Customer Reviews

Lost Souls of the Witches' Castle

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Terri DuLong's premier novel grabs you by the heart and soul and keeps you there. A real page turner, you will not be able to put it down. Terri does a masterful job at developing her main characters, even after you have turned the last page, you will be thinking about them for days. Her plot line is one of mystery and intrigue and it promises not to leave you flat. Lost Souls as a love story, takes you on a spiritual journey across a bridge to eternity. A delightful read!

I was intrigued by Terri DuLong's novel Lost Souls of the Witches' Castle, because of my childhood memories of riding past this eerie, real-life institution in the back seat of my parent's car. Terri DuLong has masterfully intertwined a story of two loves, decades apart. A gripping tale of a lost and lonely resident at Danvers State Institution, the secrets those who worked there were forced to keep, and a modern day couple who will be forever changed by fate. A story of how true love will never be denied.
- R.V.
Pen Names Bookstore, Cedar Key, FL

This book had me so absorbed that I could not put it down and continued to read until I finished it. It took me all morning and some of the afternoon to finish. I sure can't wait for another book by Ms DuLong. She held me hostage for about 8 glorious hours. This author has great potential.

Journalist Nick DeSantis meets RN Dana Etheridge at the Danvers State Mental Institution in Danvers, Massachusetts. Both feel an instant attraction and begin seeing one another. Eventually Nick wants more from their relationship, but Dana fears commitment. After Nick meets Dana's grandmother Hannah, a retired nurse who worked at the closed the closed mental facility, she gives them a journal that one of her patients Emily gave to her.

Dana and Nick read the journal together. In 1918 when Emily was sixteen she met Jonathan who was a decade older than her. Because of the age gap, they hid their relationship from their family, knowing both sides would try to destroy it. When they are found out, their fears proved true. Jonathan's very powerful father forbade him to see Emily and her mother had her committed at Danvers. Will Dana learn the message that heartbroken Emily left in her muses: that for love one must risk everything and she would willingly go for it again even knowing the consequences or will the nurse stay safe hiding behind a commitment phobia?

This is a haunting romance that uses a sad tragic historical relationship tale to provide the message to readers and the lead couple that love is worth the danger of a broken heart. The story line is well written enabling the audience to see deep inside to the core of Dana's hesitation, but is at its best during the ill fated 1918 romance. Terri DuLong shows tremendous talent as she leaves her audience somewhat disturbed yet spiritually uplifted with LOST SOULS OF THE WITCHES' CASTLE.

Harriet Klausner

I absolutely loved the book. I read it in one seating. It "fed" the romantic part of my soul. It was written clearly so you could actually "see" the characters and places. I am from Massachusetts and I particularly enjoyed the mention of places I have visited. My only complaint is it wasn't long enough.

I come from a small town in Penna. where we also had an institution much like Danvers State Hospital. We heard daily of so many horror stories.

This book is a story of love, deep soul searching, mystery and the sad life of one of the "lost souls". It keeps you wanting to know more and more of the parallel love so clearly happening before your very eyes. It was very riveting and I couldn't wait to see how it ended.

Terri DuLong has a wonderful way of staying focused and relaying things in a down to earth way. Thanks for a wonderful story and keep the good books coming! Doris

In the first three pages I was hooked on Terri DuLong's Lost Souls of the Witches' Castle. In the next twenty pages, I realized I was reading prose so smooth and flowing that the ideas she presented raced through my brain in a rare symmetry. This is a book to be read in one or two sessions. Terri DuLong addresses social and institutional injustice in the context of two stories intertwined,yet distanced by many years. She does not tutor; she eases the reader to understand without assigning guilt or demanding revenge for past injustices. The reader is lead to the possibility of reincarnation but never coerced. I determined that the idea of reincarnation of the main characters was the perfect ending to this sensitve story of love and trust. Gardenia Press has discovered a gifted writer. Move over John Updike to make room for Terri DuLong who will fill many minds and hearts with moving words.

Reading Terri's novel was difficult - it was difficult to put down. A haunting story of love and the connecting threads that transcend time, I was amazed at the intuitive way in which Terri DuLong tied past and present lives together. From a "chance" meeting between a man and woman in front of a place with a history of cruelty and inhumanity, to the realization that there was no "chance" or coincidence in their meeting. The skillful manner in which Terri unravels past lives and binds them together with the present makes "Lost Souls" a terrific read.

I've always felt that everything happens for a reason and that there is no such thing as coincidence. Terri DuLong's novel, though a work of fiction, proves that what I've always known about coincidence is correct. Fiction - GOOD fiction - is, after all, based on fact.

If Terri's future works are anything like "Lost Souls," I'll be the first one on line to get a copy.

Lost souls abound in this beautiful love story. Nick, left alone as a single parent when his wife passes on. And Dana, the struggling single parent of a failed early marriage. They meet at the Witches' Castle -- by chance? There are obsticles to overcome as single parents. Is love, and a need to love, strong enough to bridge these two wandering souls? Guided by a haunting tale of "seperated" turn of the century lovers. Dana and Nick seek their incarnate happiness.
An eerie tone prevails throughout this wonderfully told story. The horrors of the Witches' Castle are subtle, but very real and nicely exposed... Certainly, there are forces at work here that
will never be understood. What a splendid read, a must read...

What a beautiful and tragic story, entwining two couples together on a path unbenownst to them both.

When Nick and Dana met, it was like magic. Their meeting was on the grounds of the old Danvers State Mental Institution. They both were enchanted by the majestic place and all the secrets it now holds since its closing.

After getting together and seeing one another for a while, Nick and Dana felt like they've known eachother before. They just had that connection. Dana's grandmother confirmed that feeling. Hannah presented Dana and Nick with a journal that was given to her by one of her patients. Hannah worked as a nurse at the Institution for many years.

The patient's name was Emily. She was destined to live her short life out in the institution. Before Hannah would tell Dana and Nick anymore about this woman, she wanted them to read the journal together. So they started with the first entry and didn't stop until the last word was read. This took over two years because of Dana's fear of commitment to Nick. They had a few issues put between them that they struggled through.

In the journal, Emily met a man named Jonathan in the year 1918. She was only sixteen and he was ten years older, quite a big deal in those times. With a lot of sneaking around on both their parts, they thought of running away together to secure their destiny. If either of their parents knew, they would be split up. Unfortunately, time was not on their side and they were found out. Jonathan's very powerful, wealthy and influential father forbade him to see her, as well as Emily's mother. To Emily's dismay, she was also put into the hospital for her simple act of loving a man. A few other people were invovled in this mess, all at Emily and Jonathan's expense.

Dana and Nick must experience a few hardships during their relationship also. With the help of Emily's journal, Dana's grandmother and a handful of others, Dana gets back on the right track and truly experiences life and all the joy it can bring!

A beautiful story told by a great storyteller, Terri DuLong. It's hard to believe this could be Terri's first novel. It was well-crafted and just flowed right along that it enraptures you with wonderful wording.

I am absolutely looking forward to reading more of Terri's work in the future!