Short & Sweet Reviews: The Tangled Bridge by Rhodi Hawk

Title: The Tangled Bridge
Author: Rhodi Hawk
Genre: Fiction/Horror/Thriller
Series: Madeleine LeBlanc #2/A Twisted Ladder Series

Trade Paperback, 528 pages
Published October 30, 2012 by Tor Books

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|AMAZON|BOOK DEPO|

Source: Publisher

|SUMMARY|
Psychologist Madeleine LeBlanc is desperate to escape the madness that has followed her family for a century. She’s struggling to adjust to her new-found power and to stick to the pact that protects her sanity.

But an innocent little boy is being hunted—by Madeleine’s half brother and her great-grandmother, Chloe, and by the demons they control. The boy is a threat to their bloodline, to their very nature, but Madeleine cannot let his young life be callously destroyed.

Thrust into an age-old battle of dark versus light, Madeleine dives deep into the history of her family and into the vast paranormal underworld of New Orleans, a world seemingly controlled by her great-grandmother.

|REVIEW|

**Contain spoilers from first book!**

The Tangled Bridge is the sequel to Rhodi Hawk’s A Twisted Ladder that follows Dr. Madeleine LeBlanc as she comes to term with her new ability, and her dark family’s history. The People in Madeleine’s family all have the ability to influence/manipulate people’s will/mind, something they call ‘ Pigeon Games’. In the previous book, Madeleine not only learns that her father isn’t really sick but can see in the briar (a dark and twisted place where the river devils resides) but she too has the knack. Madeleine’s life got more complicated in A Twisted Ladder when she discovers her brother Marc, who committed suicide has a child, and Zenon her long time neighbor is also her half-brother. Zenon tries to kill Madeleine by using pigeonry on her, but instead Madeleine used it on Zenon first causing him to stay in a vegetative state. Madeleine thought with Zenon being bedridden she’d be safe but it turns out Zenon is able to walk the briar, and is still taking over people mind without being in a physical body. Zenon and Great-grandmother Chloe is out to find Marc’s child, destroy all the Lumens (especially a certain young boy…Lumens are a group of people opposite of the briar children, Lumens are people full of light/life), and have Madeleine join their side or die.It is up to Madeleine to stop Zenon and Chloe, all while trying to stay alive and not succumbing to the briar/pigeonry.

In this follow up sequel we learn more about the LeBlanc family, and readers get a more in depth look at the briar, river devils and pigenory. Madeleine is a strong character, she is always fighting against using pigenory for the wrong reasons, and although Severin (Madeleine’s river devil), Chloe and Zenon are pushing Madeline towards using more of her ability and walking the briar she never gives in and keeps fighting. Severin, Madeline’s river devil is one creepy little girl, every time the author describes her and what she does in the book…it gives me goosebumps! The Tangled Bridge, like the first book has chapters alternating back and forth from present day Louisiana and 1900s Louisiana.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first, although there was less mystery/action this time around. Madeleine spends most of her time protecting Marc’s baby’s location and one of the Lumen boy from Chloe/Zenon or in the briar learning to hone her power or getting Chloe/Zenon off her trail. Overall, The Tangled Bridge was a great addition to the series, and it’s as creepy and chilling as the first book. The ending leaves a possibility of the series continuing, because Marc’s child is the last of the briar children.