A short and sexy gem that doesn’t overstay its welcome, Marionette was a delightful little palate cleanser in-between lengthier reads.

This is my second NetGalley selection for review, and though I love (and plan on reviewing) many disparate genres, I clearly did not stray far from my predilection for horror. Although I’d not heard of Antonia Rachel Ward prior to requesting this book, I was passingly familiar with the Ghost Orchid Press imprint which she founded and edits for. With that minor familiarity in place, I figured that my enjoyment of Marionette would be nearly assured. Needless to say, if felt good to be correct!

I also feel it’s important to support small & independent publishers and authors as often as possible. Over the past two years, I have read many an indie offering that was far more enjoyable and/or original than the output coming from established publishing houses. Reviews are an indie author’s lifeblood, and I am happy to do my part in bringing recognition to folks who deserve it.

As with all my reviews, I will attempt to keep spoilers to a minimum. My reasoning for this is two-fold; first, I firmly believe that books of any and all genres are simply more enjoyable when the reader goes in blind, stripped of all preconceived notions and expectations; and second, out of respect for the author, who spent countless hours crafting their tale. Robbing stories of their intended impact, in my opinion, is a considerable disservice to the person who penned them. As such, if it’s not mentioned in the official synopsis, I will do my level best to avoid mentioning it here.

Let’s get the technical aspects out of the way first; Marionette is an erotic supernatural historical thriller (whew…taking a breath) featuring two POV characters, told in third-person past tense, and clocking in around 100 pages (digitally).

Now, we all know that we aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover…but we are all guilty of doing just that. And, if I am judging Marionette by its artwork (in violation of all known literary laws)…then I am judging it quite worthy indeed! Daniella Batsheva’s artwork is simply gorgeous…full stop. There’s an erotic tarot feel to it that I think fits the subject matter perfectly. No digital manipulation; no photo-realism; just sexy art atop a sexy book

As for the content underneath said cover, one thing that cannot be understated is Antonia Rachel Ward’s prowess at crafting a compelling storyline. She has a clear and concise narrative voice, with flowing prose and vivid descriptors that never quite devolve into the dreaded purple realm. She manages to evoke the feeling of the time period without making readers run for the thesaurus. No small feat, that.

Sumptuous descriptions abound, but word repetition is nonexistent, which helps each location, encounter, and event feel unique. Naturally, this is easier to pull off with a smaller work like this, but it’s still worth noting. In a market where many indie authors revert to the same words ad nauseum, it’s refreshing to read something so consistently “new” from start to finish.

Of course, given Antonia’s pedigree as an editor, none of this should be surprising.

There are two main characters in Marionette; French country girl turned exotic dancer Cecile Dulac and George Dashwood, a young Englishman travelling to Paris for a working holiday. Cecile is definitely the more (ahem) fleshed out of the two. In fact, though I understand their inclusion, George’s chapters are very nearly superfluous. This is Cecile’s story through and through, and she’s an interesting enough character, though the novella’s length prevents us from ever getting overly familiar with her.

It’s the same for the supporting characters, both friend and foe alike. They add flavor to the narrative, and we get the briefest of snippets as to what makes them tick, but that’s about it. As such, Marionette is more a plot/encounter driven narrative than a character driven one.

But what fun those encounters are! The concept of ravenous spirits is nothing new, but that these ghosts hunger for the sins of the flesh instead of death & dismemberment is a welcome break from convention. To mention any more would be to delve into spoiler territory, so I’ll leave it at that.

For those who want/need to know, there is some vaguely non-consensual bumping and grinding happening in Marionette. There are trigger warnings included at the back of the book, one of which is the catch-all warning of “some sex scenes of dubious consent”, but I believe that statement needs to be a little stronger. While the characters do consent to the initial encounters, things escalate in such a way that they cross over into decidedly non-consensual territory. Or, maybe more accurately, unanticipated and never initially specified territory. Considering that this is a work of quasi-erotic fiction, I had no problem with these scenes. But for those who are sensitive to the subject matter, reader discretion is advised.

Maybe it’s because I’m not quite the target demographic, but I found Marionette to be both refreshing and rewarding. True, it doesn’t delve into either the horror or the erotica themes as deeply as it could, but then I believe that was by design. This is, in my estimation, a slightly dark and twisted little riff on the classic fairytales, one that captures the feel while straying into naughtier territory.

In fact, in an era where everyone wants more moRE MORE, I find it comforting that a few authors are perfectly content with a little restraint. For the hardcore smut junkies out there (judgement free zone here, there is NO shame in that game), the options are vast. For folks who want just a little bit of taboo titillation with their transcendent terror, the pickings are a fair bit slimmer. So, kudos to Ms. Ward for taking the path less travelled. Imagination is a powerful thing, and I always admire when an author allows us readers to flex ours from time to time.

Nitpicks are scarce but must still be mentioned.

As commented on earlier, this is a story that plays it safe with both the naughty bits and the spooky bits. While I was fine with this, it appears that much of the interwebs are not. People either wanted more smut and less horror, more horror and less smut, or just more of everything. Given that this is a novella, there were only so many pages that could be filled, and I personally was glad that it focused more on the story than the rest. Your own mileage may vary.

Also, the central romance is also hastily assembled, feeling more tacked on than anything. It certainly does not feel earned. Now, in my admittedly limited experience, those statements seem to describe about 90% of fictional romances out there, both in literature and on celluloid. But it still bears a mention. I get that Marionette takes place in an era when gentlemen were supposed to protect their ladies, but George goes from zero to sixty in that department in no time flat. It’s a tough pill to swallow.

Lastly, the entire affair wraps up just a tad too quickly. I’m all about a book not overstaying its welcome, but I think Marionette could have benefitted from just a few more pages at the end.

Is it a short tale? Undeniably yes. And though I can see Marionette being expanded with relative ease (and I sincerely hope that Antonia does just that), I’m not going to ding the book for being petite. Especially since I was aware of that fact going in. Yes, I like big books and I cannot lie…but I am fond of little books just as much. Each has their place and purpose.

If R rated supernatural adventures are more your speed, or you just need a break from the XXX creature content, I recommend checking out Marionette. It was an enjoyable diversion to be sure!

Novellas tend to be hit or miss for me, because I think they often come across rushed or under-developed. I think establishing the world/environment and/or characters is almost more important than cramming the plot into such a short story.

For me, that's what made this one fall flat. I see the vision, I understand the narrative, and I was definitely interested in the set-up. But unfortunately, it ended up feeling a bit, incomplete, I suppose. While George feels developed, Cece does not, and the last 40% of this novella seemed rushed because it is actually quite a complex plot when it comes down to its details. I could see this being a full-length novel, and honestly I think that would have worked better and appealed to me more, as the twists towards the end of the novel drew me in but were not developed enough. It had parts to it that I enjoyed but overall felt a bit lackluster. Because I was interested in the concept though, I am certainly also interested in checking out Ward's other works, now and in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

It was an okayish read for me. As I quite didn’t like it much but at the same time quite didn’t despised it

So this wasn’t bad… but it wasn’t really good either. 2 1/2 stars rounded up. Beware of a few light spoilers…

There were a few things that I thought were interesting, such as the base storyline. How interesting to hypnotize a victim and have a ghost possess her. Throw in some hot sex and it should have been good to go!! But it was all crammed into such a short story that I think things are lacking. The characters were underdeveloped and the sex scenes were just brushed over so quickly. I feel like if you’re going to have a sex scene, then really have one. Let’s hear the raunchy details!! But that’s just me.

It was also a bit bizarrely gory. Not in like a good way either. In like a, what did I just read kind of way. I am game for some gore in a book that’s done well, but this went way too far off the deep end for my tastes.

So I do not recommend this one.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This was an extremely quick read that fits the theme of novella. Have to say though George's character was super lame. I know it was trying to be somewhat historically accurate with the way women are supposed to behave and such but author's are also able to take artistic liberty and I wish this author had written a stronger female character. Maybe if she had been able to flesh out the book some more.

A must read for all gothic fans set up in victorian time. The tale of survival in times when women were less than a commodity.

Antonia Rachel Ward has delivered a titillating and ghastly story of possession in her novella, "Marionette." An aspiring artist, George Dashwood, falls for a ballerina in nineteenth-century Paris. However, the dancer is seduced into appearing in an erotic séance, where she is possessed by a vengeful spirit. Can George’s love free her or will he be destroyed as well?

This story deserves some trigger warnings, and when I read it on Kindle, they didn’t appear until the end of the book, so beware. The most obvious to me was dubious consent. There is also mention of suicide, and there is on-the-page murder. Some of the gore is quite graphic and delivers in the shock value. This is moderately offset by the lush setting of Paris, the trappings of the ballet, and the decadence of the time period. I have to give props to the cover artist for really capturing that in her illustration. It was a very alluring portrait. The characters could have had more development, and I had a hard time sympathizing with any of them. But I also found the erotic element to be enticing and the writing clean and well edited.

All in all, this is an entertaining read, great for the summer if you like something a little spicy and dark while at the beach. I would recommend Antonia Rachel Ward’s "Marionette" if you are not afraid of a little gore with your seduction.

Lyrical and beautiful writing style, but the blend of English and French words together was jarring and over the top. Story itself was intriguing but not my favourite.

This was such a unique read. Set in Paris, historic times, with dancing performances - ballet, and sexual parties, with a touch of magic and witchcraft. The author paints such beautiful imagery. Just around 100 pages and you get so much out of this book.

Mystery. Steam. Magic. Darkness.

Cecile is a promiscuous character and one night she is invited to attend an event. Her friend volunteers first to show Cece how things are done. Cece is enamored by this and decides to partake in the fun; however, during this event she seems to black out. What Cece thought was for show, was reality. She was hypnotized and during this a spirit was encouraged to embody her.

The moment George set eyes on Cece he was in awe of her. Such beauty she held. But can George really be the man for Cece or will he keep failing her?


Dual POV: yes

At times it. felt a little hard to differentiate who's chapter it was, as to there are no name in the chapter headers.
3.5, but rounded up to 4 because I enjoyed the uniqueness, I also had such a good time reading this too.

*Thank you Netgalley for an ARC. My honest review.*

This was a really interesting book to read. The thing that drew me in at first was the cover, which is such an interesting cover! It is really beautifully drawn. Reading the description of the book, I got even more excited. I was slightly let down by this one, however. Do not get me wrong! I had a good time reading it, and I appreciated all of the twists and turns that were in it.
The words were beautifully written and Antonia Rachel Ward did a wonderful job explaining the scenery of everything that was happening. There were a couple of things that I wished for more in this book, however. I feel as though this book could have been a bit longer. I really liked the novella aspect of this book, I simply just do not feel as though the characters were as developed as they could have been by the end of the story. The end of this story seemed to happen very quickly and I wish that more time could have been taken to explain everything that was happening specifically with Selena.
One of my favorite things in this novella was definitely the author describing being hypnotized. I felt as though she did a really good job encapsulating that. I will definitely read more from this author in the future!
Huge thank you to Netgalley and Brigid Gate Press for an ARC of this novella!

"In the forest, a long time ago, lived spirits who would dance a man to death."

Cecile Dulac is a naive girl from a poor background who wants to follow in her aunt's footsteps and become a star , and she does - an erotic dancer who titillates and flirts with her audience from onstage. After accepting an invitation to a séance hosted by an enigmatic mesmerist, Monsieur Rossignol., Cece falls prey to Rossignol’s hypnotic power and becomes possessed by a malevolent spirit. She then has to fight to beat the spirit within her and take control of her life back.

This novella blends a little spiciness (I wouldn't necessarily consider Marionette to fall under the Erotica categorgy), with horror and a dash of mystery pretty well. I thought the plot was interesting and a little kinky, but the characters could have been better developed, and the insta-love 'romance' was nonexistent Also, the ending just HAPPENED and that was that so.....

I like horror books, and smut books as much as any girl but combining the two? Its a no from me.

I tried sticking it through, but this book just made me incredibly uncomfortable and uneasy. Absolutely the wrong audience for this book. The smut was not written well enough for me to attempt and finish this, the horror aspect was just too weird and too much.

DNF @ 67%

It was the cover that drew me, and then the story. It was a good short book, introducing some gothic themes as well themes of love do exist even in the darkest of century(s). From a religious point of view, I could feel chills creeping up my body when reading the ritual scenes. That's how scary good those scenes were.

An enjoyable short read that was full of horror and spice. It was well written with an interesting storyline and a good amount of character development. I would have just prefered slightly more development of the characters and the romance element of the book

“You men always think women who want more are evil. All she wants is to live the life that was stolen from her.”

Smut ✔️ Horror ✔️- while it ticked both of my favourite genres boxes, there were some things lacking from this book for me. The setting was glorious - made me feel very Moulin Rouge. The cover is absolutely stunning and reminiscent of a graphic novel.

The romance unfortunately felt one sided and I found the immediate love for Cece from George lacking description but also, it is a novella so there isn’t much room for in depth love stories. I’d have loved more interaction between them as well.

The ending was abrupt and threw me off but maybe not in a nice way.

Overall I’d give it 3 stars - thank you so much for allowing me to read this ARC.

There's not really much substance to this book. An erotic dancer is taken over by a spirit who leads her to do things.
Yes there's a story. A bit of erotica thrown in. However, this book could have been so much better. The best thing was the cover. You'd buy the book for book for that. Unfortunately not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

A well written and captivating story about an exotic dancer drawn into the world of erotic seances where she becomes taken over by a malevolent spirit. A tantalizing blend of horror, the macabre, and erotica, with creative storytelling and interesting characters throughout!

A young exotic dancer is on the run and she decides to become part of an erotic seance and soon becomes possessed by an evil marionette. A young and attractive artist witnesses the seance and the exotic dancer seduces him. The evil spirit possessing the young exotic dancer, Ce Ce, causes her to commit depraved acts. The acts range from revenge to murder. George, attractive artist, and Ce Ce must find a way to free her if the evil spirit or her soul will be condemned forever.
The story line for this novella is very different from anything else I have read. In this day and age it is hard to find a unique story line such as this one. The characters were interesting and captivating!

A short quirky, fun, little dark, slightly naughty read, not a huge amount of scene setting or character building which would have boosted this up more but enjoyable enough anyway!

2.5 stars

A moment, please, for that cover 😍

I don't think I've ever read this mixture of genre before, but the cover definitely caught my eye, so I wanted to try it. There's nothing wrong with this book, I just don't think it was really my thing, unfortunately.

I do absolutely LOVE this author's writing style.

"Shop windows shone invitingly in the fading light, like golden sweet wrappers hiding treasures within."

I'll definitely be trying other books by this author.