Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown - Book Review

Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown 

Publication Date: 28th Feb 2023

Genre: Family Drama, Women’s Fiction, Multicultural 

3 Stars 

One Liner: Interesting premise but lacking in execution 

***

Montrose women like in a two-storied house in California. They have their pasts, secrets, and burdens, unspoken and unshared with others, even in the same household. When the youngest, Nickie, brings home a guest on her birthday, she disrupts the house in more ways than intended. 

After all, the past has its roots in a voodoo shop in New Orleans’s French Quarter from the 1950s. And now, the time has come for each of them to face the truth of their lives, acknowledge their mistakes, and find a way to move on toward a better future. 

Can they finally reveal their secrets and turn their house into a happy home? 

The story comes in the limited third-person POV of the central characters (Augusta, Victoria, Willow, & Nickie). 

What I Like:

The cover is gorgeous. I love the color scheme and the candles at the bottom. 

The main characters are distinct personalities (even if their voices were hard to distinguish at times). They are flawed, make mistakes, keep secrets, and try to work things out somehow. 

Augusta’s (Nana) backstory was quite interesting with good shades of grey. She also gets more space in the book (though it’s not enough). 

The concept of Lanora and hoodoo magic is intriguing. I wish it was explored in detail. However, the book nails the atmosphere of the house. It is heavy, stressful, suffocating, and oppressive even when the family appears happy. 

The ending is hopeful and positive. It doesn’t tie up everything but gives enough satisfaction to the readers. 

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The first quarter is very slow. Though we are thrown into the action right away (after a short prologue), the story goes around in circles. It’s only after the 30% that things start to move forward. 

While I don’t mind the miscommunication trope, I don’t want it all over the plot. In a way, this book wouldn’t have existed if the characters simply spoke to each other and had some sort of healthy communication. Things change around 75%. 

This should have been the story of Augusta, Victoria, and Willow. Nickie would have worked better as a catalyst rather than having a complete track of her own. The additional track cut into the space required to establish the other three stories, which further diluted the plot. Nickie acting like a petulant 17-year-old doesn’t help much. 

The book does have some bits of voodoo and spells, but most of them are to further the plot. I wanted more of that stuff as it forms the core of the book. There really isn’t any magical or paranormal element. Just some spells are mentioned here and there. A couple of drawings of the insides of the cookbook would have enhanced the reading experience. 

The climax wasn’t as effective as it should have been. When the entire plot is so focused on that curse part, the solution almost feels anticlimactic. An attempt to make it impactful doesn’t really deliver. 

To summarize, Black Candle Women has a solid foundation to build a generational drama but falls short of expectations. It has some good points though the overall impact is underwhelming. 

The premise has great potential, but the book doesn’t do justice to it. This should have been a duology or trilogy where the main characters would be explored in depth to create an emotional tale of love, loss, secrets, and voodoo magic. 

Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Graydon House, for the eARC.  

#BlackCandleWomen #NetGalley