The Casquette Girls: A Novel

The Casquette Girls, Book 1

By: Alys Arden

Narrated by: Kate Rudd

Revised edition: This edition of The Casquette Girls includes editorial revisions.

©2015 Alys Arden (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Very imaginative tale of magic in New Orleans.

I am looking forward to listening to the next installment. Normally, I read. But I have a concussion, so no reading or screentime. Ugh. This tale kept me diverted for many hours. It also made me want to go back to New Orleans soon.

Obsessed!

I was looking foe a book set I the French quarter, and this exceeded my expectations. The detail she writes about the city, and the way she intertwines NOLA lore with her characters is spectacular. I never read books, but since only the first 2 are on Audible, I was so obsessed that I'm currently actually reading the 3rd!

Rich in Louisiana Lore

4.5 ★ Audiobook⎮ Story-wise, this audiobook ranks somewhere between 4.5 and 4.75 stars. Certain elements of the story deserve a 4.75 star rating, like the world-building/atmosphere development and the use of culture to enhance the richness of the tale. For me, that was the best part about this story. I wasn’t at all shocked to find out that Alys Arden grew up in New Orleans because she wrote about the city and its culture(s) with the knowledge and ardor that can only come from an insider. The way she continuously described the city and its layout invited to the reader to mentally walk the streets of La Nouvelle-Orléans with the main character, Adele. I also relished in the numerous French phrases scattered throughout the book. They definitely added a lot to the story’s overall atmosphere and reflected New Orleans’ je ne sais quois most appropriately. A working knowledge of the French language would be helpful while enjoying this story. But don’t worry if you haven’t got one, you probably will have by the end of the book!

My other favorite aspect of the story was its legendary basis. This is a fictitious story, based on a real legend. The fille à la cassette (Casket/Casquette Girls) did actually exist and have been the subject of much lore, especially in Louisiana, since the 18th century. That fact acting as the backbone of this novel is what sets it apart from other vampire fiction. I frequently bemoan the (over)use of vampiric characters, specifically vampire boyfriends because I feel that they are often unnecessarily and indiscriminately thrown into a plot (any plot) for cheap thrills. This practice, especially in young adult fiction, had very nearly soured my opinion on vampire literature altogether. That’s why I owe Alys Arden a debt of gratitude for reminding me that vampire fiction can still be enjoyable, when done correctly. Arden’s vampires struck me as more “Prince Lestat” than “Edward Cullen”, darker, meaner, and more dangerous. You know, like an actual vampire. Excuse me, but they aren’t meant to be cuddly. That, combined with the New Orleans setting, was very reminiscent of the CW’s hit show “The Originals”.

The characters and the romance put the story more on the 4.5 star-ish side of things. Adele (the MC) struck me as a tad bit vexing and as someone who consistently failed to see what was right in front of her face, sometimes making my “suspension of disbelief” hard to sustain. I actually preferred Desirée (in the female side role?) to Adele. I was fine with the other characters, except Isaac (bleck!), and very much enjoyed the cultural diversity they represented. There were hints of romance, some of which I was into and some of which I was not. I’m very, very peculiar about how romances are written and my usual stance is: Leave it to the Romance-genre writers. I didn’t start this audiobook looking for an epic love story, vampire or otherwise. I wasn’t terribly taken with the suggestions of romance in this story and, thankfully, Arden was kind enough not to put a romance in centerstage.

Narration review: Kate Rudd is a consistently great narrator. I’ve lost count of how many of her audiobooks I’ve heard, but I’ve come to consider her a “sure thing” for pleasing narration. She certainly had her work cut out for her narrating this audiobook, with the many bits of foreign languages strewn throughout and with such a diverse cast of characters. I’m happy to report that she handled this all with aplomb! This was a very positive listening experience, but I do think this series would have benefited from a few audio enhancements (sound effects, etc.), similar to what I have heard in the Caster Chronicles and The Raven Cycle audio series. ♣︎

love the story, but...

After a few starts, I finally finished the listen. I would have enjoyed it more, I think, had I read it. The narrator voice is fine; but the mispronunciations were consistently annoying.

I think you'll love this book!

Absolutely stunning. Haunting and resilient New Orleans after the flood. Friendship, love, family, magic and trust. Heartfelt and Beautifully written.

Fantastic!

The audio adaptation of Alys Arden's The Casqutte Girls was phenomenal! Great narrator, wonderful writing and thrilling plot! Love the New Orleans setting. And the legends! A must listen. ❤️

Great Book

Alys does an amazing job world building and character building. Not your typical YA novel. I was genuinely surprised by the plot twists and turns. I was hesitant to listen as I enjoy paranormal romance and this book sounded more paranormal than romance but it has a wonderful love triangle. The only negative I have is that there were so many characters, the story line at times it was difficult to follow and keep them straight. At one point, I wrote names down on a paper to help. Also, I don't know a lick of French so the common French phrases in the book that were not translated were hard to follow.

Good Story

I learned about the Casquette Girls and their history from a calendar of historical events not readily known so this book caught my attention. Good premise. Some of it reminded me of that other,very well known, vampire series. The narrator has a pleasant voice with an interesting accent. It did sound like she was reading rather than acting the parts. I will listen to the next book in the series.

Witches & Vampires & New Orleans oh my

What made the experience of listening to The Casquette Girls: A Novel the most enjoyable?

Narration was good but Kate Rudd always does a good job. I felt like she got the characters in this book and she made them come to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oh man I hate questions like this. I have to say in this book I really liked every character ( I can't say that about every book) In this one I may have to say Nicco and the city of New Orleans herself.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

No know I really think the tag line they have for this book is perfect I would not change it.

"Seven girls tied by time
Five powers that bind
One curse to lock the horror away
One attic to keep the monsters at bay"

It made me want to read it we listen I should say.

Enjoyable

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. 4 stars as I thought the ending was very flat and so many open questions still that made throughout the book.