The Casquette Girls

Acerbic, scary, and funny, Alys Arden’s first novel, The Casquette Girls, is a terrific read for fans of Young Adult paranormal novels. Arden, a Crescent City native, has created a memorable protagonist in Adele Le Moyne, an irascible sixteen-year-old. Adele and her father are forced to leave her beloved New Orleans during evacuation of the city before the great Storm of 2005. Although maddening at times, Adel’s stubborn, angst-filled, cynical innocence resonates and it’s fascinating to follow her journey. The author also paints a harrowing portrait of a besieged city, storm ravaged New Orleans, and I found it much more affecting than any fictional dystopian drama. Arden’s New Orleans is a ruined city filled with violence, broken dreams, and because it involves the paranormal, ancient curses.

Although her setting is clearly the post-Katrina Big Easy, Arden never refers to Hurricane Katrina by name. Instead, she creates an alternate New Orleans, and calls the catastrophe, “the Storm.” Arden fills her novel with a gaggle of quirky supporting characters and an alluring set of seductive antagonists. Some readers have compared The Casquette Girls to Twilight, but Forks was never like this.

After a brief stay in Paris with her emotionally detached mother and her mom’s sexy assistant, Adele and her father return to their ruined French Quarter home. Father and daughter find a city ravaged by the Storm, a desolate place with no water, food, or electricity. Post-Storm New Orleans is a virtual no-man’s land, the streets impassible, the town’s customary joie de vivre drowned by tears and waves of diseased ridden water. A rash of unexplained murders has left the few remaining members of the New Orleans Police Department scratching their heads, especially after discovering that someone or something has drained the bodies of their blood. Adele’s encounter with a desiccated corpse, a bizarre occurrence at an Ursuline convent, and the discovery of an 18th century diary penned by an ancestor, sets up a series of events that unravel for 400 crazy, but spellbinding pages.

With The Casquette Girls, Arden has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into her debut novel, yet manages to keep her readers involved. With Alys Arden, fans of New Orleans-based fiction have a surefire contender for Anne Rice’s crown as Queen of New Orleans Authors.

It doesn't happen very often but every once in a while I will come across a book that is so good that I just don't want to finish it. I say every once in a while because it's probably only happened to me a handful of times. The Casquette Girls was one such time. It is a novel written with such rich elequant beauty that it truely made me sad to finish it. This book has layers of masterfully written storyline and poetic description, written so well that it takes you into the world of New Orleans. This isn't just a great book. This is one of the best books I have ever...EVER read. Alys Arden is a talent beyond compare and I promise I will be reading everything this author publishes.

Adeline has been in school Paris while her hometown of New Orleans recovers from Katrina, and her city may never be the same. This book is full of characters that I would love to meet if I ever get to The Crescent City; the flamboyant ghost tour leader, the short order cook/drag queen, the old lady who runs the voodoo/herb shop, the older French couple who run the local cafe - and those are just the supporting cast!

Oh, and did I mention hot vampires? Because there are several of those.

I was surprised to learn that this is Arden's first book; she is a master at evoking an acute sense of time and place. I could practically feel the swampy heat of a city without electricity or air conditioning, and I may have swooned for Adeline when she finally got some fresh milk for her coffee, or her first burger after months of eating canned food. The added flashbacks and historical details made this book even more enjoyable for me.

So if New Orleans, historical fiction, things that go bump in the night, and magical boys are ticked boxes for you, you should DEFINITELY read THE CASQUETTE GIRLS.

Kept me intriqued. Loved the bits of history weaved in. This was a quick, easy read.

I loved this book! Having just visited New Orleans, I could picture each adventure that the main character took me on. The mystery, charm and history of New Orleans was captured beautifully by the author! Absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves New Orleans and the supernatural!

Lots of fun and great characters -- a definite must-read

I couldn't put the book down. I'd heard about the book while down and New Orleans. The author captures New Orleans so well it made me miss it. Great book. Hoping for a sequel!!

The Casquette Girls is a truly immersive read. Regardless of your age or background, it is impossible not to identify with Adele as she returns home to a devastated city and gets pulled into a supernatural conflict going back generations. Under Alys Arden’s deft hand, the story unwinds itself as Adele comes to grips with the destruction of her home, the deaths of her neighbors, and an ancient curse that she is inexplicably involved with. At once, the book is a coming of age story, a horror novel, and a great tragedy. Arden takes the already magnificent city of New Orleans with its history and mythology and develops it into place that is as solid and real as any wrought iron fence but as deeply magical as any fantasy realm.

I originally had the privilege of reading this novel on Wattpad, where it was developed and fell in love with it. Now two years later, I have sat down with the published book and plunged back under its spell and the deep atmosphere of Adele’s world. Despite knowing the story, I hung on every word and marveled at the twists and surprises. There is word that a sequel is in the works and I am eagerly awaiting it.

Don’t wait to discover this amazing book for yourself.

Well written, very excitng, a page turner to the end. I picked "The Casquette Girls" at the Vampire Shop in New Orleans. Owner suggested the book when I told I was a fan of Ann Rice and True Blood. Being a reader of books on history I really enjoyed Ms. Arden's blend of past and present in her writing. This story will not disappoint.

This book is so fantastic!!! Take a chance, and go for it!!! Just the right amount of romance, mystery, and paranormal!! And unlike so many other books, this one hits the nail on the head about what it is like to live in the SPECTACULAR city of New Orleans. The descriptions she gives are spot on!! And this book is fun!!!! You won't want to put it down!!!!