Yellow Jessamine

Published April 10, 2020 by Neon Hemlock Press.

ISBN:
978-1-952086-03-8
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4 stars (2 reviews)

Powerful shipping magnate Evelyn Perdanu lives a tight, contained life, holding herself at a distance from all who would get close to her. Her family is dead, her country is dying, and when something foul comes to the city of Delphinium, the brittle, perilous existence she's built for herself is strained to breaking.

When one of her ships arrives in dock, she counts herself lucky that it made it through the military blockades slowly strangling her city. But one by one, the crew fall ill with a mysterious sickness: an intense light in their eyes and obsessive behavior, followed by a catatonic stupor. Even as Evelyn works to exonerate her company of bringing plague into her besieged capital city, more and more cases develop, and the afflicted all share one singular obsession: her.

Panicked and paranoid, she retreats to her estate, which rests on a foundation of secrets: the deaths …

2 editions

Review of 'Yellow Jessamine' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is very much an awkward story, but the vibes are immaculate. The craftsmanship leaves something to be desired, but considering I read Starling's later, much better constructed work first, I may be judging it too harshly. There are a few too many eleventh hour revelations, and the ending feels vaguely pasted on, but I really respect the commitment to not giving characters an easy way out, or readers an overly detailed play-by-play. Ultimately, this story does all the good things I expect every Caitlin Starling story to do: make me scared, make me happy, not let characters off the hook, and make me briefly question the nature of existence.

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5 stars