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The Bad Death
Passion rules the heart and terror rules the night…
South Carolina, 1788. The African beauty emerging from his family crypt is a stranger to Julian Mouret, the refined owner of Lion’s Court plantation. A dancer and a mystery, she spins a strange, dark, and impossible tale of peril and flight. Though he fears she must surely be mad, the handsome slave owner is soon himself a slave, lost to the seductions of this enchantress called Anika and determined to lead her North to safety.
But there can be no safe haven for Julian or the exquisite Gullah girl who has bewitched him, not while monsters roam the night. A series of horrifying mutilation murders screams of the presence of “plat-eyes”—shape-shifting blood-sucking supernatural creatures feeding at will on the plantation workers—and only Anika can end the rampage. But to face the vampire horde she will have to master the darkness within. And the price of victory in the battle ahead may well be the eternal soul of the man she is coming to love.
South Carolina, 1788. The African beauty emerging from his family crypt is a stranger to Julian Mouret, the refined owner of Lion’s Court plantation. A dancer and a mystery, she spins a strange, dark, and impossible tale of peril and flight. Though he fears she must surely be mad, the handsome slave owner is soon himself a slave, lost to the seductions of this enchantress called Anika and determined to lead her North to safety.
But there can be no safe haven for Julian or the exquisite Gullah girl who has bewitched him, not while monsters roam the night. A series of horrifying mutilation murders screams of the presence of “plat-eyes”—shape-shifting blood-sucking supernatural creatures feeding at will on the plantation workers—and only Anika can end the rampage. But to face the vampire horde she will have to master the darkness within. And the price of victory in the battle ahead may well be the eternal soul of the man she is coming to love.
492 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2013
1 person is currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Naima Haviland
17 books12 followersNaima Haviland writes novels and short stories in various genres, from dark fantasy to light romance. She takes as inspiration the Southeast United States, including her home in the Florida Panhandle, an ocean paradise with a not-too-distant past full of eccentrics, explorers, pirates, ghosts, and UFOs.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 20, 2013
The synopsis of the book was so interesting that I was excited to read The Bad Death,and had really high hopes. However, it just fell short for me in many ways. The way in which Anika first appears led me to believe that I was in for a good read. But as soon as Anika opened her mouth, I started to have doubts. I kept reading in hopes that I would grow to like her character. As the story went on, I had a hard time feeling anything for Julian, Anika, or Marcus. I especially felt that Julian and Anika lacked any depth. The relationship between those two felt forced to me. I believe there's a prequel to this that probably would've filled in some holes
and I wouldn't have been left with unanswered questions. Out of curiosity, I probably will read Bloodroom at some point.
and I wouldn't have been left with unanswered questions. Out of curiosity, I probably will read Bloodroom at some point.
September 23, 2013
Anika is possessed by a hag. The spirit of a woman from the future who is helping her stop an infestation of plat-eyes which are killing people on the plantation. Julian is the plantation owner who is fascinated and annoyed with Annie (as he calls her) at the occurrences he refuses to believe. Everything has to be rational and scientific for him.
This is a story of a lowcountry legend I had never heard of before. Vampire? Shapeshifters? Plat-eyes are definitely evil. And the losses tremendous and sad. I loved Annie and her fighting for friends and trying to stop evil.
This is a story of a lowcountry legend I had never heard of before. Vampire? Shapeshifters? Plat-eyes are definitely evil. And the losses tremendous and sad. I loved Annie and her fighting for friends and trying to stop evil.
September 18, 2013
A Gothic Masterpiece of Dark Romance, Horror and Suspense
The Bad Death, part of Naima Haviland’s vampire trilogy, tantalises the reader with a spellbinding paranormal tale of romance, horror and suspense. The author skillfully weaves the vampire myth with African Gullah legends to create a dark and gripping narrative, which, when read in conjunction with the accompanying novel Bloodroom, will forever haunt your dreams.
The Bad Death and the following review contains a Bloodroom spoiler, so if you intend to read it you may first want to read Bloodroom, to which this book serves as both a prequel and a sequel.
I absolutely adore this series! I fell in love with Julian in Bloodroom, being both repelled and attracted to him – I cannot get him out of my head. The Bad Death gives the reader an insight into his actions in Bloodroom, where as a creature of the dark he maintains a thread of humanity. In The Bad Death Julian values rationality over superstition, yet Anika and the events which occur are anything but rational. He refuses to acknowledge the existence of beings which science does not recognise. Julian cannot explain the sexual pull and connection he feels to Anika, whom readers of Bloodroom immediately recognise is possessed by the spirit of Natalie his human lover in that book. Although compelled to keep Anika close, he is also repelled by her as he believes that she is a liar and a trickster at worse and at best mad. What will be Julian’s downfall? – Madness if he realises that such evil actually exists or ignorance as he does not realise the true horror of what he and others face?
Anika is a fantastic kick-ass heroine, protecting those she cares about in any way she can. Although this book is very much focused on Anika, Natalie’s influence is pivotal, as through her possession she imparts her ballet dancer’s strength and flexibility on Anika and also her knowledge of how to defeat vampires. Natalie’s spirit (whom Anika refers to as ‘the Hag’) also gives Anika an insight into Natalie and Julian’s dark romance. Anika regards her possession more favourably as the novel progresses and becomes increasingly attracted to Julian. She is torn between her attraction to Julian and to Marcus, the Mouret’s slave driver, himself a slave. Bitter rivalry and jealousy exist between both men over Anika and there is also plenty of sexual tension and well crafted sensual love making scenes throughout.
There area host of supporting characters. These include Tumba, the resident witch doctor, a free black man, whose role appears to be a malevolent one. We also meet the teenage Jane Eliza, whom readers of Bloodroom will recognise as Swisher, who plays such a key role in that book. Julian’s mother, Miss Elizabeth, is a character whom I loved, as she is brave and resourceful and whilst not fully comprehending the true evil around her is supportive of Anika.
The novel contains horror and violence and visceral scenes of bloodlust and gore juxtaposed with passionate lovemaking and lush descriptions of the landscape. I was particularly impressed by the dark, gothic descriptions of the waterways, which link Lion’s Court to adjacent plantations, the descriptions of these and the rice fields and the overarching sky became more and more threatening as the novel progresses. I also enjoyed the magical scenes where Natalie takes possession of Anika and compels her to dance the ballet and imbues her with visions and feelings from the future. The author has carried out a lot of research into the history of slaves and plantation owners, the Gullah language, folklore and culture and the environment of South Carolina in the late eighteenth century. I was held spellbound and totally immersed in the world and minds of the characters.
The Bad Death is an original and haunting tale and I am certainly looking forward to book 3 of the trilogy, due for release next year.
A copy of this book was given to me by the author for an honest and fair review.
The Bad Death, part of Naima Haviland’s vampire trilogy, tantalises the reader with a spellbinding paranormal tale of romance, horror and suspense. The author skillfully weaves the vampire myth with African Gullah legends to create a dark and gripping narrative, which, when read in conjunction with the accompanying novel Bloodroom, will forever haunt your dreams.
The Bad Death and the following review contains a Bloodroom spoiler, so if you intend to read it you may first want to read Bloodroom, to which this book serves as both a prequel and a sequel.
I absolutely adore this series! I fell in love with Julian in Bloodroom, being both repelled and attracted to him – I cannot get him out of my head. The Bad Death gives the reader an insight into his actions in Bloodroom, where as a creature of the dark he maintains a thread of humanity. In The Bad Death Julian values rationality over superstition, yet Anika and the events which occur are anything but rational. He refuses to acknowledge the existence of beings which science does not recognise. Julian cannot explain the sexual pull and connection he feels to Anika, whom readers of Bloodroom immediately recognise is possessed by the spirit of Natalie his human lover in that book. Although compelled to keep Anika close, he is also repelled by her as he believes that she is a liar and a trickster at worse and at best mad. What will be Julian’s downfall? – Madness if he realises that such evil actually exists or ignorance as he does not realise the true horror of what he and others face?
Anika is a fantastic kick-ass heroine, protecting those she cares about in any way she can. Although this book is very much focused on Anika, Natalie’s influence is pivotal, as through her possession she imparts her ballet dancer’s strength and flexibility on Anika and also her knowledge of how to defeat vampires. Natalie’s spirit (whom Anika refers to as ‘the Hag’) also gives Anika an insight into Natalie and Julian’s dark romance. Anika regards her possession more favourably as the novel progresses and becomes increasingly attracted to Julian. She is torn between her attraction to Julian and to Marcus, the Mouret’s slave driver, himself a slave. Bitter rivalry and jealousy exist between both men over Anika and there is also plenty of sexual tension and well crafted sensual love making scenes throughout.
There area host of supporting characters. These include Tumba, the resident witch doctor, a free black man, whose role appears to be a malevolent one. We also meet the teenage Jane Eliza, whom readers of Bloodroom will recognise as Swisher, who plays such a key role in that book. Julian’s mother, Miss Elizabeth, is a character whom I loved, as she is brave and resourceful and whilst not fully comprehending the true evil around her is supportive of Anika.
The novel contains horror and violence and visceral scenes of bloodlust and gore juxtaposed with passionate lovemaking and lush descriptions of the landscape. I was particularly impressed by the dark, gothic descriptions of the waterways, which link Lion’s Court to adjacent plantations, the descriptions of these and the rice fields and the overarching sky became more and more threatening as the novel progresses. I also enjoyed the magical scenes where Natalie takes possession of Anika and compels her to dance the ballet and imbues her with visions and feelings from the future. The author has carried out a lot of research into the history of slaves and plantation owners, the Gullah language, folklore and culture and the environment of South Carolina in the late eighteenth century. I was held spellbound and totally immersed in the world and minds of the characters.
The Bad Death is an original and haunting tale and I am certainly looking forward to book 3 of the trilogy, due for release next year.
A copy of this book was given to me by the author for an honest and fair review.
September 15, 2013
I wish that I could say that I liked this book, but unfortunately it was a miss for me in many ways. The story is basically about a slave woman named Anika (or Annie) who is possessed by the spirit of a modern ballet dancer (who Anika and the other slaves call a hag). The spirit that has hitched a ride in Anika's body is in love with Anika's master Julian. Anika on the other hand is attracted to Marcus, another slave who acts as an overseer on the plantation. There's somewhat of a love triangle going on, but it isn't the main storyline. There are monsters called plat-eyes who are drinking people's blood and either killing them or turning them into plat-eyes as well. When a person is turned to a plat-eye they've died a "Bad Death" because they didn't die and stay dead the way that they should have. As you can guess a plat-eye is a vampire and there's a whole lotta death happening on the plantation. Anika becomes the go to person to kill the vampires.
I'm a fast reader so it rarely takes me a long time to read a book. The Bad Death was so confusing however, that I could barely force myself to continue. A week in and I was just at the halfway mark and contemplating throwing in the towel, however, out of courtesy to the author who had lent me a copy I felt obligated to stick it out.
The Pros: Marcus. Here was a great character who did what he thought was best for his fellow slaves even if it was unsavory. He is an intelligent and proud man and was the one character who stood out.
The Negatives: There are several areas that were a problem for me, such as the depiction of slave life on the plantation. I also really didn't care for the whole ballet aspect of it. Ballet (yes ballet) seems to give Anika the skills necessary to fight the vampires but it just seemed silly to me. I also wish I could have learned more about the hag. We get flashbacks as the hag makes Anika dance, but they are disjointed and don't really reveal anything that you haven't already figured out. Julian is another problem for me. He was just too annoying in his refused to listen and seemed weak minded to me. He was the one person everyone felt had to be protected from the truth. The ending was also a negative for me because it didn't really end anything. There were so many loose threads and unanswered questions that I just felt frustrated.
The Bad Death had a lot of potential and I was initially very excited to have the opportunity to read it. Unfortunately it was too unbelievable in too many ways for me to enjoy. Although the ballet aspect seemed silly to me, it was a potentially clever and original effort that missed its mark.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Read more of my reviews at http:/www.romancebetweenthecovers.blogspot.com
I'm a fast reader so it rarely takes me a long time to read a book. The Bad Death was so confusing however, that I could barely force myself to continue. A week in and I was just at the halfway mark and contemplating throwing in the towel, however, out of courtesy to the author who had lent me a copy I felt obligated to stick it out.
The Pros: Marcus. Here was a great character who did what he thought was best for his fellow slaves even if it was unsavory. He is an intelligent and proud man and was the one character who stood out.
The Negatives: There are several areas that were a problem for me, such as the depiction of slave life on the plantation. I also really didn't care for the whole ballet aspect of it. Ballet (yes ballet) seems to give Anika the skills necessary to fight the vampires but it just seemed silly to me. I also wish I could have learned more about the hag. We get flashbacks as the hag makes Anika dance, but they are disjointed and don't really reveal anything that you haven't already figured out. Julian is another problem for me. He was just too annoying in his refused to listen and seemed weak minded to me. He was the one person everyone felt had to be protected from the truth. The ending was also a negative for me because it didn't really end anything. There were so many loose threads and unanswered questions that I just felt frustrated.
The Bad Death had a lot of potential and I was initially very excited to have the opportunity to read it. Unfortunately it was too unbelievable in too many ways for me to enjoy. Although the ballet aspect seemed silly to me, it was a potentially clever and original effort that missed its mark.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Read more of my reviews at http:/www.romancebetweenthecovers.blogspot.com
May 10, 2019
Like earlier stated I read this for the publisher/author to give my honest and unbiased opinion.
The moment I read the summary I needed to read this. I needed to know what happened. That's pretty much how I got through the book so quickly...I needed to know what happened next. It's such an interesting concept.
A slave girl, Anika, was an interesting character. She had two souls in her. A dancer and a slave girl who together need to fight the bad ol' vamps running around South Carolina. Poor Julian...getting sucked into the middle of this just because he's bewitched by her. I'm sorry, but if I was Julian I would have been freaked out by the fact that she popped out his family crypt. Plus...she's odd. She has two different personalities going (the reader learns about that quickly, but poor guy was in the dark).
Naima Haviland has SUCH a great way of sucking the reader into the story. I felt like I was there and in the same room or crypt. I also felt like she had a great knowledge of both the rich, white culture and the slave culture. It wasn't over the time (ie the dialect writing), it was perfect. Kuddos!
There was one thing I was upset about...I was confused. Perhaps it was my fault, but I wasn't sure what was going on half of the time.*shrugs* I can't much else on this without letting out many spoilers. I think there may have been too much going on at once. That may be it. Not only did she have a love triangle going on (or should I say a love square?), evil vamps, weird dou-souls in one body, ballet dancing, discovering of power, and so much more. Too much for my little brain, perhaps. Like I said...it may have just been me.
Besides for too much going on and me getting confused, I really liked this book. The setting set-up was fantastic, the characters were awesome, and the action kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to see what more Naima Haviland has to offer. ^.^ Out of five stars, I shall give this....3 stars. I would recommend this to those that love a good gothic, historical, action, romance.
Favorite Character(s): Prince, Marcus, and Anika
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Julian (I liked him at the beginning, but as the story progressed...no so much) and the vamps
The moment I read the summary I needed to read this. I needed to know what happened. That's pretty much how I got through the book so quickly...I needed to know what happened next. It's such an interesting concept.
A slave girl, Anika, was an interesting character. She had two souls in her. A dancer and a slave girl who together need to fight the bad ol' vamps running around South Carolina. Poor Julian...getting sucked into the middle of this just because he's bewitched by her. I'm sorry, but if I was Julian I would have been freaked out by the fact that she popped out his family crypt. Plus...she's odd. She has two different personalities going (the reader learns about that quickly, but poor guy was in the dark).
Naima Haviland has SUCH a great way of sucking the reader into the story. I felt like I was there and in the same room or crypt. I also felt like she had a great knowledge of both the rich, white culture and the slave culture. It wasn't over the time (ie the dialect writing), it was perfect. Kuddos!
There was one thing I was upset about...I was confused. Perhaps it was my fault, but I wasn't sure what was going on half of the time.*shrugs* I can't much else on this without letting out many spoilers. I think there may have been too much going on at once. That may be it. Not only did she have a love triangle going on (or should I say a love square?), evil vamps, weird dou-souls in one body, ballet dancing, discovering of power, and so much more. Too much for my little brain, perhaps. Like I said...it may have just been me.
Besides for too much going on and me getting confused, I really liked this book. The setting set-up was fantastic, the characters were awesome, and the action kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to see what more Naima Haviland has to offer. ^.^ Out of five stars, I shall give this....3 stars. I would recommend this to those that love a good gothic, historical, action, romance.
Favorite Character(s): Prince, Marcus, and Anika
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Julian (I liked him at the beginning, but as the story progressed...no so much) and the vamps
June 29, 2014
The preview had my brain racing to suck it all up. But something went wrong. The more I read the more I was feeling contradicted to the story unfolding before me.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews