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A Banshee's Tale
Catherine Dalry feels like a normal child, growing up in a normal small town, raised by normal, middle-income parents. That is, until she starts school. Children and adults alike look at her with trepidation and scorn. She learns quickly that her version of normal and theirs differ greatly. Just as Catherine is preparing to turn sixteen, she is forced on a journey that will change her life in ways most only dream of. An ancient book teaches her of the connection between her freaky eyes and the secretive ranks she is now forced to join by matter of inheritance. She is a Guide, or in the old country, a Banshee. As far as the masses are concerned, Catherine’s destiny is to be the wailing spectral woman that wanders the land lamenting and signaling the impending death of a loved one. As her life is pulled in countless directions, she leans on her best friend and psychic, Will; her beloved aunt, teacher, and fellow Guide, Lucie; and her attractive and terminally arrogant Caomhnóir or protector, Zane. The world of myth, mystery, and fairytale monsters engulfs Catherine and sets her on a course of self-discovery and life altering responsibility.
Caomhnóir: pronounced Kaevnore
Caomhnóir: pronounced Kaevnore
ebook
First published October 28, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 29, 2011
Life lesson #1 - Don't judge a book by its cover. A Banshee's Tale is Veronica Breville's debut novel and it proved to be a most refreshing break from the typical world of YA fantasy. It's always fun to get out of my vampire/werewolf/dystopian comfort zone.
First off, I loved Breville's spin on Banshee mythology. My only run-in with banshees comes from the late-nineties tv show, So Weird. Everyone remembers Fi, right? And then that blond girl who took her place...? No?
Well, I digress.
I really enjoyed watching the novel's protagonist, Catherine, grow, as the story unfolded. I also enjoyed seeing her relationships develop, particularly her relationship with my new literary man-crush, ZANE. Le sigh.
Now, while I thought some bits of the story were rushed or a little less descriptive than I would have liked, there were still a lot of things I absolutely loved that make the book worth reading.
The mystery and fantasy elements really sucked me in, and I didn't let go until the last chapter. I'll warn you, Breville's cliffhanger is "GAH!!" inducing (in a good way), and it's just further proof that there are many secrets just waiting to be revealed!!
This series has amazing potential and I am super excited to see what's next for Cat & co.
First off, I loved Breville's spin on Banshee mythology. My only run-in with banshees comes from the late-nineties tv show, So Weird. Everyone remembers Fi, right? And then that blond girl who took her place...? No?
Well, I digress.
I really enjoyed watching the novel's protagonist, Catherine, grow, as the story unfolded. I also enjoyed seeing her relationships develop, particularly her relationship with my new literary man-crush, ZANE. Le sigh.
Now, while I thought some bits of the story were rushed or a little less descriptive than I would have liked, there were still a lot of things I absolutely loved that make the book worth reading.
The mystery and fantasy elements really sucked me in, and I didn't let go until the last chapter. I'll warn you, Breville's cliffhanger is "GAH!!" inducing (in a good way), and it's just further proof that there are many secrets just waiting to be revealed!!
This series has amazing potential and I am super excited to see what's next for Cat & co.
December 26, 2011
I only have one word that I can use to describe A Banshee’s Tale by Veronica Breville - Awkward. From the writing style, to the dialogue, to the cliff-hanger, everything was awkward.
A Banshee’s Tale is a told from the point of view of Catherine Dalry, who wakes up one day to find her hair on fire - not literally, but close enough. As a trait of a banshee - or Guide - her hair sometimes looks as though it’s engulfed in flames, so she wears a hat to school which causes her some humiliation. However, the reader need not worry about this; it never plays a part in the story, other than pointless humiliation of the protagonist.
Another trait of Guides is their strange eyes. Catherine has had these strange eyes all her life, yet, her mother never clues her in on the family history, even though her aunt is a Guide. I found it very frustrating that the aunt seemed present in Catherine’s life, yet she never questioned the strange eyes - which, by the way, the reader doesn’t find out what’s so strange about them until half-way through the novel.
Some Guides, especially the really special and powerful ones, usually have a Caomhnóir - a protector. Catherine’s protector turns out to be a gorgeous young man and, of course, she’s madly attracted to and hopelessly in love with him at first sight.
I had some major complaints about this story. First, Will - Catherine’s best friend, who she loves like a brother - share a similar dream with Catherine, but, instead of telling her about it, suddenly starts avoiding her so he could research why they shared the same dream. When he finally confesses, she decides to ask her aunt, but doesn’t ask her aunt until some time later.
Next, Catherine’s protector, Zane, is very two dimensional and sometimes sounds like he’s from a Jane Austen novel. He is also much older than young Catherine and well, for them to be romantically involved - which was obvious from the time they met - is a little creepy.
Finally (though I could go on and on) Will’s grandmother reveals a secret to Will, but, even though she’s been talking to Will all the time, she suddenly needs to tell only Catherine. The secret is to find a diary which will lead will to a secret (the real secret?) about his family history. The frustrating part was that Will knows that his mother has the diary and tells them this, but they wait for days before following up on this lead. Then, we have a fabulous cliff-hanger, which did not make me want to find out what happens next, because at that point, I really did not care.
This book really needed an editor - there were so many more things that I found frustrating, another example being the passage of time, very confusing - however, I am not sure there was enough to the plot to make it worthy of a series. I’m not really sure where the author will take the rest of this, but I am not intrigued enough to read on.
A Banshee’s Tale is a told from the point of view of Catherine Dalry, who wakes up one day to find her hair on fire - not literally, but close enough. As a trait of a banshee - or Guide - her hair sometimes looks as though it’s engulfed in flames, so she wears a hat to school which causes her some humiliation. However, the reader need not worry about this; it never plays a part in the story, other than pointless humiliation of the protagonist.
Another trait of Guides is their strange eyes. Catherine has had these strange eyes all her life, yet, her mother never clues her in on the family history, even though her aunt is a Guide. I found it very frustrating that the aunt seemed present in Catherine’s life, yet she never questioned the strange eyes - which, by the way, the reader doesn’t find out what’s so strange about them until half-way through the novel.
Some Guides, especially the really special and powerful ones, usually have a Caomhnóir - a protector. Catherine’s protector turns out to be a gorgeous young man and, of course, she’s madly attracted to and hopelessly in love with him at first sight.
I had some major complaints about this story. First, Will - Catherine’s best friend, who she loves like a brother - share a similar dream with Catherine, but, instead of telling her about it, suddenly starts avoiding her so he could research why they shared the same dream. When he finally confesses, she decides to ask her aunt, but doesn’t ask her aunt until some time later.
Next, Catherine’s protector, Zane, is very two dimensional and sometimes sounds like he’s from a Jane Austen novel. He is also much older than young Catherine and well, for them to be romantically involved - which was obvious from the time they met - is a little creepy.
Finally (though I could go on and on) Will’s grandmother reveals a secret to Will, but, even though she’s been talking to Will all the time, she suddenly needs to tell only Catherine. The secret is to find a diary which will lead will to a secret (the real secret?) about his family history. The frustrating part was that Will knows that his mother has the diary and tells them this, but they wait for days before following up on this lead. Then, we have a fabulous cliff-hanger, which did not make me want to find out what happens next, because at that point, I really did not care.
This book really needed an editor - there were so many more things that I found frustrating, another example being the passage of time, very confusing - however, I am not sure there was enough to the plot to make it worthy of a series. I’m not really sure where the author will take the rest of this, but I am not intrigued enough to read on.
December 4, 2011
full review on talksupe.blogspot.com [this is supposed to be a 3.5]
The plot is unique and the book is an easy read. It's light, pleasant and refreshing. Catherine Dalry is a normal teenager who has an amazing family, going through the normal motions of life. But she got more than her fair share of Irish blood apart from having red hair and creamy white skin sans the freckles, she's the latest Banshee from her mother's side of the family. So her backstory is already prepped for the supernatural and all the fun stuff that goes with it.
Veronica Breville makes use of Irish myth wisely. It's always nice to read and get educated on other supernatural beings that litter the Earth, and a break from the usual fangers and hairy beasts are always a welcome challenge. As for the conflict in the story it's not as complicated as its counterparts. In my opinion, the confrontation with the Badbeh was a little underwhelming. The Badbeh are supposedly these badass body thieves and considering that Catherine and Zane, though charm protected, are newbies in the game, but somehow they managed to get away from these demons almost unscathed and they even saved/found the missing Guide! Beginners luck? I don't know, it was too easy and a little more adventure and roughing up could have been added to spice the story up a bit. I'm sure we'll be reading more about these villains in the succeeding book/s but right now, I see them more as a nuisance than threatening.
The plot is unique and the book is an easy read. It's light, pleasant and refreshing. Catherine Dalry is a normal teenager who has an amazing family, going through the normal motions of life. But she got more than her fair share of Irish blood apart from having red hair and creamy white skin sans the freckles, she's the latest Banshee from her mother's side of the family. So her backstory is already prepped for the supernatural and all the fun stuff that goes with it.
Veronica Breville makes use of Irish myth wisely. It's always nice to read and get educated on other supernatural beings that litter the Earth, and a break from the usual fangers and hairy beasts are always a welcome challenge. As for the conflict in the story it's not as complicated as its counterparts. In my opinion, the confrontation with the Badbeh was a little underwhelming. The Badbeh are supposedly these badass body thieves and considering that Catherine and Zane, though charm protected, are newbies in the game, but somehow they managed to get away from these demons almost unscathed and they even saved/found the missing Guide! Beginners luck? I don't know, it was too easy and a little more adventure and roughing up could have been added to spice the story up a bit. I'm sure we'll be reading more about these villains in the succeeding book/s but right now, I see them more as a nuisance than threatening.
January 7, 2012
*** 3.5 stars ***This is a very interesting book. I was pleased by this unique take on the Irish legend of the Banshee. This book is set in the modern day and a sixteen year old girl named Catherine has just discovered that she is a Guide, or a Banshee. Her mission in life is to help the dying cross over into the light and gain rest and peace.
She is an outcast and has only one good friend named Will. They have an unsettling connection, they both dream of a young girl being taken by an unknown entity.
Add in a handsome assistant at her father's work, and the fireworks begin. They don't get along and he is destined to help her in her work.
The books ending is unexpected. I feel that she drew it out longer than she needed to and some of the dialogue is a little strange. I'm not sure that strange is the right word, but it needs a little work.
I will be looking forward to reading more form Veronica Breville.
She is an outcast and has only one good friend named Will. They have an unsettling connection, they both dream of a young girl being taken by an unknown entity.
Add in a handsome assistant at her father's work, and the fireworks begin. They don't get along and he is destined to help her in her work.
The books ending is unexpected. I feel that she drew it out longer than she needed to and some of the dialogue is a little strange. I'm not sure that strange is the right word, but it needs a little work.
I will be looking forward to reading more form Veronica Breville.
October 4, 2011
couldn't even make it through half this book it annoyed me so much.
the main character goes through loads of training to be a 'guide' (or 'banshee') but not once is this training described. the main character one of the most emotionless and totally accepting 16 year olds i have ever heard of! she doesn't even ask many questions when she finds out her destiny as a guide.
A guide is described as someone who helps the souls of the recently deceased depart pacefully! Why does this then make the guide a banshee?
This may hace been better as a short story......possibly.......maybe.........!
the main character goes through loads of training to be a 'guide' (or 'banshee') but not once is this training described. the main character one of the most emotionless and totally accepting 16 year olds i have ever heard of! she doesn't even ask many questions when she finds out her destiny as a guide.
A guide is described as someone who helps the souls of the recently deceased depart pacefully! Why does this then make the guide a banshee?
This may hace been better as a short story......possibly.......maybe.........!
December 1, 2011
A Banshee Tale by Veronica Breville has a lot of potential to be a good book, unfortunately I had a hard time just getting through it. The main character Catherine Dairy felt under developed and didn't really stay true to the idea of an actual banshee. I also found it extremely off putting that the books ends on a cliffhanger. Overall the story seemed rushed. I really wish I could've liked this book, but I definitely think the author needs more character development in her stories. On a positive note, there's still plenty of room for the series to grow, but for now I must say it's not my cup of tea.
March 4, 2015
I quite enjoyed this YA paranomal tale of a teenager discovering her destiny as a spirit guide. Her relationship with her protector, Zane - described in the blurb as "attractive and terminally arrogant" (i.e. YUM) - has a lot of UST, which I love in a story. Add into that the emotions of dealing with the recently deceased, her psychic friend Will and her boistrous Irish family, and this makes a lovely little read. The ending makes me suspect there might be a sequel sometime, perhaps. Also, major bonus points for the pretty purple cover :)
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