~Marcella Nielsen ~
iReflect 2017
Wrath of the Ancients
by Catherine Cavendish
DESTINY IN DEATH
Egypt, 1908
Eminent archeologist Dr. Emeryk Quintillus has unearthed the burial chamber of Cleopatra. But this tomb raider’s obsession with the Queen of the Nile has nothing to do with preserving history. Stealing sacred and priceless relics, he murders his expedition crew, and flees—escaping the quake that swallows the site beneath the desert sands . . .
Vienna, 1913
Young widow Adeline Ogilvy has accepted employment at the mansion of Dr. Quintillus, transcribing the late professor’s memoirs. Within the pages of his journals, she discovers the ravings of a madman convinced he possessed the ability to reincarnate Cleopatra. Within the walls of his home, she is assailed by unexplained phenomena: strange sounds, shadowy figures, and apparitions of hieroglyphics.
Something pursued Dr. Quintillus from Egypt. Something dark, something hungry. Something tied to the fate and future of Adeline Ogilvy . . .
About the author...
I live with a longsuffering husband in North Wales. We share our life with a delightful black cat who has never forgotten that her kind used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt. She sees no reason for that practice not to continue. Our home is in a building dating back to the mid 18th century which is haunted by a friendly ghost, who announces her presence by footsteps, switching lights on and strange phenomena involving the washing machine and the TV.
When not slaving over a hot computer, I enjoy wandering around Neolithic stone circles and visiting old haunted houses.
More books from Catherine Cavendish...
My Rating:
Status:
Read on 11th October 2017
Publisher:
Kensington Books
Publication Date:
24 October 2017
Pages:
178
Genre:
Horror
Format:
Kindle Edition
Purchase Links:
Amazon
First impressions before start:
From the title and the blurb I’m gathering that the murderous Doctor unleashed an evil upon himself, a curse (because Egyptian’s love their curses) that now haunts him? His home? The character, Adeline, is the only hope to defeat said curse and restore peace? The cover indicates that there is a part of the house the leads up or down to somewhere, no doubt to where all the scary things are – because in every horror there is either a basement or an attic. I am definitely intrigued and slightly terrified to start this. If it isn’t obvious, I don’t do well with horrors and this will be my first read in the horror genre. Wish me luck.
Thoughts:
What a great read! Of course I had to read this book during the day because I’d have been a paranoid mess if I had read it at night.
The heightened suspense and fear factor had me flying through this book. I would find myself muttering to the character Adeline: “don’t go down there”, “don’t open that door”, “don’t trust that person”, and does she listen? No. Characters in horrors are not the brightest. But that is what makes a horror a horror. There would be no plotline if she just up and ran the moment something out of the ordinary happened...as I would.
Characters:
Adeline Ogilvy – Adeline takes a job in Vienna, Germany hoping for a fresh start. She is to transcribe the memoirs of the late Dr Quintillus whilst living in his home. When she unlocks a small hidden door in the corner of his library, she unknowingly unlocks the Doctor’s evil secrets, setting her on a path she can’t run from. Paintings, hieroglyphics, ancient God’s and a long dead ruler – somehow Adeline is connected to all this.
Dr Emeryk Quintillus – The alleged late Doctor who was entirely obsessed with Cleopatra. As I presumed before I started, he unleashed an evil upon himself and his home.
Jakob Mayer – A Professor in Egyptology and a father figure to Adeline. He helps Adeline unravel the horrors living within the late Dr Quintillus’ mansion.
Adeline was a fierce, relatable and fun heroine. When she found her backbone and fought back against the evil I was so proud!
In Adeline’s ear, a woman’s voice she had heard before whispered in its unintelligible language. Anger once again drowned her fear and poured out of her. “Speak in a language I understand or shut up!”
Every character in the story had an important role. They weren’t introduced if they weren’t necessary; from the butler to the maid and cook. You don’t live in a haunted house without being suspicious.
Plot:
Another book told in third person and from the point of view from whoever was the main character in that time period. This book is told in four parts (including the prologue): 1908 with Dr Quintillus, 1913 with Adeline, 1923 with Wilhelm and Irina von Durnstein and 1964 with Markus von Durnstein. Majority of the story is set in 1913 with Adeline but I absolutely loved how this story was set over the years. Like I mentioned before all these character were important to the story and it all came back to poor Adeline. A story that transcended time founded on a thirst for vengeance and revenge. Each character a victim to an ancient war. I won’t give anything else away but this book I definitely worth the read.
Last Note:
Horror is defined as a painful and intense feeling of fear, dread or dismay. Horror fiction would be literature that evokes these emotions in the reader. Horror can deal with the mundane or the supernatural, with the fantastic or the normal. Its only requirement is to evoke an emotional reaction that includes some aspect of fear (Horror Writers Association, 2009).
Cavendish definitely produced a fantastic horror book! It most certainly evoked feelings of fear and dread within me but also included a fair bit of humour. As someone who doesn’t deal to well with the horror genre, I appreciated the small bit of humour as it lightened the mood. This book is one that I won’t be forgetting because it was so well told that I felt as if I were inside the book experiencing everything as well. I could easily visualise everything…and that both made the read terrifying and thrilling but most importantly real.
References:
Cavendish, C. (2017) Wrath of the Ancients. New York: Kensington Books.
Horror Writers Association. (2009). What is horror fiction? Retrieved on 14 October 2017 from http://horror.org/horror-is.htm