Official Review: Blood and Magnolias by Morgan Summerfield

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Poppy Drear
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Official Review: Blood and Magnolias by Morgan Summerfield

Post by Poppy Drear »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Blood and Magnolias" by Morgan Summerfield.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Blood and Magnolias is a thriller novel with strong overtones of romance and atmospheric horror. The book follows Adrean, a Cajun who married into a wealthy Creole family, as she is swept up into a sinister plot that causes her to be manipulated by almost every man in her life. At the onset of the story, she is trapped in an extremely unhappy marriage, and the book centers on themes of self-discovery as she tries to navigate the complex and often toxic relationships she's built up while trying to avoid the machinations of the grand plan that's been coiling around her for years.

This book's environment is central to its narrative. Set in Louisiana, the opulent lifestyles of the upper class and the down-home Cajun way of life played out against the bayou are played off of each other, drawing Adrean's conflict between the person she is and the person others want to be into stark relief with beautifully descriptive prose. The inclusion of various elements of Voodoo tradition also serves to give the narrative a unique character.

The characters in this book are, for the most part, either self-absorbed to the point of mania or beaten down to the point of hopelessness. This provides tremendous opportunities for character development, and while I feel that the author could have done more in this area, the characters are all distinct and engaging nonetheless. Their crises always feel believable, despite their extremity, and the narrative never demands baseless pity for them. As the threads of the overarching plot were revealed through their actions, I felt a deep sense of dread for the horrific events that befell Adrean, as well as those that had yet to occur. This is the single most exciting aspect of Blood and Magnolias, in my opinion, as it blends romance and, to some extent, horror elements to create a truly unique thriller experience.

While the book deals with some extremely dark topics, including abusive relationships, sexual assault, and implied incest, these themes are never forced or romanticized. There are many sexual scenes, but the focus throughout is on Adrean's growth and development, rather than her romantic relationships themselves. At a certain point towards the end of the book, she does feel a bit too much like a stereotypical damsel in distress for my liking, but this wasn't glaring enough to detract significantly from my enjoyment. Her romantic relationships with the different men in the book were distinct and believable. The overarching theme of romance, as well as the various ways romantic relationships can be healthy or abusive, are explored thoroughly without feeling cluttered or disorganized; again, the focus is always centered on Adrean.

Blood and Magnolias is far from a conventional thriller; there's no murder mystery to be solved, and the "blood" in the title refers more to familial blood, as in "bloodline." It is a refreshing breath of air in a genre that often becomes fixated on overused tropes, and many of the plot elements are downright disturbing without being over-the-top. For these reasons, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in thrillers, or fans of romance and atmospheric horror who are open to the thriller genre, but I'd caution potential readers that it addresses very heavy and potentially triggering themes.

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This review has been edited slightly by the reviewer. The rating has remained unchanged.
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Blood and Magnolias
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Osuma
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Post by Osuma »

This Is A Book That Is Base Relationships A Woman "Cajun" Who Was Married Into A Rich Family! Whose Make Her To Plot Against Any Man She Come's Across In Her Live'because She Was Entangle With An Unhappy Marriage! The Mostly Centred On Self Discovery! How She Manage To Stard Up To Her! It Is Also Centre On Naratives' In A City Called Lusiana! It Deal Dark Aspect Like Sexual Issue ,like Rape! Blood An Mongnolias Is Far Love Thrilling Stories, I Reccommend This Book To Any People Who Interested Discovering ,how To Build Ur Married Life An D Entire World!
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Post by Jonida »

Never read a thrill novel before, this book may be the case to explore something new. Would like to know how it sound to read instead see a movie of this genre... interesting
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Post by revna01 »

Thank you for a thorough review! What an interesting dichotomy of characters. The author's choice of Louisiana for the backdrop was smartly done, as it is somewhat renown for its socioeconomic diversity. This sounds like a book worth checking into.
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Post by cpru68 »

Nicely done on this review in that it gave me a good glimpse into what the storyline is all about without giving any of the secrets away. I am not into horror, so thank you for making that clear here. I am okay with a thriller or what have you, but too much graphic type situations is not my cup of tea. It sounds like the author hit the mark for the genre though.
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Koech1
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Post by Koech1 »

Best thriller I have ever read. It makes you glued to the unfoldings and wanting to get more and more of the story. Clearly Morgan Summerfield nailed it.
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Post by Delilish6 »

It sound like the author work to hit life's personal notes with love and family. Generally we look towards the grounds of parenting life to set the stage for what's to come. Although, the past can appear deranged it take an adult time to work through a dismayed of family history. The blood or bloodline could represent the tradition past down through the generations that often many tend to suppress then reveal through the story line. Excellent discussion!
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sofiam
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Post by sofiam »

Nice review I love those kinds of books. I love thrillers. Excellent story.
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Post by bnoy »

Great review. You really seemed to capture the essence of the novel. This novel sounds fantastic and important in its ideas. I'm glad the character doesn't fall too much into the role of the damsel in distress as I probably wouldn't read it if she did. Can't wait to read!
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Post by Jonida »

All the comments made me thinking of reading more books of this genre. So interesting it is mentoned that this is the best thriller Koech1 has ever read... can you reccomend to me any other book like this? Thank you!!!
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Post by kandscreeley »

A great rating on this one. I've seen quite a few books recently about toxic relationships. This one definitely sounds like it has some unique things going for it, which is nice! Thanks for the review.
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

I don't understand! How is this a horror novel? Thriller for sure and it really got my attention. I think the cover illustration does not give a detail description on what this book is about. I'm intriguing by your review and truly want to take a look at this book. The synopsis that you have stated is interesting enough to secure a interest within me and others as well. Thank you!
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Post by kdstrack »

Seems like an interesting read if you are interested in thrillers/horror. I enjoyed your review of this book. Thanks for the heads up on the abuse and sexual content.
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Ashiyya Tariq
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Post by Ashiyya Tariq »

The story is quite intriguing. Though I am not a fan this genre. I am glad,you enjoyed it. Thanks for your interesting review.
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Post by Lu_rire »

Nice review. Although I dont like damsels in distress who just wait or cry to be saved, Adrean doesn't completely seem like a damsel in distress though she is a little bit like one.
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