Enjoyed this one very much, another great supernatural steampunk gothic suspense from authors Keith Errington; Brynneth Nimue Brown. Never disappoints, highly recommend!

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Before I could finish reading this book it got archived and there's no way I can review a book I didn't finish reading.

This was weird and amazing. Loved the eerry macabre tone. Annamarie manager to not be an insufferable snarky mc snark protagonist that many recent fantasy books have. Sure there was humor but never actively made fun of the gothic genre. So yeah solid read.

Welcome Back.........

I first came to Hopeless, Maine by way of the early graphic novels. They are wonderful - eerie, well written, witty, and compelling, with terrific art by Tom Brown. So, I was curious to see how well a novelistic treatment would capture that special Hopeless magic. I'm happy to report that, at least for me, this book was everything I could have hoped for. Hopeless, Maine is a multi-platform phenomenon, and I've enjoyed dipping in and out of it, but novels can be tricky, and disappointing. Not so here. Instead of Salamandra, (another orphaned witch-in-training), and best-friend Owen, from the graphic novels, we have apprentice witch Annmarie Nightshade, stalwart Emmanuel, and exceptionally creepy Durosimi. The dynamic is similar, and Annmarie is a fine protagonist. She is a smart, tough, sardonic, gimlet eyed, and deadpan funny heroine, but with an appealing humanity and decency that makes for a winning combination. I'd be happy to follow along with her on any adventure.

The tale is broken up into several parts. The first part could be considered an origin story of sorts, as we get to know Annmarie, her backstory, and her current situation. Lots of tart and clever dialogue involving Annmarie's witch mentor, the evil wizardy sort of boy who is fascinated by her, friend Emmanuel, and a wide assortment of Hopeless, Maine characters. Not really an adventure, but more of a prologue, this is very entertaining and perfectly captures the Hopeless vibe. It also firmly establishes Annmarie as an appealing character.

After that we get a series of connected episodes, and then we move to a more extended tale involving Annmarie and a mysterious shipwreck survivor. Lots of digressions, and one-off adventures. The final portion of the book is a contribution, "Oddatsea", from Keith Errington, which is one of his contributions to the Hopeless, Maine open platform.

Reflecting on the book, it reminds me a lot of "Welcome to Nightvale". But while Nightvale is more current, hip, and contemporary, "Hopeless, Maine" hews closer to its gothic and eerie roots. It also treats the genre with great respect, never going over the top and never mocking or disrespecting its roots. This isn't Victorian haunted house stuff; it has more meat and muscle than that, but if you like strong characters, deft scene setting, crisp dialogue, and just the right degree of gothic mood setting, this book would be a nice choice.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I really didn't end up enjoying this as much as I thought I would. It was interesting, I'll give that much, not for me though.