Book Review :: Knee Deep, by Karol Hoeffner

Knee Deep by Karol Hoeffner
ISBN: 9781646030361
Published by Regal House Publishing
on 2020-09-25
Genres: Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 219
Format: eBook
Source: From author
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Named after a hurricane, Camille is the rebellious sixteen-year-old daughter of a New Orleans bar-owner who grows up in the shadow of Bourbon Street, raised on stories of hauntings, lusty encounters and voodoo magic. And even though her family loses their home in a hurricane, she counts herself among the lucky until she discovers that her eighteen-year-old neighbor whom she secretly loves goes missing in the storm.

In Camille's own words: "This is the story of what happened to me on Fat Tuesday, how I ended up on the steps of St. Mary’s, the hem of my pirate’s petticoat soaked in somebody’s else’s blood. Although I know the story to be true, I don’t totally believe it myself. Like all good tales born out of the bayou, mine involves the dead, the living and the one trapped in the brackish waters between heaven and hell. It is the story of true love and true disaster, and at the end of it, I’ll leave it up to you to decide which is the harder to survive."

Camille’s story unfolds as a Mardi Gras memoir, one girl’s journey through the parties and the parades as her community comes together and rises up from the chaos following the devastating storm.

Last updated on 4 January 2024

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My thoughts on Knee Deep

New Orleans, Mardi Gras and voodoo magic are the ideas that really sparked my interest in Knee Deep by Karol Hoeffner. I’ve always quite liked stories set in New Orleans and the southern states of America (The Originals, anyone?), and would love to visit the cities in Louisiana. Combine that with the 2005 tropical cyclone, Hurricane Katrina,  a bit of teen romance, a ghostly possession, and a quirky set of friends and you’ve got yourself the ingredients for a good, if not deeply sad and tragic story.

Despite all those excellent ingredients, Knee Deep fell a little short for me. While the ideas were all there ready for moulding into something magical and heartbreaking, it just didn’t quite make it there. Camille, as a main character, was a little too like a love-struck teenager for my liking, falling head over heels for her next-door neighbour and basically throwing herself at him the moment he was no longer with his girlfriend. And yet when he died and was suddenly possessing the people in her life, she didn’t seem that cut up about it. Or rather, not enough to make me feel for her and her situation. Antwone (said neighbour love) was a bit of a non-event, too. As the story goes on and we learn a little more about him, the further I would want to stay away from him. Not worth it, Camille.

The plot, while definitely having potential, felt a little draggy at times. Even though this is a little book at only 219 pages, there were a few chapters that dragged for me, and didn’t feel that necessary to the story, or could have taken up less time. Then at other times so much happened in the space of one page. The pacing was a little off, therefore, for the duration.

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Overall thoughts of Knee Deep

The other characters in the story were quite fun though, and I enjoyed Camille’s friends, Beano and Gina, and some of Camille’s extended family members. The setting was really enjoyable, too, with most of the story happening around Bourbon Street, in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

As I mentioned, I love the idea of stories set in this southern city. The story emerges out of the horrific cyclone, Hurricane Katrina, and while the events of this real-life storm and the aftermath were horrific, I enjoyed how Hoeffner combined a real-life historical event with a fictional tale, as well as adding in Marie Laveau, who was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of voodoo back in the 1800s.

I can’t end this review without mentioning the cover of this book though. I really like it! The colour, the water, the boat, the illustration style; love it!

If you’re after a story about love, about a little hope in despair, a little magical paranormal activity, set in the French Quarter during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (which sounds rather specific), pick up Knee Deep when it is released in September 2020, or you can pre-order the book on the Regal House Publishing website.

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I received a copy of Knee Deep for free from the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you, Hoeffner and Regal House Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.