Los Angeles Gothic gets its first Review!

On September 17th, a dear friend of mine, Geo of Hieorphant LLC, and a beta reader for the audiobook sent me a review. This was what he had to say:

“Elizabeth Jeeves’ L.A. Gothic is rife with subtle and intricate details, real world parallels, and interesting characters of all different origins; L.A. truly is the world’s melting pot, after all. The monsters, vampires, elves, ghouls, witches, cryptids… Are all taken to their logical conclusion in a world alongside humans, not as enemies–at least not anymore. An unease between monsterkind and mankind, as well as monsterkind and other monsterkind serve the piece well to reflect many real world tensions. To each reader, the analogies that can be made between this piece and their own lived experiences may largely differ, but they speak clearly to the tensions of any marginalized group in the United States. The worldbuilding throughout the piece is crafted with genre-surprising grace and undeniable immersion. 

As a content warning, this story contains graphic first and second hand depictions of the tactics and methods used by real-world human trafficking rings in 90s LA. It also contains dubious consent scenes, as well as a small number of consensual scenes in erotic detail, but I would never dismiss or cheapen this masterpiece of urban fiction for containing them. (In the same way no one complains about the erotica in Altered Carbon, or a variety of other books that contain such scenes, they are but a means that fits perfectly with the thematics of the piece at hand.)

To say that our main character, Morgana Scriven, is ‘Sex on Two Legs’ seems to be an understatement. She distracts, enthralls, and emboldens each character whom she encounters. However, dear reader, do not let her do the same to you completely. The world around her is the true star of this show. That being said, it is not her supermodel good looks, or daylight-walking “Trueborn” status that will cause the reader to empathize and identify with our vampiric investigative journalist, but her heart and unwavering commitment to uncover the frankly disturbing reasons for the disappearance of a 17-year-old human girl. Not to mention, her flaws that separate her from “perfect” romance heroines, like any diamond, only serve to crystallize her further in the mind of this reader.

The deuteragonist Ralphie Shapira is a wonderful counterpoint, a transmasculine human of color, at first glance of their identity seeming to be the kind of character that is hard for audiences outside their niche to relate to, is instead shown to be a more grounded lens for the reader into this Monster-Laden version of 1996 Los Angeles. Even so, he cannot be dismissed as a sidekick, no, just the best kind of friend you could have.

While certain minor storylines are seemingly left hanging by the ending, I think it speaks to the book’s incredible writing and the slowly garnered rooting for the unexpected tertiary heroine Maxine Mothmen that I do not feel in any way dissatisfied on waiting for the next installment to further the case. When you get to the end, and do NOT skip to it, you will know exactly what I mean. 

In short, L.A. Gothic is a brutally real thriller, even for all of its fantasy elements; excellently executed. Within its pages you will come to know, love, and hate The City of Angels, inhabited by too-real demons and monsters, all while wondering… how much further and how far higher could this plot go?

In the audiobook version of this piece, the performance of Connor Cullen lends the entire piece new dimensions of emotion, ranging from sensuality to despair, bliss to terror, rage to cold calm as they gracefully take on each character in the piece. They’re a voice to listen for in future productions, the first glimpse of a star sure to rise.”

The audiobook for Los Angeles Gothic, along with the paperback, will be available for purchase on September 20th, and the E-book is available for pre-order now. Check out the shop to find all the links you’ll need.