A review by mad_about_books
Invisible Chains by Michelle Renee Lane
5.0
INVISIBLE CHAINS is a perfect blend of history and magic. Although history, as presented in school, may be boring and dull, historical fiction tends to add color and context. Historical horror fiction has the added element of supernatural beings. In this case, the supernatural balances the true horror of slavery in the American South prior to the Civil War. Although written for an adult audience, mature teens could certainly benefit from reading this to better understand American history. The degree of authenticity in the depiction of depravity and cruelty to slaves is truly bloodcurdling. We can walk away from the supernatural aspects of the tale, brushing them aside as just a story. It is far more difficult to do the same with the history; at least it is for me.
Clarion prose and dynamic characters mark this debut novel as an excellent start to what should be a long an illustrious career. I found myself seeing the people and places described. I've walked on some of the mentioned streets in the French Quarter that remain timeless to this day.
I also found myself questioning just who is and who isn't a monster. Every character has two sides. This Janus-like quality is most obvious in the supernatural monsters making them easy to love and easy to fear at the same time. It is not so obvious in the white slave holders where the duality is more a two-faced nature… the face shown in white society, and the face of the bigoted slave owner.
Along with history and magic, this is a tale of our times. We see the us and them mentality every night on the news and in our social media. I find that a book such as INVISIBLE CHAINS clarifies and solidifies my own feelings that until we reach a time and place where all are truly equal we will continue to take two steps back for every forward stride.
There is no doubt that Michelle Renee Lane has made it to my 'authors I must read' list.
Clarion prose and dynamic characters mark this debut novel as an excellent start to what should be a long an illustrious career. I found myself seeing the people and places described. I've walked on some of the mentioned streets in the French Quarter that remain timeless to this day.
I also found myself questioning just who is and who isn't a monster. Every character has two sides. This Janus-like quality is most obvious in the supernatural monsters making them easy to love and easy to fear at the same time. It is not so obvious in the white slave holders where the duality is more a two-faced nature… the face shown in white society, and the face of the bigoted slave owner.
Along with history and magic, this is a tale of our times. We see the us and them mentality every night on the news and in our social media. I find that a book such as INVISIBLE CHAINS clarifies and solidifies my own feelings that until we reach a time and place where all are truly equal we will continue to take two steps back for every forward stride.
There is no doubt that Michelle Renee Lane has made it to my 'authors I must read' list.