Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Fanning Fireflies is a compelling romantic supernatural drama set in Harrisville in 1944 featuring an impressive storyline full of twists and turns. Delorme's haunting and powerful depiction of love, race relations, and the supernatural in mid-20th century America is excellently rendered and will leave readers eager for more.
Prose: Delorme's text benefits from a meticulous attention to detail that deftly captures the hatred manifesting itself in 1940s Harrisville. The convincing, naturalistic, and absorbing dialogue helps emphasize the time and place of the events, imbuing the percolating atmosphere with rich and vibrant plot and character development.
Originality: Fanning Fireflies is book 3 in Delorme's The Limerent series, and further entries in the series will surely be eagerly anticipated. Paranormal elements are brilliantly weaved into Fanning Fireflies, creating an unnervingly haunting atmosphere that is compelling to experience.
Character/Execution: Delorme's strong protagonist, Veronica Crane, is a tense and involving character who is consistently engaging. There is an abundance of excellent character development throughout the novel, particularly in the love story that develops between Veronica and Lazlo, a relationship filled with nuance, detail, and wonder.
Blurb: An absorbing supernatural romance novel.
Date Submitted: June 06, 2024
While the hatred brewing in Harrisville is terrifying, Delorme adds a dash of the paranormal to the stress of Veronica’s life. A”Furiae,” a hereditary trait passed down among the women in the family, Veronica can see ghosts, even communicating with some. Some are scary, like a possessed nearly-dead raccoon; but most try to help her, like her beloved chicken, Betty, who died years before and now alerts her to danger. Both scary and a bit fun, a ghost named Dante helps lead her to the knowledge that her town is in danger and she and her family must get out.
Character development of all kinds—animals, humans, ghosts, and wisps—is strong in Delorme’s writing, leaving readers’ hearts racing right along with Veronica, and deeply feeling for the many in the town that are treated horribly, often fearing for their lives. Also painted clearly is the town itself, like bringing readers into the cigarette factory with Veronica where she works, smelling the smells, and feeling the heat and long hours. Never holding back from describing even the most difficult moments with candor and sensitivity, Delorme pulls readers into 1944 Harrisville in a way they won’t want to leave, needing to find what happens next.
Takeaway: Unflinching portrait of love, race, and 1940s America, with a paranormal twist.
Comparable Titles: Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
