A Southern Enchantress

What I liked most about A Southern Enchantress by Deborah Trahan was its vivid descriptions of the settings of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast and New Orleans. The book’s narrative takes place in dual timelines and describes the lives of several generations of women in the Lafountain family, a family with talent for folk magic, spellcasting and even clairsentience.

Published by Atmospheric Press.

This was a lovely surprise. I have never picked up a "paranormal" book before but this one intrigued me, I think because the setting is New Orleans and I love New Orleans.
Sometimes setting is so lovely that it is virtually a character in and of itself. In this book, setting was that. I was drawn into the story by the setting. Also, an honorable mention goes to the dialogue which is some of the best I have seen in a while: realistic and natural but not mundane. The characters were all compelling (both real and paranormal).
If there is any criticism, it would be that the plot could be a bit confusing. There was a dual timeline, which was clearly delineated in the titles of the chapters but it took some time to figure out why it was there. With the atmosphere, mood and setting though, it was easy enough to be intrigued until I could figure it out.
I would give it 4.5 stars and I would be interested in reading more by the author. Even more, I am now more willing to add paranormal to my reading repertoire.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed it, though I was taken out of the story by POVs and timelines jumping around. It threw me off a bit, but I really loved the descriptions of the areas they were in, the characters, and the historical elements.

A Southern Enchantress surprised me with its complex structure. Despite the initial confusion caused by multiple timelines and backstories, the story unfolds beautifully. The cover art, while gorgeous, doesn't quite represent the book's depth. It explores the lives of Suzanne and her ancestors, all with varying degrees of magical abilities, through interwoven narratives. While the romance with Max seemed like a bad choice at first (especially for someone who'd been through a similar situation!), Suzanne ultimately proves her strength and delivers long-awaited justice in a truly Southern way.

“In New Orleans, culture doesn’t come down from on high, it bubbles up from the streets.” — Ellis Marsalis

If you have ever had the pleasure to visit The Big Easy, you know the effervescent spirit that flows through the city from its music to its food and everything in between. You do not have to be clairvoyant to feel this pulsating energy but Suzanne is one of the rare ones who communicates with the departed and it is a calling she must embrace and find coexistence with the ghosts of New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast. These lands carry a deep rooted, rich history. Told in dual timelines from 1944 to modern day, Southern Enchantress is a haunting and beautiful tale full of heart and magical realism in a city filled with gumbo and ghosts.

Review is posted on Goodreads and the final review will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!

This was a stunning read. Once I had gotten my head around the different timelines, the plot flowed and I loved the characters. I'm so excited to pick up another read by Trahan.

This is the story of Suzy, Suzanne LaFountain, a modern day (2012-3) southern enchantress, and her other family members, the women of magick.
It is an easy read, rich in descriptions, and with flowing, short chapters that have a good pacing.
I got into the story after 30 pages or so. At first, I had the wrong impression about the changes of POV and shifts in timelines, and the writing. I am glad I persevered.
This is not a horror or rather I did not find it horrific, but I do not say this as a form of criticism. I am glad the story unfolded in a concretely understable way, blending modern life and the family history of Suzy. That is a fresh take. The atmosphere, especially in a later scene at a church, was eerie. Otherwise, it was a nice combination of themes of women with agency, solidarity, and male toxicity. I liked the spiritiual, occult, paranormal and magical realism aspects but for me the characters’ leading of a normal life otherwise, stood out, and the rest felt like a device to explore Suzy’s story, Max’s character and Addy,

𝑨𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆? 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏- 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔."

The story is a journey of Suzanne's quest to bring an end to the heartbreaking trauma knocked upon her female ancestors for generations! It is a beautiful mixture of magic, Spirits, dilemma, love and tragedy.
Set in a dual timeline it smoothly moves between decades, developing a story of a legacy of enchantresses, that go to right the pain of the past. In the beginning, the dual timeline was a bit confusing but as you dive deep you get the essence of it! , and there it goes you are hooked to the pages before you know it!🤓

With strong character development and wonderful world-building the Author has penned a beautiful generational tale!❤️

Overall I enjoyed the read ❤️🤓and recommend it to everyone to dive into the world of magic🪄 and spirits!👻
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4.5/5🌟
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Thankyou @Netgalley and Atmosphere press for giving the copy of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.😇

This book is for anyone who craves a plot forward story that is not solely focused on the Romance aspect which acts as more of a slow burn sub plot. The world building was fantastic, the pacing of information shared was in sync with the storyline and what the characters were experiencing. The natural flow to it made for such an immersive read that was easy to follow along with.
The characters in this book are so well-developed. It was really interesting to learn the different pieces of their back stories to form theories and learn what motivates their purpose.

This book is one of the easiest and most deserving ratings I have given this year. Quite honestly it reminded me why I love reading so much.

Forget about the cover. Read this Gem! I absolutely loved everything about this story. This could easily become a best seller if the cover gets changed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction, and found that it had strong pace, solid characters, and an interesting storyline. It certainly kept my interest throughout, and as someone who has read a lot of historical fiction, I thought this was an incredible accomplishment.

Told in dual timelines, A Sountern Enchantress weaves a gripping bound of generational love. A perfect tale weaved in atmospheric New Orleans. Perfect for spooky season.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.