There's a certain type of Southern lit that leans so heavily on atmosphere that you start to wonder if the author thinks humidity is a phenomenon confined entirely below the Mason-Dixon line, and woooo boy does that get worse when the state of Louisiana is involved. The main characters in this book are, in order of presence and importance, The Bayou, a traumatized social worker named Rhiannon, her little brother Rhett who she's deeply protective of despite seeming to have only recently remembered he's a real person she can engage with in the present, and a monster. There's also a house, but The Bayou is trying to eat it, so that character too is narratively subjugated by the swamp. The black water. The rattling sugarcane. The air itself infecting every constructed surface with mold.

There's an interesting storyline here under all the damp, and I wish we would have gotten to it sooner. As it was, the claustrophobia of it all just felt TOO overdone for me. Can we open a window and get some fresh air in here already?

My thanks to Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

"The Boom: A Dark Roux" is a wonderfully written horror novel that masterfully weaves a tale of suspense and terror. While the pacing occasionally leans towards the slower side, the atmospheric spookiness is consistently maintained throughout, creating an immersive experience. The author skillfully elicits a range of emotions, captivating readers with a rollercoaster of feelings. The dark roux of the narrative adds layers to the story, keeping the audience engaged and intrigued. Despite the occasional pacing nuances, the novel delivers a chilling and emotive journey that horror enthusiasts are likely to appreciate.

I found this to be a well written horror/folktale story although I did get a bit bogged down at times as I felt the flow stagnated at times. I did object to the use of "drug" rather than "dragged" for the past tense of "drag."

There was a decent level of creepiness and folk horror which I enjoy. The author is skilled at creating an atmosphere of foreboding and anticipation.

It is difficult to give the reader the sense of adult characters when the same characters have been described as children. I wouldn't say the author failed in this respect, but a little more work may have helped clear this hurdle.

The narrative was delightfully dark and full of descriptions which were easy to visualize. I like that the ending was not tied up in a bow or cliched.

Took a bit to get going, but once it does it's a fantastic, spooky haunted house/gothic horror tale that pulls no punches with its strong characters and fateful actions. Starts out with way too much description and not enough actual goings-on but, about halfway through, it really kicks in and becomes a gripping, well-written book that moves at a rapid pace to its inevitable, bittersweet end. Full of real emotion and a sense of unavoidable destiny marked by our ancestral histories. Daigle has a real talent for this sort of thing. 4.25 stars, kept from being higher by the slow first half. Highly recommended. Just give it time. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

A Dark Roux is about a sister and her brother returning to their mysterious childhood home after their mother died. I really liked Rhiannon and Rhett’s strong relationship. They were willing to sacrifice everything for those they love. This book is full of mysteries that had me guessing until the end. I also liked the superstitious setting of the Louisiana bayou. The writing was also really good and it was a quick read. This book is good for anyone who likes a mystery and the love of an outcast family.

My second read by this author and it was such a well written novel. The dread, the creep factor was just so well done. A great read that will give you chills.

There is something so intrinsically spooky about the bayou. Louisiana has such a past and mystique that it makes the perfect setting. The family drama, though, was what hooked me in in the first place. Such an enjoyable book to read.

Reading books set in the the bayou always get me a little bit excited. The way the areas were described left me feeling like I was watching a movie fall into place. The pace was excellent, keeping me completely engaged the whole time. Blaine has a way of balance - just like scales it's action packed, creepy and informational all at once. I have to say, I think Blaine may just be one of my new autobuy authors.

Thank you Netgalley, Wicked House Publishing & Blaine Daigle for an advnaced copy in exchange for an honest review. A Dark Roux is available now.

every single thing that I love about horror was in this book. I was impressed that the pacing was slow and steady too and didn’t give too much away at the beginning (or middle).

I would love to know more about the family and also Kindra and her children.

I will read whatever this author writes!

“ possible grace was better than no grace at all”

A Dark Roux is a book about a family and how they deal with their family curse. The main characters of the book are Rhiannon and Rhett LeBeau, a brother and sister who grew up on the bayou in Southern Louisiana in a house that may have once been happy but had long since turned suffering and seemingly inescapable.

The book opens with a flashback of Rhiannon when she was about twelve years old. The book never openly says how old she and Rhett are, but from their actions, I pictured them around the ages of 8-12. Rhiannon is about that age where she becomes conscious of the adult activity going on around her but still too young to fully understand the situation. In the flashback, we get a view of the night that changed the LeBeau family’s lives for good. We see Rhiannon interact with Rhett by telling him to stay up late and wait for her to come back while she goes on a secret mission to an old abandoned church on the other side of bayou next to their home. Rhett does as his sister asks and as a result he is the first to see his father hanging from the homes balcony after he committed suicide. He shows Rhiannon when she returns from her nighttime bayou ride. This one act is the ultimate action that destroys the LeBeau family completely. Their mother ends up sending them away. For this action, and many others, Rhiannon grows to resent her mother. Rhett does as well, but, unlike Rhiannon, he is able to forgive their mother as he grows and becomes an adult himself.

Fast forward to the present day, Rhiannon and Rhett’s mother dies, and they each make the trek back to their family home in Cypress Landing to have a wake for and bury their mother. While they are in the house, they each start seeing and hearing things in both the house and out into the sugarcane fields that nearly surround the house. They even see things driving up to the house. The land their house is built on is cursed. They know it, but they stick around because Rhett needs to bury his mom, and Rhiannon needs to be there for Rhett. They are only supposed to be in the home for three days, then they could each leave the house for good and never come back. But, the evil that be won’t let them leave, and three days is enough time to hook them in and make sure they never leave the property again. This is where the spookiness ensues.

Through the first thirty to forty percent of the book, we spend time getting to know the characters of Rhett, Rhiannon, and a little bit about their mother Miranda. We are also introduced to the town of Cypress Landings and the LeBeau property including the swamp near the property. As a person born and raised in Louisiana, the author did an amazing job of transporting the reader to the bowels of hell that is the Louisiana heat. I had my own flashbacks of nearly sweating to death by walking outside for five minutes no matter what time of day it is. Sweltering is the word that comes to mind.

With all of this world-building and character introduction, it could sometimes feel like spooky parts of the book were being overshadowed and pushed to the side for the structure of the book. So much so, that towards the climax and about seventy-five percent into the book, the horror and paranormal elements were ramped up to make up for the first third of the book. This kind of throws the pacing off to where the first third of the book is slow, the middle of the book is medium paced, and the last third of the book blows through all the stop signs. With that said, the ending of the story was an amazing decision by the author and the only one that made sense with the plot points. It was depressing but also very satisfying.

Throughout reading this book, I also found it hard to fully empathize with Rhett and Rhiannon. In all intents and purposes, their story should have drawn me in completely. But, I was never completely emotionally invested in them or their story. It just felt like there was something missing that would hook me into rooting for them wholeheartedly. I want to say that if the author had included a flashback of their father abusing them that it would have increased my connection through them. At the same time, that feels like abuse on display, so I am not really sure.

The paranormal elements mixed in with Louisiana culture is one of this book's greatest features.

3.75/5 stars

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing and Netgalley for my copy of A Dark Roux.

I am a Louisiana girl so the first thing I need to say is the following: THANK YOU! Finally a Louisiana story that gets all things unique to Louisiana right. I know the author is from Louisiana, so that obviously helped but either way, I cringe when authors only use "cajun" and "creole" as Louisiana descriptors. And for the love of all things holy - we do not have counties in this state! ANYWAY.
I really enjoyed this book. A ghost story meets Southern Louisiana folklore. This book was a perfect mixture between personal traumas and good ol bayou hauntings. The pace was great and the story was absolutely engaging. 
My only true con while reviewing this is that it got a little too overwritten and wordy at times. But it didn't bother me enough to dock a star. If you like horror, I really think you'd enjoy this one. And always.... always go with dark roux. It makes ya gumbo taste better!

“Now, first thing you gotta understand about cooking is that flavor runs through everything in life. And gumbo is like telling a story.”

Blaine brings readers an epic story of a brother & sister; the love and sorrow that bind them, the dark, wet mud beneath their feet, the mysticism that haunts and curses them.

Their lives and their family name are entangled with the dark swampy water of the bayou, and within it, The Place of Bones.

“The bayou watches as it sings. It is a place that hides its dead deep within the soil before the dead become living again, a part of this world enslaved to a fading memory of original creation.”

The descriptions and narratives were fantastic, spinning a strong tale that entrances the reader. There are two time frames: the present and summer of 1999. Each section teases a little bit more as the mystery around these characters thickens while simultaneously giving the reader some hints here and there of what could really be going on.

Voodoo, history, horror, & the setting that “echoes with songs of alligators and bullfrogs” will make this a thrilling tale to pick up.

My only quip was the ending. I definitely didn’t see that coming.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Wicked House Publishing for a copy.

I was a fan of Blaine Daigle's first book, The Broken Places, so I immediately signed up for the ARC when I found out he had a new book coming out. A Dark Roux is set in the bayous of Louisiana and is the story of two siblings tied to their home, even after years of being away from it.

When their mother does, they are forced to return for her funeral and the sale of the home. Little did they know that they might be unable to leave after all. This slow-burn book is not as action-packed as the first one, but it is written well. The story revolves more around the main characters and their development, and bit by bit, towards the end, the big secret unfolds.

Intro
A Dark Roux by Blaine Daigle is set in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. In the book and real life, the area has historically been known for sugarcane fields, bayous, and Cajun communities.

The LeBeau family home was surrounded by sugar cane fields that had been a part of the family farm for several generations. The home was also close to the Place of Bones and the old river church in the bayou.

Rhiannon LeBeau and her younger brother, Rhett, traveled back to their childhood home to attend their mother’s funeral. They have to finish up with some loose ends, like deciding what to do with the house, before they can go back to their normal lives. Unfortunately, everything is about to get really weird for Rhiannon and Rhett.

Review
Miranda, their mother, lived a solitary life that she spent trying to fix one mistake that was wrapped up in a family curse. Everyone thought that Miranda was a witch and probably killed a local man.

After their father’s death in 1999, Miranda asked Kindra to help keep an eye on Rhiannon and Rhett. Kindra planned to bring her children, Albert and Clea, with her. It was a rough time for the LeBeau family so Kindra and her children provided some much-needed friendship and support.

Kindra taught Rhiannon how to make a roux, which is a mix of flour and fat used in stews and sauces. She told Rhiannon, “First, you make a roux. And that determines everything else. “

Rhiannon also learned how to make a gris-gris, an amulet that can bring luck or provide protection from evil. Sometimes she made them for the children that she helped while working for the Child Welfare Department. She would tell kids that she didn’t believe in monsters, which was not true. She has seen a monster before.

On the night of her father’s death, Rhiannon was visiting the Place of Bones and the church. When she was on the way home, she saw a strange, ominous creature. She saw the same creature in 2014. Her logical mind thought it could be a coyote.

At the same time, she thought it could be a rougarou, a monster from Cajun folklore. The story of the rougarou says that it has the body of a man and the head of a wolf and prowls Louisiana swamps looking for disobedient children. Who do you think would be scarier – a rougarou or La Llorona?

Recommendation
It might seem like a lot of stuff is going on; however, I promise that it will all make sense at the end. I love and am also terrified of most of the supernatural creatures in this book – the rougarou, the witch, and the ghosts.

If you are a fan of Southern Gothic horror novels, then this book will be perfect for you. In October, I read it as part of the Spooktober Readathon.

If you are not into mysticism of any kind or small-minded in some way, then this book might be too haunting for you.

A Dark Roux

An old skeleton of a church sits on the bayou; The place of bones. And a family curse continues.

When Rhiannon LeBeau's younger brother, Rhett, gives her news of their mother's death, she returns to her childhood home in Louisiana to be there for her little brother, not for her estranged mother's funeral. The LeBeau mansion, which sits on the very edge of the bayou, is a place she'd rather just forget about. Memories of an abusive father and indifferent mother, of townsfolk who always avoided their family, and fellow classmates who would accuse their mother of being a witch. And now bad dreams of something there and in the bayou, still waiting for them.
The story moves between the present and fifteen years earlier when Rhiannon and Rhett were children.

This felt like classic southern gothic; old plantation mansion, creepy bayou, and whispers of witchcraft and voodoo. A strong portrayal of the siblings bond brings emotion to the story. But the creepiness is what kept me reading. I really enjoy slow burns but I did find that the first two-thirds of the story did repeat itself quite a bit. I even found myself with deja vu on re-reading certain sentences that I'd read earlier. But the final third is very fast paced.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys slow burn gothic stories, voodoo, and familial curses
3 1/2 stars
I received this free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The atmosphere and setting of this book is a character on its own and it really makes this story so successful for me. Without the haunting atmosphere I am not sure I would have enjoyed it as much.

3.5 stars. Well written story that really makes you feel you are deep in the Louisiana bayou. Such a creepy atmosphere! I loved the mixture of voodoo, ghosts, and rougarou.

A Dark Roux is spellbinding. For readers who enjoyed River Woman, River Demon and are looking for a horrifyingly dark extension of the voodoo man from The Princess and the Frog, this book will be a delight.

This is the type of haunted house story that is rooted in folktales and myths passed from generation to generation. It boasts a nostalgic air that is thick with horrors anew. From a reader who has never been to Louisiana, I now have a dark desire to go and explore the nightmarish parts of the bayou.

Thank you to Blaine Daigle, Crooked House, and NetGalley for providing a copy of A Dark Roux for me to read, enjoy, and review. It is beyond GREAT in terms of literature and storytelling!

Rhiannon and Rhett must return back home after their mother dies. They must deal with their family issues, being social pariahs in their hometown, grief, and the supernatural. It is a beautifully written Southern gothic. The way he uses language is poetic and creates a foreboding atmosphere deep in the Louisiana bayou, surrounded by sugar canes. The mood is heavy as the secrets held. This book is haunting and heartbreaking. I highly recommend it.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.


Overall this was a decent little horror book. I really liked the dark story and the dark ending. Rhiannon is a likeable character and her brother Rhett is sweet and interesting. The twist and turns were interesting and unexpected at times. Liked this one.