What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lullaby Trilogy #1
Dark Lullaby
The spirit of eleven-year-old Shelley Graves, killed in a house fire, follows the family to their new home, and through her younger sister, Sara, she attempts to take revenge on the family that secretly and horribly abused her
- GenresHorror
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1991
35 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Palmer
19 books2 followersAn American author who writes science fiction, fantasy, mystery and horror. She also has written nonfiction under her full name of Jessica Dawn Palmer.
Palmer was born in Chicago, Illinois. She initially studied psychology and nursing.
Palmer was born in Chicago, Illinois. She initially studied psychology and nursing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 27, 2024
In Dark Lullaby, Palmer gives us horror without any fluff, but unfortunately, without much nuance or compelling characters either. Being her first novel, I can cut some slack, but this could have been much better. The story starts with the Graves family moving to new digs; their eldest daughter set fire to herself at the last one, killing herself and badly damaging the house. It is just a few weeks before Christmas, but the Graves 'got a deal' on the house as an acquaintance of the hubbie owns it and has had a hard time getting renters to stay, or anyone to buy it.
We know this will constitute a haunted house story, as right away 'things' start happening. The family, Elliot and Jill Graves, plus their 9 yo daughter Sara and Jill's invalid mom, are a real piece of work. The drunken parents fight all the time and Elliot obviously was sexually molesting their daughter that died (Shelley). The nana has had a few strokes and can no longer speak or move much, but Sara knows she is 'still there' as she uses blinks to say yes or no. The first night there, nana is horrified as evil red eyes seem to be staring at her from the closet in her room. Things keep going bump in the attic and basement and Sara starts doing the nasty things her sister used to do.
It is always at this point the reader has to ask 'why don't you just leave'? Well, the parents are drunk so often they tell themselves they must be imagining things. The entire family has horrible dreams, but that must be due to the move and Shelley's death, right? The neighborhood kids tell little Sara the house is haunted and the landlord tells them a gruesome story of the original owners who starved their 4 yo to death by locking him in a closet; just so happens that is the same closet in Nana's room...
The pros: Palmer keeps the foot on the gas and just does not let up. All kinds of foo, including animal and child abuse, and the denouement is nasty. The cons: Palmer keeps the foot on the gas and never really developed the characters such that I could not really care for them at all. The dad is a hopeless drunk; the battered, abused mom also drinks like a fish and just takes it. Some sympathy for little Sara, but half the time she is being 'animated' by her dead sister. Dark Lullaby will not tax your brain much and Palmer doubled down on the foo, but I wish there was more here. 2.5 tropey stars, rounding up as it was a debut.
We know this will constitute a haunted house story, as right away 'things' start happening. The family, Elliot and Jill Graves, plus their 9 yo daughter Sara and Jill's invalid mom, are a real piece of work. The drunken parents fight all the time and Elliot obviously was sexually molesting their daughter that died (Shelley). The nana has had a few strokes and can no longer speak or move much, but Sara knows she is 'still there' as she uses blinks to say yes or no. The first night there, nana is horrified as evil red eyes seem to be staring at her from the closet in her room. Things keep going bump in the attic and basement and Sara starts doing the nasty things her sister used to do.
It is always at this point the reader has to ask 'why don't you just leave'? Well, the parents are drunk so often they tell themselves they must be imagining things. The entire family has horrible dreams, but that must be due to the move and Shelley's death, right? The neighborhood kids tell little Sara the house is haunted and the landlord tells them a gruesome story of the original owners who starved their 4 yo to death by locking him in a closet; just so happens that is the same closet in Nana's room...
The pros: Palmer keeps the foot on the gas and just does not let up. All kinds of foo, including animal and child abuse, and the denouement is nasty. The cons: Palmer keeps the foot on the gas and never really developed the characters such that I could not really care for them at all. The dad is a hopeless drunk; the battered, abused mom also drinks like a fish and just takes it. Some sympathy for little Sara, but half the time she is being 'animated' by her dead sister. Dark Lullaby will not tax your brain much and Palmer doubled down on the foo, but I wish there was more here. 2.5 tropey stars, rounding up as it was a debut.
April 22, 2022
Another rare horror treasure, couldn't put it down and I've tag it over and over and over.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews