Reviews - Draakensky | The StoryGraph

When I settle in to read anything Paula Cappa has written, I know I will be transported by her words to places that will touch both my heart and soul. She paints songs and composes landscapes that speak to my need for more than the mundane. She never disappoints.

Draakensky Windmill estate seems like a world unto itself. Dominated by a windmill that never sleeps, it is the home of Jaa Moreland, who is more than a little obsessed with her dead sister, Heida. And then there are the magicks. "Magick" as opposed to "magic" is a very deliberate indication that there are dark forces at play.

Charlotte Knight is offered a plum commission illustrating a book of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke by Jaa Moreland, the rather strange mistress of Draakensky Windmill estate in Westchester County, New York. With the contract already signed, Charlotte learns of the possible murder of Jaa's sister, Heida, and that ghosts may be an integral part of the job. She balks at the prospect. Nevertheless, she packs her bags, gets in her aging Fiat, and drives east from Chicago. Things seldom seem to work out for our Ms. Knight, and when they don't, she chooses flight over fight.

Charlotte's illustrations put her in almost immediate conflict with Jaa, who is furious that she went ahead without consulting her regarding Heida's vision for the book. Just how does a person compete with the memory (or the conjuring) of a dead woman?

The Draakensky property borders the Mianus River near the New York town of Bedford. There is a bridge that spans the Mianus at a place of dangerous currents and waterfalls. On the opposite side is Yew Crag, a wild site with a huge yew tree as its centerpiece. Yew Crag is the place where Heida's body is found — a body for which no definitive cause of death is determined.

Marc Sexton owns an Irish pub in Bedford with a brass sign proclaiming "Sexton Whiskey Pub, Est. 1888." (As an avid reader in the realm of Jack the Ripper, seeing 1888 made me go there. Murder. Mystery. I was way off base this time.) Marc's Celtic heritage is central to the magickal theme. The mutual attraction between Marc and Charlotte is palpable. He wants to be her protector; she wants to assert her independence.

As I have come to expect from Paula Cappa's writing, there is more than just a story — more than a plot and some characters in a location — there is beautiful prose to savor, as one savors a fine wine or a great cup of coffee. It is necessary to roll the images she creates around in your mind. You can see the giant yew. You can see the grand windmill. You can experience the terror of dark magick. All this while secure in the comfort of your favorite reading chair.

I suggest that you scan through the Acknowledgments for some interesting tidbits about DRAAKENSKY, Rainer Maria Rilke, and the Mianus River Gorge Preserve, which is part of a 42-square-mile watershed encompassing several towns and two states. These after-pages help to root the magick in reality... or perhaps reality in magick.

There is but one word for DRAAKENSKY — Magnifique!

DRAAKENSKY is currently available on Kindle for preorder and will be released on September 27, 2024.

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