Having read and reviewed book one of this series, I want to get my one complaint out of the way for both books that I’ve read so far. I don’t think miladysa should have divided this series into books. The endings of the first two books aren’t really great places to end a book, in my opinion. However, those same parts work within the context of the series, and if they weren’t “endings,” they be fine episodes on their own.

With that very minor quibble out of the way, let me say that Book II: Billy is every bit as solidly written as the first book. The story pulls the reader along through time in strange ways, but every angle is compelling without distracting from the core plot. This time out the story focuses on a barguest and some missing property.

In the side plots, we learn more about Elizabeth and her grandfather, among others. If there’s anyone who hasn’t had a chance to develop much yet as a character, it’s Gemma. But there are clues left to help explain why there’s animosity between her and Elizabeth. I have a theory that Gemma’s bravado and flirting are fronts to deal with her insecurities over being part fey, but I suspect I may have to wait until Book III to find out more. (I hope there’s more on Gemma too. She’s an interesting character,)

Overall, I found the story vividly described with a good balance of descriptions, dialogue, and action. I give Billy 4 stars, and I’d recommend it to fans of dark fantasy or paranormal thrillers

The Dreadful Doctor Faust is a quirky story aiming to be both a revenge story and a romance. But the effort to merge these two element results in a hybrid that fails to develop its main characters.

The main character is Louise, who initially washes ashore after her body is dumped from a bridge. The story bounds from past to present to tell how Louise came to be left in this way, but it also covers her acts of revenge, and her recovery with the help of The Doctor.

The story is vividly described, with characters and scenery being given time to develop visually. But while the locations ripple with dark menace, the cast of characters fall flat as cardboard stereotypes.

The Doctor is a Victorian-era mad scientist who now longs for company after a century and a half of being alone. He is depicted as cruel and cold, but then he wanders around curing cholera outbreaks. Louise is the reformed victim acting out her revenge, recalling shade of I Spit on Your Grave or many similar exploitation clones. Both are animated by the Elixir, a formula that may be similar to the Elixir that Ramses uses in The Mummy. Another character is revealed as a killer with a “mother problem,” much like Norman/Norma Bates. I bring up the comparisons because often, instead of thinking of this story, I was thinking of all the places I’d seen the same story elements before.

The romantic angle never works because The Doctor and Louise are so flat throughout the story. The only character to feel more real was a strip club owner, mainly because the narrator made him seem human. Everyone else’s history is just rattled off like a cop reading an autopsy report after the fact. While the revenge angle does reach a satisfying and gory conclusion, the scene of Louise and The Doctor coming to terms with each other doesn’t resonate with any emotion.

Overall I give The Dreadful Doctor Faust 3 stars. It’s not a bad book, but it’s not Karen Koehler’s strongest writing. I would recommend it for fans of revenge stories and 70’s Euroslash films.

The review is only for book one: RoYds

It’s hard to sum up a book that covers so much time, but the main character is Elizabeth Whyte, and the modern story follows her work with the Refuge of Delayed Souls. But a great deal of the book also journeys back in time to reveal information about the creator of the refuge, other refuge members, and Elizabeth’s ancestors.

I liked the pace of the story and found most of the characters interesting. However, the ending of the first book feels rushed. This is a webseries, so perhaps the conclusion felt right as the cutoff point to the writer, but I felt it suffered from missing details and a good closing line.

Setting that aside, I very much enjoyed the first book, and I will be starting book two, Billy, very soon. I give RoYds 4 stars.

Start book one.