Black Wings by Christina Henry

“Besides, look at you. I’m supposed to believe you’re an Agent of death? You’re covered in flour.”

“I was in the middle of making a pear tart dotted with gorgonzola. You’re an unscheduled call.”

That’s on page 3 of Black Wings, and that’s when I knew I was going to enjoy the heck out of Christina Henry’s voice.

The flour-covered Agent is Madeline Black, whose job it is to collect the souls of the newly dead and escort them to the Door that leads to the afterlife. She lives in a two-flat building inherited from her mother, with only her gargoyle Beezle for company. (I see I’m not the only one who saw Unico as a kid!) Being an Agent is a bit of a drag, even leaving aside the death aspect. Madeline has an anal-retentive boss to deal with, and even worse, it’s not a paying gig. So... Read More

Black Night by Christina Henry

I devoured Christina Henry’s Black Wings in one day. The sequel, Black Night, took me several weeks to read. I think the problem is the absence or near-absence of two of the most striking characteristics of Black Wings: the dark humor stemming from Madeline Black’s job as an Agent of Death, and the epic Storm Constantine-esque beauty of the flashbacks involving Maddy’s ancestor, Evangeline.

Maddy’s job is much less prominent in the story this time around, and there are no scenes from ancient times. Instead, the plot is closer to the usual urban fantasy fare. Maddy is caught at the intersection of fae, werewolf, and demon politics. She has three potential love interests (Team J.B., if you’re wondering) and... Read More

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry

After I read Christina Henry’s 2020 horror novel The Ghost Tree, I did a bit of research on the writer. It seems like she is well-known for retelling fairy tales, usually with a dark (or darker) twist than the original. The Ghost Tree is not a fairy tale, as far as I can tell, although it has some fairy-tale elements. It’s a 1980s-style slasher horror novel. By the way, that’s what I thought I was getting when I bought it, so there is no mislabeling going on here.

Lauren DeMucci, nearly fifteen, has weighty problems on her shoulders. The year before, her father was murdered in the woods near their house, his heart torn out. The town police haven’t made any progress on solving the murder. Lauren’s best friend since the second grade, Miran... Read More