The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li (Release Date 5/6/25)
Where do I even begin here trying to describe this incredibly ambitious multi-genre book. A sprawling, family saga, filled with high emotion and terrible tragedies......a brutal portrait of Hollywood life and all its jealousies, conniving and dashed dreams.......a telling portrait of several generations of Asian women pursuing the American dream, struggling for opportunities often denied to them. And finally, an all out tale of horror set in a crumbling, forbidding mansion infected and haunted by an unforgiving entity out for bloody revenge.
Yes, all of the above and more has been crammed into this one book. That makes for never less than a compelling read but prepare for a book with a lengthy, lopsided structure that wanders from past drama to current horror and back again.
An untypical assortment of women have gathered at the now decrepit mansion of the late Chinese movie star Vivian YIn, including her surviving daughters Lucille and Rennie, as well as Lucille's twenty-something daughter Madeline. But also there for the reading of Vivian's will are Elaine Deng, the daughter of Vivien's longtime nanny and gardener, along with Elaine's daughter Nora, who's Madeline's age.
To everyone's astonishment, Vivien's will, changed just before her death, contains stunning surprises, which pits Elaine and the two Yin sisters into a hateful rivalry. Caught in the middle of their families bitter war, Nora and Madeline form an unlikely bond to combat a horrific threat to all of them......the house itself, with its constant growing vines that seem poised to engulf anything they come near......or comes near them.
Author Christina Li whips up a frightening depiction of a haunted house that's every bit the equal 0f any other fictional gothic abode, a nightmarish place whose soul sucking rot literally clogs the pipes. And not a good idea to go plucking flowers in the garden either. But after that chilling set-up, the book launches into an extended flashback that lays out the misery filled life and times of Vivien Yin. We see how her groundbreaking Academy Award win leads to a descent into a series of unspeakable events that will come back to torment her heirs.
For hardcore horror fans, this part of book might test your patience, as you wonder 'when do we get to the good stuff.". Hang on because 'The Manor of Dreams' finally does deliver the creepy good stuff in quite a spectacular, cinematic finale.
As much as I admire the huge swing-for-the-fences that this book takes, I couldn't help wondering if all the genres it samples wouldn't have been better served (and more effective) if presented in three separate books. Or at least the Grand Opera family drama and the horror hauntings could have been blended together more smoothly. instead of existing in separate sections.
There's great stories told here for both readers of generational sagas and bone shaking scares......but fair warning - you'll have to wait your turn til the author gets around to each one at a time.
4 Stars (****).
Yes, all of the above and more has been crammed into this one book. That makes for never less than a compelling read but prepare for a book with a lengthy, lopsided structure that wanders from past drama to current horror and back again.
An untypical assortment of women have gathered at the now decrepit mansion of the late Chinese movie star Vivian YIn, including her surviving daughters Lucille and Rennie, as well as Lucille's twenty-something daughter Madeline. But also there for the reading of Vivian's will are Elaine Deng, the daughter of Vivien's longtime nanny and gardener, along with Elaine's daughter Nora, who's Madeline's age.
To everyone's astonishment, Vivien's will, changed just before her death, contains stunning surprises, which pits Elaine and the two Yin sisters into a hateful rivalry. Caught in the middle of their families bitter war, Nora and Madeline form an unlikely bond to combat a horrific threat to all of them......the house itself, with its constant growing vines that seem poised to engulf anything they come near......or comes near them.
Author Christina Li whips up a frightening depiction of a haunted house that's every bit the equal 0f any other fictional gothic abode, a nightmarish place whose soul sucking rot literally clogs the pipes. And not a good idea to go plucking flowers in the garden either. But after that chilling set-up, the book launches into an extended flashback that lays out the misery filled life and times of Vivien Yin. We see how her groundbreaking Academy Award win leads to a descent into a series of unspeakable events that will come back to torment her heirs.
For hardcore horror fans, this part of book might test your patience, as you wonder 'when do we get to the good stuff.". Hang on because 'The Manor of Dreams' finally does deliver the creepy good stuff in quite a spectacular, cinematic finale.
As much as I admire the huge swing-for-the-fences that this book takes, I couldn't help wondering if all the genres it samples wouldn't have been better served (and more effective) if presented in three separate books. Or at least the Grand Opera family drama and the horror hauntings could have been blended together more smoothly. instead of existing in separate sections.
There's great stories told here for both readers of generational sagas and bone shaking scares......but fair warning - you'll have to wait your turn til the author gets around to each one at a time.
4 Stars (****).
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