Stolen Pallor

What a beautifully written book. When Cole is hired to investigate why some people are becoming entranced by certain paintings he never thought it would lead him to what was really behind the death of his father. Fast paced and so full of detail that you can see in your minds eye the bright and colorful descriptions of New Florence and the dark shadow world of Midnight Village. Excellent book!

A viciously fun novella. Cole is the sole survivor of a Banksy-esque art show that immolated dozens of people. Now a private investigator, he works with his lover Mikey to solve the sinister happenings plaguing his city's vibrant art scene. Quick action and vivid imagery compel the reader into a nightmare underworld of art with love or conscience.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BloodBoundBooks for sending this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a story about vampires. But not the traditional way mythical vampires suck blood; it sucks the life out of the living like a painter drains color from a canvas.

Cole Sharpe has been having nightmares ever since his dad died tragically in a fire that consumed the Gone By Morning exhibit. Then, he meets Mikey, a jovial neo-telepath who can interpret dreams and uses his talent to help Cole understand what his dreams mean. But as his nightmares become hallucinations, so does the mystery behind certain art paintings. These paintings, housed in the most visited art galleries in New Florence, have become vessels of hypnotic influence. As Cole investigates two people in a trance-like stupor from being fixated on the reworked paintings, he is soon led to an alternate plane called Midnight Village, where the Master of the Night conducts his final masterpiece.

“Stolen Pallor” combines horror fiction and the underbelly of sacred art, crafting a dark narrative that depicts human ambition and exploitation in the guise of artistic expression. The lush and provocative prose adds depth to the story, immersing readers in the dichotomy of illusion and reality, madness and sanity, teacher and student, and good and evil.

Understanding the very fiber of this story on the first pass is already a feat. I had to re-read certain parts to understand what was happening. It took more than just the plot’s context to understand every symbolism and metaphor and how it relates to either art or religion or how it resonates with me as a potter of my own craft.

A novella has little room to expand its horizon, yet “Stolen Pallor” holds enough gothic and sinister atmosphere and sensual intrigue for readers to devour its pages until the end. There are a hundred different ways to interpret its text. The themes explored run the gamut of sacred art, religion, faith, idolatry, and fanaticism. Only long after I’d finished the novella had I considered other themes that came to mind: mortality, ambition, and hubris. If a novel, much less a novella, could make me come up with more than a couple of social ills and human folly to talk about, then I must have been more absorbed in its pages than I could care to admit.

I would have wanted its ending done differently, considering its buildup. I assume the lengthy descriptive writing already took up much of the space. And I preferred it to have toned down explicit scenes that I find unnecessary. Despite its misgivings, it’s a short story worthy of introspection, going beyond its juxtaposition of artistic genius and madness.

Super strange story but original plot for sure. Pretty interesting and short so it’s easy to get through.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. This will be out in July 16!