Natasha MostertCritiques

I had no idea where the author would go with this story. It was very intriguing and she kept me on the edge the entire time I was reading it. Would definitely recommend this book to friends!

This novel was amazing! Spooky, magical, and packed full of psychic weirdness. This one is a must read!

Another great paranormal romance from Natasha Mostert. As with the other books of hers I've read, this one really gets you into the world of the characters and certainly makes you think. This one was a bit different as the paranormal aspects weren't quite as overt, but they were definitely central to the story.

I did find these characters a bit harder to connect with than in some of Mostert's other books, but there was definitely a different tone to this one that I think made it work. Since the main characters themselves struggle with finding a true connection with other people, it almost adds a layer to the narrative that it is easier to connect to the secondary characters and their stories than Justine and Adam.

Definitely an enjoyable read and I find it worthy of recommendation.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

When Isa gets a late night cryptic phone call from her cousin, Alette, she is surprised to learn later that the phone call was made after Alette has already died. Swept off to London to handle her cousin's affairs, she finds herself caught up in a plan laid out in Alette's will - one that she finds a bit difficult to carry out. But she shortly learns there was much more to her cousin and her cousin's life - and death - than she'd imagined.

I recently read Natasha Mostert's Season of the Witch, which I very much enjoyed, and I wasn't too surprised to find this book just as enjoyable. Mostert has quite a skill for crafting a mystery/suspense novel with paranormal elements and romantic overtones, and it's very easy to get caught up in her books. I definitely recommend this to those interested in any one or more of those qualities because I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Mystery. Suspense. The paranormal. A murder? Season of the Witch has it all. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I picked it up off of NetGalley. I don't have any prior experience with the author, but it seemed interesting and worth a read. And it definitely proved to be well worth it.

Gabriel is approached by an old friend from his past to investigate the disappearance of her stepson, Robert. It seems like a simple enough assignment until he quickly finds himself immersed in the world of the Monk sisters - two mysterious and beautiful women who have much more lurking below the surface than he could ever have imagined. But what really happened to Robert? And will Gabriel figure it out in time to save others from danger?

It's rare that I read a mystery and find myself going back and forth and guessing right up until the final reveal. I had bits and pieces figured out, but there are enough twists in the story that just when you think you know the fully answer, you quickly find out that it's just not quite right.

Very highly recommend this for anyone interested in mystery, especially with a touch of the paranormal and some romance thrown in as well.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I was terribly disappointed in this, maybe because I have been so impatiently awaiting another book by Natasha Mostert. Season of the Witch was my favorite (although I have read them all), with The Keeper of Light and Dust a close second.

I couldn't get into the premise; I never felt an attachment to or even very much empathy for the characters, and the plot seemed poorly fleshed out.

(This review can be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


When I read the blurb for The Midnight Side by Natasha Mostert, I thought I was in for a scary ghost story. However, it's not really scary, and there's not much ghost in it. While it wasn't a fantastic read, it was still a decent one.

Isabelle (Isa for short) and Alette are cousins who have always been fairly close. As children, they would lucid dream together. When Alette dies in a car accident, Isabelle flies over from South Africa to England since she was Alette's sole beneficiary. Alette leaves three envelopes for Isabelle asking her for to do a big favor. Things become a bit more complicated when Isabelle develops romantic feelings for Alette's ex. Unknowingly, Alette has put Isabelle in danger. Will Isabelle make it out alive or will she suffer the same fate as Alette?

I don't really get the title. To me, it doesn't really seem to fit the book at all. Nothing special takes place at midnight, so the title is a bit misleading and confusing.

I'm not a fan of the cover at all. Besides showing Big Ben which is in London where the story takes place, the cover doesn't relate to the book at all.

I felt the world building was believable. There's been documented cases of lucid dreaming and receiving telephone calls from the dead. Besides the supernatural aspects, the rest of the world building was believable as well. The only thing I found a bit hard to believe was that Isabelle would develop romantic feelings for Alette's ex after she told her how he treated her. Plus, Alette was not only Isabelle's cousin, but they were like best friends. I suppose it does happen in real life, but it was a bit too instant to be 100% believable.

The pacing was a bit hit and miss throughout the first two-thirds of the book, but when it got to the last third of the book, the pacing steadied out, and I was hooked until the very end of the book.

I was a little bit confused with the story line. In my opinion, it was as if the book couldn't decide if it wanted to be more of a paranormal story or a psychological thriller. Alette leaves Isabelle instructions on how to bring her ex-husband's company crashing down. Isabelle must decide if she wants to comply with her deceased cousin's wish or listen to her heart. During this, Isabelle keeps receiving calls from Alette from the other side as well as Alette appearing in her dreams during lucid dreaming. There is a plot twist that I never saw coming. There's also no cliff hanger ending.

I thought the characters were all well developed. Even if Alette was a bit selfish, I still admired her determination. Isabelle is more of a follower instead of a leader which is why she does what Alette wants her to do. I started off not liking Justin, but by the middle of the book or so, I realized what a large heart he really had. Michael seemed like a good friend, but to me, he seemed to be a bit too...caring if that makes sense.

As for the dialogue, I felt that it flowed very well. In fact, I wish there would've been more dialogue instead of description. I think that having more dialogue would've made this book a bit better. I don't remember any swearing in this book, and the violence is mild.

Overall, The Midnight Side is a decent read. I think it would've been better with more dialogue and less description. I would've also liked more paranormal elements in the book, but that's just a personal preference.

I'd recommend this book to those aged 18 who are fans of the psychological thriller as horror fans probably won't be too impressed.

I'd give The Midnight Side by Natasha Mostert a 3.5 out of 5.

(I received a free ecopy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review).

This was actually a pretty decent story. It started off slowly and I had very little interest, but I pushed through and ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

The "magic" in this book is one I had not really encountered before and was done in such a way that anyone could grasp and understand it.

The characters were all wonderfully done. The sisters were the perfect amount of mysterious and haughty. Isidore was the classical messy super intelligent side kick.

Gabriel was the classical arrogant protagonist who learns a great lesson and learns the price of his actions through loss.

This was actually a pretty decent story. It started off slowly and I had very little interest, but I pushed through and ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

The "magic" in this book is one I had not really encountered before and was done in such a way that anyone could grasp and understand it.

The characters were all wonderfully done. The sisters were the perfect amount of mysterious and haughty. Isidore was the classical messy super intelligent side kick.

Gabriel was the classical arrogant protagonist who learns a great lesson and learns the price of his actions through loss.

I really struggled with this book and have not managed to finish it. I have added it to my 'books not finished' list in order to come back to it at a later date.

This was my first book by Natasha Mostert, and I really, really loved it. My only "complaint" was the ending (I kind of didn't get it...or why she ended it like she did), but I understand an author's vision is just that. And I respect it. Love the way she writes. Loved learning about memory palaces...fascinating stuff.

4.5 stars

I have a confession to make. I downloaded Season of the Witch and two other Natasha Mostert books from NetGalley over a year ago, but because they were independently published, they were not high on my TBR list. I should know better; since joining Goodreads, I have discovered several excellent indie authors, so I have no idea where my prejudice against Mostert's books came from. Fortunately, Season of the Witch was selected as a May Book of the Month by Modern Good Reads, prompting me to figuratively dust off my copy, and I was quickly enthralled by Mostert's tale of remote viewers, memory palaces, alchemy, and witchcraft. I was familiar with all of these concepts already, but Mostert brought all of the disparate elements together in a new way, emphasizing the idea that science and magic might just be two sides of the same coin.

What prevented me from giving Season of the Witch a full 5-star rating was Mostert's tendency to raise potential plot threads, only to drop them without development or discussion. In a classic murder mystery, these might be brushed off as red herrings meant to misdirect the reader away from the killer's true identity, but in this case, there was no real mystery to be solved.

Minor quibbles aside, I thoroughly enjoyed Mostert's storytelling skill, which kept me fully engaged with Gabriel, Minnaloushe, and Morrighan even when the technicalities of the memory palace lost me. I highly recommend Season of the Witch to fantasy readers, and I'm moving Mostert's other books to the top of my TBR list.

I received a free copy of Season of the Witch through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eloise Blake isn’t who she appears to be. She’s actually Jenilee Gray, surviving daughter of a brilliant memory scientist murdered in her home when Jenilee was five. Eloise is Jenilee in a fugue state. Her skill sets are all intact but she has no personal memories of Jenilee. Her looks, personality, everything is different.
So, is someone actually trying to kill her or are they simply random accidents?

Jack Simonetti is a poor little rich boy. His father, Leon, is controlling, manipulative, and distant. His mother died in a car accident. Jack is a wastrel, no purpose or goal. After his last less than stellar episode involving a bar fight captured by paparazzi Leon gives him an ultimatum. Jack is sent to England to help Leon’s old friend, Daniel Barone, retired scientist, recover his missing ward. That missing ward happens to be the fugue sufferer, Eloise.

DARK PRAYER is categorized under literature, mystery/thriller, and occult. All those tags apply but they don’t quite capture the allure of DARK PRAYER. The wonderful writing helps ease the fact that the mystery is a no-brainer. Even someone who rarely reads mysteries would easily figure out who is behind the attempts on Eloise’s life and probably the why behind it. But that isn’t the whole answer. Combine the writing with what you think and feel while reading. That’s where the allure lies. Ms. Mostert introduces new ideas and/or views to the table. Memory isn’t something I’ve given a lot of thought so the various opinions on memory and its effects on a person were fascinating even before you consider the religious/mystical overtones. In fact, DARK PRAYER raises thought provoking questions about memory and so much more.

As interesting as the present was, Eloise’s fugue state and Jack’s efforts to befriend and protect her, what intrigued me the most was Mnemosyne and its members.
All this brilliance focused on memory, the differences in the ways they approach it, see it, and their end goals. These five people, their actions, and their transgressions, the repercussions of which are being played out now, years later.
One of my favorite lines is when Eloise is told by a former member that her mother, Julianne, was corrupted by love. It was so utterly fitting, corrupted by love.
DARK PRAYER is thoughtful and thought provoking, making me consider things I’d never really paid much mind to. This puts Ms. Mostert at the top of my “new to me” authors list. Looking forward to seeing if her other works live up to DARK PRAYER.

Reviewed by Miss Ivy’s Book Nook Take II, Manic Readers, & Novels Alive TV

A thriller that takes a little long to get to the major action part of plot, but the story thankfully begins to pick up on speed after the first few chapters. The characters are well-developed, actually too well-developed, which led to the slower beginning. I personally prefer novels that get to the point a lot faster, but after a rocky start, this book became a much more intense ride, that is worth the wait. With a main character in a fugue state, having lost all memory of her past life, and having created a complete new identity for herself, the Author managed to make a believable, yet mesmerizing story, with plenty of action.
Dark Prayer is my introduction to Natasha Mostert, and after this book, I am intrigued to find out more about her work.

Reading Dark Prayer, an enthralling novel all about memory (and parkour), was a stretch for me at first. I thought the parkour segments were going to be too far out of my comfort zone because I wouldn't understand half of what was being explained, and I figured from what was first detailed that the memory bits would leave me feeling fatigued because the author would go too in-depth.

What I came to realize was that the book was actually surprisingly easy to read. Easier than I would've thought, by far. And that's what made it so enjoyable. Although this is the first book I've read for 2015, it has already made me want to read more for the year because everything just flowed so well and was so well-written. There were a great deal of quotes that I wanted to...quote...

I came to learn a lot about parkour, or free running, and reading this book made me nostalgic for my high school days when I saw a few buddies try it out. My friends, of course, were just beginners compared to these characters. Jungles, the name of the most skilled free runner of the bunch, is pretty much a ninja, and the author does a great job of describing how he (and the others) ran and climbed and jumped. But that doesn't mean the author of Dark Prayer treats you like you're automatically knowledgeable in the ways of imagining someone free running. Instead, Natasha Mostert lays the sport of parkour out in a way that is understandable to us amateurs without being condescending to those who actually have a good grip on the skill.

You could tell extensive research had to be done--both in parkour and in psychological matters. There's even a link to a real article in the Kindle edition of the book. In college, I minored in Psychology and volunteered at a traumatic brain injury rehab facility. So I like to think I know a fair amount about memory (and the absence of it). At least, I'm interested in it. The way Mostert incorporated aspects of psychology--especially regarding memory and trauma--into the life of main character Eloise was fascinating because it was realistic. However, I never once felt like I was reading a case story or out of a textbook when it came to these points.

Our main character is caught in a fugue state--this is what has caused her to wipe out all memory loss of her former and original self, Jenilee Gray, and to establish a new self, Eloise Blake. She has created new memories for herself. A new mother, a new father--circus performers. A new name. A new identity.

I've often thought how neat it would be to create a new identity for myself, leaving my past behind. But I wouldn't be me; I want my memories, all of them. The problem with Eloise, however, is that she did not consciously form for herself a new identity. And maybe there's something else going on behind the scenes. Gasp.

Now, there is another main character--named Jack--that I haven't meant to leave out, necessarily, but I just didn't find him to be that appealing. He wasn't near as interesting to me as Eloise, at least. But I can't leave out his name because 1) He's important to the story. And 2) I'm about to make a joke about him. Because if you were a free runner and your name was Jack, wouldn't you call yourself "Jack-B-Quick"?

If you read this, I hope the time flies by as quickly for you as it did for me. In a good way.

I was given a free copy for an honest review.

I am a fan of Natasha Mostert, and when I saw her new book on NetGalley I hopped on it.

This book deals with memory, a subject of my favorite book of hers, Seasons of the Witch. Eloise is a woman who is in a state of fugue : Her real name is Jenilee but she is a new person in Eloise. She does freerunning to escape voices and hallucinations. Jake is a man hired to try to get Eloise to a man who says he can help her. Of course, they fall in love. But others have sinister movtives for "helping" Eloise remember her past.

This book was an engaging, fast read. It is beautifully written, and is quite the mystery.

This was the best book I've read in years. Absolutely phenomenal!

The story is about two sisters who live together in the UK. A hacker is hired to investigate the disappearance of an old man's son. He is a remote viewer and very talented, but one sister will give him a run for his money in the psy wars.

This book has beautiful wording, and I could not put this book down! I stayed up the whole day and night, absolutely engrossed. Seductive, mysterious, and a bit dangerous. Loved it!

Windwalkers is a romance novel. I should have read the darn description better, but it is what it is.

As far as romance, this gets pretty cheesy. I avoid romances because of the eye-roll factor alone. It's not the worst romance I have read, however. It is more of a suspense novel. The foreshadowing was obvious as to the ending.

A broken woman named Justine is a new cartaker to a house in the UK. She discovers the house's history and of the man named Adam Buchanan. She can't stop thinking about him and soon learns about his violent past. Adam lives in Namibia and is looking for his lost soul-mate. You can put the two together, as what happens in the novel.

There is suspense, of course. For Adam it's an evil Russian, who clubs seals for god's sake! For Justine it's a creepy stalker who likes to watch her in her house.

Overall this book was OK, Mostert has beautiful writing. But I wasn't really drawn in, like her other books made me.

A very good book about obsession and manipulation. It kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the lucid dreaming parts, I have been interested in psychic and lucid dreaming phenomena for years. I'm not much for poetry, and the 16th century romantic poetry at the start of each chapter was a bit boring.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received this book for review but I was not disappointed. This book is like a breath of fresh air; it is a beautifully descriptive, intriguing, engaging and intellectual novel written by a true wordsmith.

Some would say that it takes a while to reach the crux of the story but feel that the novel is well paced. It is true that quite a lot of time spent establishing the main characters and creating the protagonist’s back story are both necessary and interesting with the ideas being grounded in historical fact.

Be warned though this not a book about traditional witches but about the more esoteric form of witchcraft that was embodied by John Dee in the 17th century and the likes of Giordano Bruno and Agrippa. Where the search of divine knowledge (and even communing with angels) through self-transformation was all. For these ‘magicians’ alchemy was considered to be “the science of the soul”.

You fully engage with the main character Gabriel (the name is not surprising when the subject of the book is the search for transformation divine knowledge and enlightenment) and feel as though you are sitting on his shoulder while he is taking his journey or to borrow a phrase from the book you are ‘slamming the ride’.

It was not all plain sailing however, as the author uses obscure and unfamiliar words as though they had eaten a dictionary and combined thesaurus. Likewise some of the terminology is confusion but I think perhaps this is due to the subject matter.

It is difficult to categorise this book. Is it a thriller, a murder mystery, sci-fi, fantasy or a psychological thriller, gothic novel, romance or paranormal? Indeed it is all of these things and more.

Would I have picked this book to read? Possibly but I am pleased that I did. I was taken out of my comfort zone and on a wild ride which will stay with me for a long time to come. I can’t wait to read more from this author (and to investigate this subject matter further).

Full Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review.

Intriguing characters, in particular the enigmatic Monk sisters who entice lead character Gabriel into their lives whilst he tries to discover what has happened to a missing man.

Mystery and magic combine to make this a really interesting book that proved engrossing after a slightly slow start. Part based in fact, this book definitely gives food for thought and arose my interested in reading the author's three previous books.

Thanks to Transworld Publishing for the copy I received via netgalley.

Prepare to be seduced by the mixture of sensuality, mystery and supernatural that this book offers. Gabriel Blackstone, a self proclaimed "information thief", also possesses ability to mentally pay visits to other people's minds (or to "slam a ride" as it is referred to in the book). Such "gifts" often come at a price and while he believes "remote viewing" days are behind him, an unexpected visit from an ex-girlfriend may change all that. She asks him to look into the disappearance of her stepson, and though reluctant to get involved at first, very soon Gabriel finds himself drawn into the mysterious, wildly sensual and potentially dangerous world of the enigmatic Monk sisters.

Mostert does a fantastic job not only of describing in great detail this magical world she created but also of putting her own original twist on all aspects of it. At first glance I expected this to be a light, easy read but this story not only entertains but also stimulates the reader on many different levels. Though on the surface none of the characters seemed easy to relate to, the way the story unfolded required a certain level of emotional and significant level of mental involvement on the part of the reader. The magnetic pull of the spider web Gabriel finds himself entangled in seemed to be impossible to resist.

This book is perfect for those mystery lovers who like their suspense wrapped in a layer of supernatural or occult, as well as those who truly appreciate discovering a book that does not fit all the predictable elements of its genre.

Exquisite wordsmithing wrapped into an hermetic filigree of mysticism, dark magic, suspense and horror and the use of a memory palace, a technique borrowed from medieval times, to stash esoteric symbols and knowledge with a view to become supernatural. Gabriel Blackstone, a modern Londoner who sets out to discover the murderer of his former girlfriend’s stepson and has to interface with two sisters who are witches. His investigative journey narrowly bypasses his death through their occult efforts. Natasha Mostert carefully researched novel is not to be missed.

This is a nitpicky complaint about a book I generally enjoyed.

Much of the plot of this book hinges on the difficulty of memorizing the one path through an elaborate memory palace. Is this really how memory palaces work? With only one path it would take too much time to get to the info you need. Aren't there hallways and turnings that allow the user to go one direction or another?

I received a review copy of Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostart (Portable Magic Ltd.) through Netgalley.com.

How much worse are suitors, who to men’s lust
Are made preys? O, worse than dust or worms’ meat,
For they do eat you now, whose selves worms shall eat. – John Donne, Thou shalt not laugh in this leaf, Muse (British Poet, Satirist, Author, 1572-1631)

The sin of pride may be a small or a great thing in someone’s life, and hurt vanity a passing pinprick, or a self-destroying or ever murderous obsession. – Iris Murdoch (British Novelist and Philosopher, 1919-1999)

We’re going to start a rumour. It’s easy: here’s how. And thus starts a tale of twisted obsession, of ghostly presence and lucid dreaming. A tale of suffering. But whose? And how far will obsession live within the soul? To the grave? Beyond?

Too late hee would the paine asswage,
And to thick shadowes does retire;
About with him hee beares the rage,
And in his tainted blood the fire.
Edmund Waller -The selfe-banished – (English Poet and Politician,1606 – 1687)

Isabella, or Isa to her friends, lives a life of quiet desperation in South Africa. The mistress of a married man for the past thirteen years, Isa has set aside her own needs for those of her lover, Eric. Eric, who has just died, leaving her with nothing but heartache.

In the night, as she lies dreaming, the phone rings, a flat, atonal sound, odd and strangely off-key, and the crackling voice of her cousin, Alette comes through. Alette, the wild and flighty girl with whom Isa was raised. Alette the strong, Alette the vibrant. And, as Isa is soon to learn, Alette who is two days dead.

Now back in London to close Allete’s estate, Isa receives a message from Allete along with a copy of her will. A very odd and devastating message, which leads Isa to carry out a twisted scheme against Jason, Allete’s ex-husband – an ex-husband whose tortures Allete lays out in a letter, sealed for only Isa.

Lucid dreaming, African mysticism. Alchemy and premonitions. Mostert’s The Midnight Side is a brooding, atmospheric tale of suspense and psychological thrill, full of the kinds of fear and gloomy atmosphere sure to lure in even the most jaded of readers. Isa wanders through the halls of her dreams, following orders, reaching out . . . and changing within herself. The Vigyan Bhairava Tantra, the seventh sutra, says, “ . . . reach the heart at the instant of sleep and seek direction over dreams and over death itself.” Is Isabella following her heart? Or are the dreams of death drawing back the soul of her beloved cousin?

What cruelty, wasted love – love which lies only in recompense? Mostert speaks to deep waters of the mind, dark corners of the soul, the ruin brought on by wounded and damaged souls. And yet, her journey also showcases the beauty and drabery of London itself, with it’s fogs and rains, the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery of the British Museum, the odd libraries and collections, the tea shops and cathedrals. The mass of cultures and foods and beliefs. A brooding city of history and blood and loss and joy, all wrapped up in banks of fog and fire, melancholy, and old, old guilt.

What Isa does and doesn’t do, thinks and feels and suffers leads you through murky darkness, fear, and the question, or promise, of forbidden destiny.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. Highly recommended.