it's so heartwarming to see it hasn't died out just yet.
However, there's an equal sense of dread and clear terror as we observe Priscilla's actions and experiences. This is an honest entry into the horror genre, and I really hope to read more.
"monster." A fellow native to South Louisiana, she nails the experience of growing up in a community where not fitting in equates to hellfire and damnation. This short story focuses on Priscilla Laviolette and the emotional fallout following a devastating car crash. I absolutely loved the use of Cajun French throughout the story, it's so heartwarming to see it hasn't died out just yet.
However, there's an equal sense of dread and clear terror as we observe Priscilla's actions and experiences. This is an honest entry into the horror genre, and I really hope to read more.
May 28, 2025
This book got me back into reading! I loved it a lot, it was short, scary and beautiful all at the same time. Ending was confusing, but in a good way, kinda open ended imo.
September 11, 2023
Not to be like...biased...but I wrote it, so. Big fan. 10/10. Would recommend.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews