Item: Anastasia's Midnight Song
Author: Gina

Anastasia’s Midnight Song by M. Laszlo ~ Book Review

Longing to cure her deep, hysterical fears involving a diabolical dream fox living inside her womb, Anastasia T. Grace takes a post making occult mirrors in the hope that she may someday convince herself that she commands the power to banish her nemesis into one of her creations. However, when a troubled young Englishman grows obsessed with her beauty, she is forced to confront the pressing, all-too-real, misogynistic danger of male psychopathy.

A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.

Anastasia’s Midnight Song by M. Laszlo ~ #BookReview #Excerpt #Giveaway #Psychological #Drama @GoddessFish

Book Details

Anastasia's Midnight Song by M Laszlo
Published by Alkira Publishing on November 10, 2024
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Drama, Psychological
Format: eBook
Pages: 344

French Huguenot Anastasia believes working in one of Sinai's mirror factories will allow her to trap the imaginary Arctic fox which lives in her womb.

Whilst Jack escapes from London to Sinai to avoid being conscripted to fight in the trenches with strange imaginings that do little to alleviate his feelings of cowardice. Jack is captivated by Anastasia, seized with a fierce desire to possess her from the first second, and nothing can diminish his obsessive urge to be noticed by her, not even her obvious disgust in the face of his crude advances.

Their journeys twist together like a fugue, filled with phantasmagorical delays, as they both fail to accomplish what they set out to do. Unable to escape the consequences of their false beliefs, relentlessly they approach the brink, and eventual schizophrenia, on a quest for moral truths.

This book is a revelatory, hallucinatory account of the growing insanity of two young people who happen to be in the same place at the same time.

Source: Goddess Fish Promotions

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Excerpt from Anastasia’s Midnight Song

London. 19 June, 1918.

In the darkness before dawn, a dream awoke Anastasia—it was a nightmare in which the dream fox inside her willed itself to metamorphose into a large, hideous diadem spider.

She did not fall asleep again for an hour, and once she had, a foul odour awoke her for good. What could it be? She sat up and pinched her nose shut. Sensing warmth against her face, she realised the room was bathed in the morning light. The odour lingered, too, so she climbed out of bed and crawled off to her left, following the smell.

Soon enough, she discovered what she believed to be the carcass of a rat lying to the side of the footboard. A dead rat. It’s an omen of something awful. When she finally mustered the nerve, she groped here and there for the tail and collected the lifeless creature. Then she stood, felt her way over to the window, and dropped the dead rat into the alley below.

After she had washed her hands, she stumbled back to the window. What to think of something like that? She revisited the dream. Could it be a sign the conniving dream fox inside my womb has already transformed into a monstrous diadem spider? If so, what happens next?

Outside, the streets grew quiet—and the lull made her twist the Huguenot cross. For a time, she paced. Wringing her hands, she debated what kind of pathology might be responsible for envisioning something so disturbing as the metamorphosis fantasy. Every now and then, she sat in bed and rubbed her belly—and in those moments, she brooded. Someday soon, I’ll deliver the diadem spider. Just like a woman gives birth to a little baby. And then the hideous thing will probably tear me to pieces and consume my remains, and why wouldn’t it?

Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.

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Purchase Links for Anastasia’s Midnight Song

Anastasia's Midnight Song

Amazon Kindle Edition
Laszlo, M (Author)
English (Publication Language)
11/10/2024 (Publication Date) - Alkira Publishing (Publisher)

If the above links do not take you to your country’s Amazon page for Anastasia’s Midnight Song please let me know, and I’ll gladly get you a link.

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Purchase Anastasia’s Midnight Song from YOUR local Bookshop!

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My Thoughts on Anastasia’s Midnight Song

Anastasia’s Midnight Song by M. Laszlo is a mesmerizing yet unsettling exploration of obsession and mental unraveling. Set in the haunting landscape of Sinai during the early 20th century, the story brings together Anastasia, a French Huguenot consumed by the belief that her work in mirror factories can trap the imaginary Arctic fox she feels lives within her, and Jack, a young Londoner fleeing conscription and tormented by his own insecurities.

Laszlo captures the chaotic beauty of their intertwined lives, portraying their descent into madness with a mix of vivid imagery and raw emotion. Despite her apparent disdain, Jack’s fixation on Anastasia adds a layer of tension and discomfort as their paths spiral toward an inevitable confrontation with the illusions driving them both.

The novel shines in its ability to blur the lines between reality and delusion, making readers question what’s true alongside the characters. Laszlo’s story is both deeply personal and universally haunting, offering a hallucinatory journey through the fragility of the human mind.

Fans of surreal storytelling will find this book a fascinating, thought-provoking read.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!

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About M Laszlo

M Laszlo is the pseudonym of a reclusive author living in Bath, Ohio. According to rumor, he based the pen name on the name of the Paul Henreid character in Casablanca, Victor Laszlo.

He has lived and worked in New York City, East Jerusalem, and several other cities around the world. While living in the Middle East, he worked for Harvard University’s Semitic Museum. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio and an M.F.A. in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York.

His next work is now available from AIA Publishing. There are whispers that it purports to be a genuine attempt to explain the universe's riddle and is based on journals and idea books he made while completing his M.F.A. at Sarah Lawrence College.

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