Leslye Walton

https://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/the-price-guide-to-the-occult-les...

When I first read the synopsis for The Price Guide to the Occult, I thought it would be a fun little story about witchcraft and magic.

Y’all, hold on to your seats because I’m about to freak out.

It’s not just a fun little book.

Following a long line of magically blessed (or burdened, depending upon who you ask) on a tiny North Western island, this little gem of a book manages to pack so much phenomenal show more mental health awareness and struggle into a few short pages that I may just go around handing the book out to people.

I’ll certainly be keeping at least two copies on my shelf as a therapist and I’ll tell you why.

The story explores mother-daughter dynamics in a raw, honest way that embellishes so much of the normal sentiment that follows with toxic relationships.

Our heroine, Nor, is prone to self-harm, self-deprecation, and feeling somewhat lost.

Her mother is a power-hungry, vain, narcissist, hell0-bent on manipulation.

Though the book gives their behaviors supernatural causes, I couldn’t help but to be floored by just how accurate the analogies were and how vivid the chaos of the stories depicted what many in such relationships struggle with.

I could go on and on about the therapeutic reasons for loving this book but it’s so good, you should just go pick it up and make up your own mind about it.

Please do note: There is some very real talk about catalysts for self-harm in the book. Walton is an angel because at the end of the book, she lists over two pages of readily accessible resources on suicide and self-harm.

It really is just spectacularly handled. show less

~~~~~~~4.5 Stars~~~~~~~

Magical Realism done perfectly. Leslye Walton's writing style is absolutely magnificent!! The robust list of characters residing within this hauntingly beautiful tale contains some of the best character development I have read in a long time... if not ever. This book harkens back to a time before Fairytales were sterilized and fluffed, a time when tales mirrored the intrinsic ugliness of Life. The lyrical prose delve into the obsessive/destructive/bewitching beauty of show more Youth, Lust, Betrayal, Hope and most of all Love (in all of its many forms). Each character is not only breathtaking but an integral part of this intoxicating story. The book's essence is so immersive that I often found myself crying, laughing, cringing and holding my breath... willing the night to last so I could live in its world a bit longer. "Love makes us such fools" indeed and I am undeniably a fool for this book. A must read for any who look for a book that leaves you irrevocably changed. show less

Magical Realism done perfectly. Leslye Walton's writing style is absolutely magnificent!! The robust list of characters residing within this hauntingly beautiful tale contains some of the best character development I have read in a long time... if not ever. This book harkens back to a time before Fairytales were sterilized and fluffed, a time when tales mirrored the intrinsic ugliness of Life. The lyrical prose delve into the obsessive/destructive/bewitching beauty of Youth, Lust, Betrayal, show more Hope and most of all Love (in all of its many forms). Each character is not only breathtaking but an integral part of this intoxicating story. The book's essence is so immersive that I often found myself crying, laughing, cringing and holding my breath... willing the night to last so I could live in its world a bit longer. "Love makes us such fools" indeed and I am undeniably a fool for this book. A must read for any who look for a book that leaves you irrevocably changed show less

You know when you catch a TV show you haven’t ever seen, but it's been playing for years? The kind when you just so happen to stop on a channel and it is intriguing and you like the hero’s face and funny one-liners so you Google it, and Google turns into Netflix and Netflix turns into buying everything on Amazon?

Then, you have 8 seasons to catch up on (Supernatural) or your friend only bought the first season and you have to watch the new ones on ABC (Once Upon A Time) or you watch both show more seasons on Netflix and have to wait two whole damn years for the next season (Sherlock). But you can’t watch it every second of every day like you wanted to because you have to work or see Catching Fire or attend family Thanksgiving‘s.

And my personal battle—the Netflix plan being DVD only. Cause I live out where wifi is almost nonexistent. (Seriously, think The Last House on the Left without a sexy, uh I mean creepy, Aaron Paul and no lake. Just fields and forests and a Verizon mifi Jetpack that sometimes works because this is apparently a dominant AT&T zone).

THAT is what reading this book was like. I wanted to devout my life to it. But, with an 8 hour work day and the fact that I must have 8 hours of sleep or else I will be a raging bitch in heels, I was cut down to a half hour of reading or less in the 4 days I read the The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender.

It is absolutely strange and beautiful. Don’t take the title for granted.

We meet the title character, Ava, in the first paragraph, but it isn’t her story until about 50% into this book. I mean, in a way, it is her story. It’s an unusual buildup to her current life. She is narrating it, but it is truly a tale of atypical generations.

It is probably not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I, however; loved it. It was this perfectly strange mix of beautiful, lyrical prose and peculiar, original characters. Combining those two and you obviously have an interesting book. No doubt, I was hooked from the minute a baby was born with wings.

More than anything, this is a story about family. A beautifully woven, heartbreaking tale centered on a family who, in their own way, will always be the strongest love they find.

There isn’t a single thing in this book that was unnecessary. No character went unnoticed or underappreciated. Every little detail fell in sync with the ultimate ending.

And I absolutely loved it. Every single thing. I loved when it made it me giggle or smile at something clever. I loved when it made me cry. And believe me, I cried. Every tiny, perfect sentence that I soaked in and held until I was sure I would never forget it.

And that’s the best thing about The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. You will never forget it.

I’ve thrown the world “perfect” around a couple of times. I guess that’s it. Perfect. This book is perfect. show less