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Lexy Delorme
Author
Fanning Fireflies
LS Delorme, author
There is something rotten in Harrisville. It’s 1944 and Veronica works tirelessly just so she can afford to eat. Maybe one day she will save enough to own the home her family is living in, but for now, she doesn’t have time for fanciful thoughts, or much else.  She doesn’t have time for the fire whispering to her, the ghosts trying to talk to her and the son of her boss, who can’t stop staring at her.  She definitely doesn’t have time to think about Lazlo, the handsome black soldier that she processed at the draft office, but she can’t seem to stop herself. As her ability to ignore Lazlo evaporates, so does her self-imposed ignorance about her hometown. There is, and always has been, something rotten in Harrisville. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. After all, Veronica works in the cigarette factory, where corpses hide in the tobacco with the roaches. 
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8.25 out of 10

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

Reviews
Delorme’s haunting third in the Limerent series (after Bright Midnights) introduces Veronica Crane, a strong woman who, in 1944, is determined to live her life the way she wants—even though doing so could threaten that life. Signing up soldiers for the war in her small town in North Carolina is her first time being around Black people. She feels an instant connection with a man named Lazlo, and even though they only have the chance to meet briefly, the two fall in love. The next day, Lazlo leaves for the war. Secrets are impossible to keep in a small town, and as rumors—and virulent racism—fester, Veronica struggles between fighting for the right to love, and protecting her family from losing everything.

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

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