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This was a fun read with a unique setting, and was a great start to a new series. When Maddie and her pal Adele find a body in the Paranormal Museum, I expected ghosts galore. There is a paranormal element to the story, but it has more to do with an historical crime rather than the modern one. One mystery keeps Maddie and her friends busy during the day, and the other helps her decide whether to stay in town and run the Paranormal Museum or keep looking for work elsewhere. I enjoyed both stories, and the cast of characters, from Maddie's friends and family, to the two police officers handling the murder case, and then the attractive neighbor next door. I'm looking forward to reading more about the museum, Maddie, and her friends.

Note: I received a free copy from the author and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
TC
The Casquette Girls
Alys Arden | 2013
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What an interesting read! The Casquette Girls is centered shortly after Hurricane Katrina, and of course, New Orleans, where the unexplainable happens.

Part One is a bit slow, with Adele coming back from Paris, reconstruction in the city after the hurricane, and the occasional unexplainable situation happening (aka dead people on the rise, and I don't mean zombies) but Part Two is when things really pick up.

Part Two and a bit of Part Three actually goes back to the past as Adele is reading her ancestor's diary, trying to figure out what happened in the early 1700s after being lead to a completely shut – and by completely shut, I mean nailed in – attic of the local convent. Of course, she's not lead to the diary until she accidentally "breaks" open a shutter of said convent and unleashes a threat to her entire town.

(I was sort of disappointed when the end of the diary was reached. *sigh*)

What's really neat is said threat is confined within a specific part of the city based on a curse from centuries ago – it's usually either vampires or witches. If they are together, chances are there's a pack of werewolves running around or they're with others. Plus, everyone hates vampires by then, not that it isn't the case here.

The Casquette Girls was a neat read based on a hurricane, centering around vampires and witchcraft, although Alys really could have added in a translation of the many French words used (Italian was no problem for me). I wouldn't have felt as though I'm reading fragments by then, and I'm sure the translation guide would help other non-French speaking readers too!
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mvEgVOM_JGs/U3FfeZceS7I/AAAAAAAADQc/Omh5mPoZ6Gc/s1600/Translation_Please_.jpg"; height="320" width="301">
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Review copy provided by the author via Xpresso Book Tours
Original Rating: 4.5
This review and more can be found over at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-the-casquette-girls-by-alys-arden.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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