I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

Honestly, it has been quite awhile since I read this book but it wasn’t that memorable. It felt a tad silly and the writing was average and as for the characters and romance well it left a lot to be desired. In addition, I felt like the poly needed to be edited it felt very dragged out and could have done with some touch ups here and there. Thank you for the chance to review though very much appreciated.

I’ve always had a kinda thing for vampires. And this author created possibly one of my favorite vampire characters ever in a book. So I totally fell for this story that spans three centuries, two continents and weaves together the magical, mystical, supernatural, into a gut-wrenching paranormal mystery and romance that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end.

But when it comes to the ending, it did not leave me happy. For me, this was the sort of passionate throw of the book across the room ending. Without getting into too many spoilers let's say it bothered me how certain characters were oblivious to what was happening and that the vampires who were shown to have such a degree of humanity and capacity to love and sacrifice and didn’t get the chance to see that more fully fulfilled.

Am I being soft on the vampires and hard on the humans in this book? Possibly, but there are also a few other strings left untied in the end. We never get the answers to some of the questions that have had us hanging on for so long. Do I wish I never read the book? Absolutely not, but I wish perhaps there were a way to read this book being less attached to the ending I thought I would get. More clues along the way. And for me, just a bit more resolution.

Sadly didn't love this book. I couldn't get to grips with the writing style, though I did think that the plot was intriguing. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I absolutely loved the atmosphere that this book portrayed. The story was so much fun to read and I didn't want it to stop. I fell in love with the characters and I cannot wait to dive back into this world and read more!

I really love what Alys Arden did here, taking the myths, legends and history of New Orleans and expounding upon it in a modern-day paranormal story. The Casquette Girls is an amalgamation of the city's vampire legend mixed with the history of les filles a la cassette at Ursuline Convent, brought back to life in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Adele Le Moyne has returned home two months after Hurricane Katrina and the levee breaches destroyed the city. Coming back to the city is disheartening and eye-opening at turns for Adele. She is devastated to see the state of the city she loves, but coming back has somehow awakened magical powers within her. After Adele and friends accidentally break a century-old curse, it will be up to them to save the city and their loved ones from death by exsanguination. While the main narrative of the story is told by Adele, a second narrative emerges from Adele's ancestor - Adeline St. Germain. I actually preferred Adeline to Adele, as her story and travel to America with the Casquette Girls was captivating.

There are a number of secondary characters that play a role in this story... from classmates to aid workers to foreigners to the city. I didn't care as much for the young adult characters as I did for the eccentric city residents that make New Orleans special. When Adeline was narrating, she brought some interesting secondary characters to the tale - twin orphans, servants, former slaves, and the like. I found these secondary characters to be captivating and loved hearing the story of their voyage and life in early La Nouvelle-Orléans.

The focus of this story was not romance, but Adele was wrapped in a bit of a love triangle (without any heat). It was full of angst and wishy washy feelings typical for a teenager, and I'm not sure I liked who came out on top of that situation. I had a hard time believing one corner of the triangle was interested in our teenage heroine, and that threw me out of the story when he was in the picture. And the other guy needed to be developed more to create some kind of emotional connection to his character.

New Orleans featured so heavily in this book that it was really a character in itself, and that was my favorite aspect of the story. The post-storm setting was interesting and I can imagine people ghosting around the Quarter to avoid the curfew and setting up clandestine drinking establishments a la the Prohibition era. I wasn't as captivated by the plot or characters, and the paranormal aspects lacked cohesion for me. The awakening of powers for Adele and her friends was a weak spot, and the history of the vampires unfolded so slowly that I got a bit aggravated. The story started to drag and my mind would wander away from the audio performance.

I did enjoy the story if only for the "ghost tour" feel and the history of the city. I recommend this book to New Orleanians and fans of the city. This book was available via Kindle Unlimited as of the date this review was posted.

This book had all the things I like from being set in New Orleans to all the creepiness that was throughout. I instantly loved the main character as she was different but loveable. I loved how she slowly learned about her heritage and how she factored into all of it. I was an interesting way to introduce the creatures that were causing problems in the ton. I also loved seeing all the characters come into their own and embrace who and what they were. I cant wait to read the next book.