Lisa Maxwell is the author of Sweet Unrest (Flux, Fall 2014) and Heartless Things (Simon Pulse, 2016). When she’s not writing books, she teaches English at a local college. She lives near DC with her very patient husband and two not-so patient boys.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell is a wonderful gothic story that includes magic, a mystery, a bit of romance and a creepy atmosphere that had me wondering what was going to happen.
Lucy’s parents have decided to pick up and move the family to New Orleans to live on a plantation that has a deep history. The history is exactly what has drawn her parents to the plantation and the history is what has made Lucy’s headaches and nightmares come back with a vengeance.
I liked Lucy as a lead character. She was smart and determined to figure things out. She was also protective of her family and cared about the people around her. As she digs into the mysteries surrounding her, she learns quite a bit about herself and what is really going on.
I was immediately drawn into this story due to the way that Maxwell develops not only the characters but the world around Lucy. From day one she is drawn into the Voodoo religion due to her quick friendship with Chloe. Chloe is the outgoing daughter of the woman who invited Lucy’s family to the plantation and as Chloe introduces Lucy to New Orleans, we get to see it through her eyes. As Chloe also introduces Lucy to Mama Legba, a real Voodoo Queen, Lucy is drawn into the magic as she sees it as a way to figure out what the nightmares mean.
Lucy is also drawn toward Alex from her very first day and we slowly find out why. As she finds out more and more about him, she begins to dream about him more often and this leads to her finding out exactly what her nightmares are about. I can’t say much about Alex as I don’t want to give anything away about him and how his story intertwines with Lucy’s.
Maxwell does a great job of developing the secondary characters in this book as well. From Mama Legba to Piers to Thisbe – they all play a critical role in this story and I loved how their stories were tied together.
If you are looking for a story that pulls you in and slowly unravels itself definitely check this one out. I enjoyed the way this one flowed and how the story developed into something I wasn’t expecting.
Thank you to Netgalley and Flux for the review copy.
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