The Casquette Girls (The Casquette Girls, 1)

This book sounds so intriguing from the synopsis: New Orleans! Magic! Secrets! I thought I’d be reading a post-Katrina version of American Horror Story: Coven. I thought, since the author herself is from New Orleans, there was little chance I wouldn’t love this story. Turns out, I couldn’t even force myself to finish it.

The Casquette Girls tells the story of Adele, who returns to New Orleans after The Storm (never actually named, but obviously meant to represent Hurricane Katrina) and uncovers secrets of the magical sort when she starts exploring in her attic and attending a new school.

The Good: I really enjoyed the concept of this story, and thought a YA novel about post-Katrina New Orleans would be brilliant. There is so much potential! So much of New Orleans’ history and culture is woven into the story in a way that isn’t all Mardi Gras and whatever tourists expect when they visit Louisiana. However…

The Bad: The author is from New Orleans, and she never lets you forget it. The reader is constantly beaten over the head with long, winding, and unnecessary exposition about the neighborhoods in the city, the street names, and how much Adele LOVES NEW ORLEANS OK SHE LOVES IT SO MUCH. This book is over 500 pages long and it felt like the vast majority of the first 200 were wasted in this manner.

The Ugly: The fact of the matter is that the writing is the biggest downfall. Characters are unbelievably written, with little to no personality between them except to fulfill recycled YA tropes. It’s the interaction between characters, however, that was especially unpleasant to read. Every conversation feels forced, like the author is just trying to connect plot points, and the way Adele converses with people is unrealistic at best. I made it to 25% of this novel and literally nothing had happened other than Adele waxing poetically about New Orleans and having contrived interactions with a handful of other characters.

You can probably see why I had to DNF this book. Nothing felt natural, or enjoyable, or gave me any hope for improvement as the story progressed. I had to quit at the 25% mark because I was so frustrated. As someone who experienced Hurricane Katrina and lived close to New Orleans, it’s disappointing that this book fell so short of my expectations. But ultimately, there are far better urban fantasy novels out there to read. I highly recommend you pick up any one of those instead, or watch AHS: Coven.

I finished it last night and it's 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

It's got that southern supernatural party vibe of The Originals. If you didn't want to visit New Orleans before, you will after reading this book. But the relationships and bonds are so much stronger. It reminds me of the friendships and sacrifices of The Vampire Diaries. There's also that effortless romance that reminds me so much of Twilight however the Heroine is a strong, independent young woman who can save herself; not the damsel in distress type at all. All of this mixed in with a grit that reminds me of True Blood. I had to preorder the next one before I even finished it. You really should read it 💜

[NOTE: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I’m not sure exactly how to rate this novel: I really liked the setting (New Orleans), but some of the characters’ features sometimes made me roll my eyes. To be fair, this may be in part due to my own jaded views on similar works: I’ve probably read one too many YA paranormal romance stories, so the usual love triangle and annoying guy attitudes has become old for me. I regret not liking this book more, at any rate.

The setting was definitely enchanting, in a sort of twisted way—twisted because this New Orleans is one slowly getting back on its feet after one of the most devastating hurricanes it’s ever seen (possibly Katrina, or at the least inspired by it). Infrastructures are in shambles, crime’s on the rise, there’s a curfew the police can barely enforce… And while I have no idea if this is an accurate depiction of a post-hurricane city, whether it would’ve been thus left to fend for itself by the government, I still liked that NOLA, for its blend of “post-ap” and people trying to go back to, and go on with, their lives there, keep smiling, keep the businesses running, and so on. Somehow, I could understand Adele’s desire to stay there, and not be shipped off to Paris or somewhere else, all the more since it’d mean being in a boarding school and not with her family. It was still magic.

I also liked the parts about Adeline: a bit awkward in the way it was introduced, maybe (a journal), but her journey, the people she met, the stifling stay in a ship for weeks, knowing a threat was lurking and nobody could just walk away to escape it, those were interesting.

On the downside, the novel relies on quite a few YA tropes that I couldn’t care less about—love triangles, good boy vs. bad boy love interest, female characters being talked about as if they weren’t there and generally being a bit… passive, Queen Bee and Mean Girls at school, and so on. Granted, Adele was not passive for the whole story so I won’t fault her too much for that, and the school part wasn’t the main part; it just felt like the “mandatory YA dynamics being inserted here”, when the actual plot itself could’ve done without that. Mysterious murders, predators waking up, Adeline’s story shedding light on what happened and hinting at what to be done: all those would’ve been fine, no need for a romance subplot (which didn’t have anything special going for it), that slowed down the pace to a crawl in places: I could do with the “slower” chapters used to describe the city and its atmosphere, I could do less with lulls caused by romantic scenes.

Some of the descriptions (told in 1st person) were a bit odd, too—on the purple prose side, and not very believable coming from a 16-year-old girl. I found this happened mostly in the beginning (darkness being described as “the obsidian”, or “espresso-coloured hair”?), and less afterwards. I’m not sure either about the French words and sentences used here and there; some were alright, others sounded grammatically weird. No idea if this is how people in New Orleans do speak, but as a native French reader, it’s strange.

Finally, I felt some subplots and threads were left somehow dangling. For instance, Adele’s mother was thrown in here a bit at random, too close to the end. And I would’ve liked to know a bit more about Cosette and the native girl; did they have offspring or not, and if not, was it to keep the number of characters down? Sometimes it seemed like things happened by coincidence, as plot devices, and not naturally enough to be really believable.

Conclusion: The main plot (monsters and witchcraft, with events originating in the past) was good, even though not the most original ever—it’s less about “being original” and more about “what you make of it” anyway. Yet I didn’t really care about the main characters, nor about the romance.

This was a fantastic novel that is a must read for fans of paranormal romance/thriller! I absolutely adore any book that is set in New Orleans, and so far, I haven't been let down by a book with that setting. This book is no exception, and it proves that Alys Arden is one to watch. She created the perfect gothic tale set in the perfect city, and I loved every minute of it. The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the length. There were a couple times I felt the story dragged on a bit, and there were definitely scenes that could have been cut out. These scenes slowed down the pacing of the book immensely. If these scenes would have been edited out, I would have easily given this novel 5 stars.

In a time when witches and vampires have been over done and the concept basically run into the ground, Ms. Arden manages to breathe new life into the genre. This book has a slow build to a wonderfully fast-paced, heart-racing conclusion that will leave you guessing. Every scene is richly described, and the characters are written perfectly. I truly felt as if I knew every character in this novel, and I felt as if I was in New Orleans the entire time. I could see the drastic destruction that Adele witnessed; I could feel her every emotion. To me, this is the sign of a gifted author.

Adele was the perfect female lead. She had a sassy attitude, but is forced to become accustom to her new way of life in her storm ravaged home. The one thing I loved about her was watching her grow over the course of the novel. Ms. Arden gave her such life in this novel, and her characterization and development was perfectly written. Sure, there were times when she had me rolling my eyes at her actions, but I enjoyed the fun and spunk her character brought to the book. I will warn you now, there is a love triangle of sorts, which I normally don't love, but in this book it worked. I'll just throw this out there, but I was rooting for Isaac the entire time. I thought he was perfect for Adele, and his personality meshed very well with hers.

One aspect of this novel that was very unique was the tie to the past. Through journal entries we learn about the Casquette Girls and Adeline. I thought this was a very creative way to intertwine the events of the past to the current events going on in the story, and I was very intrigued throughout reading, trying to figure out just how everything would tie together in the end. You are basically getting two stories in one with this novel, and while this probably wouldn't work for most stories, it was perfect for this novel.

This is an excellent book that I highly recommend to all fans of the paranormal genre. The plot leaves you guessing, and there are many twists and turns that you will never see coming. I do hope though that the next book is edited down a bit more, so that the pacing isn't slowed down by unnecessary scenes. However, even with these scenes in the book, it was still a very enjoyable read that made me want to visit New Orleans even more!

Happy reading :)

I bought the first book in a local indie bookstore because, growing up on the MS Gulf Coast, I'd heard vague tales of the Cassette Girls and was curious to learn more. As the supernatural theme of the story became more apparent I considered putting the book down, but the NOLA setting and the spot-on details of post-hurricane reality kept me going. It was a happy accident that I realized there was a second book, and I trolled the bookstore waiting for the release of the third and fourth books. I am now on page 445 of the fourth book and am sorry to see it's coming to an end. I can't wait to get my hands on #5!

I bought the first book in a local indie bookstore because, growing up on the MS Gulf Coast, I'd heard vague tales of the Cassette Girls and was curious to learn more. As the supernatural theme of the story became more apparent I considered putting the book down, but the NOLA setting and the spot-on details of post-hurricane reality kept me going. It was a happy accident that I realized there was a second book, and I trolled the bookstore waiting for the release of the third and fourth books. I am now on page 445 of the fourth book and am sorry to see it's coming to an end. I can't wait to get my hands on #5!

Love love LOVE this book. I'm not much of a reader because of my attention span, but this book is so interesting and keeps me wanting to read more and more! I can read this book for hours. I got it a few days ago and I'm already almost finished with it! And it's a pretty big/long book. But it's the best book I've read in a long time and it's my favorite now too! So excited to read the 2 book when it's released! Alys Arden did a great job in writing this book! I definitely recommend this book to teenagers and adults. The only thing I dislike about it is that I wish there was a dictionary in the back of the book for all the French words that are used in the story. I've had to google a lot of them to figure out what they mean. But it's still great and my all time fav! 😍📖⚰️💋

3.5 Stars

This review was a long time coming. Partially because I have so many books to read but also because no matter how many times I tried to focus on the story, it felt a little tedious. I wanted to fall head over heels because what’s not to love? New Orleans, witches, vampires, werewolves, all that angst, diary entries, the big bad mystery, and yet, the story fell flat.

Here’s what I loved (PROS):

The atmosphere. New Orleans post-Storm comes to life with vivid, haunting clarity. You feel the smoky magic and mystery saturating the muggy weather. The devastation and destruction are powerful and moving. There are brief moments of social commentary on the government response and aid. There’s this sense of a city sleeping, just waiting to be awakened. Much like the vampires.

Characters, for the most part, are quirky, diverse, and unique. They all have that particular NOLA strangeness that reads as eccentric and unforgettable. Drag queens, LGBT characters, people of color. It’s all there in beautiful glory and variety.

Diary entries. WOW. They totally transport you to 18th century France and some island settlements, as well as early Louisiana before it was officially established. As a historian, the Casquette girls, the aristocracy, the treatment of slaves, all of it will awaken you to another time.

Mystery propels the plot forward. You’ll want to know the reason behind all the spooky things happening around Adele and to the city.

Isaac is smoking hot. He’s mysterious, artistic, a little brooding, and a lot sexy. He is attentive and flirty with Adele and she’s just NOT having it.
Mind BLOWN.The chemistry is there. Like an epiphany.

Here’s what I disliked (CONS):

Adele is an interesting character but in many ways, not as compelling as some of the minor characters. She’s kind of boring and impulsive. She grows on you. It seemed like she was lacking in development. I wanted to know more about her likes, her dislikes, what makes her Adele and not some random girl on the street. Even her friendships were loosely inserted and then sort of fizzled out (Brooke and the twins).

The story is convoluted and complex. At times the pieces kind of get muddled.

The pacing is slow. Oh, so slow. The book drags on forever. I felt like the story would never end. There are several parts that might have been shortened to keep the reader engaged but instead, I found myself getting bored and putting the book down.

Adele’s obsession with Nicco is bizarre and a bit random. It seems to come out of nowhere. There’s not enough interaction for them to feel so crazy, compulsively strong. Borderline INSTALOVE.

Many questions were left unanswered.

I thank the person that recommended this book to me every day. I cant get enough and the deeper I got into the actual plot the more addicted to the writing style I became. Recommend to people who like fantasy/paranormal/magic vibes in a contemporary setting!

Book literally looked new, great story and I can’t wait to buy the next in the series!