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Sundark: An Elle Black Penny Dread (The Elle Black Penny Dreads Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

Who is Elle Black?

Elle Black, an unconventional psychic detective in an unconventional Victorian marriage, leaves her lovely wife to answer a desperate plea. Guests are vanishing in a mechanical hotel known as the Sundark, and Elle must use her 'anomalous perturbationist' gift–the ability to move objects with her mind–to save herself and the remaining hotel residents from malevolent, sidereal powers. But with apparitions appearing, magnetic lines disrupted, and clairvoyant guests lurking, who is the true murderer . . . or murderess?

“A smart, solid, satisfying pulp Gothic.”
Nathan Long, author of the Ulrika the Vampire and Jane Carver of Waar series

An F/F romance and historical fantasy in a Victorian, supernatural London, follow the telekinetic Elle Black, a twenty-two year old, happily remarried widow, as she solves mysteries in the same paranormal world as the Dark Victorian series by Elizabeth Watasin. Where Secret Commission agents Artifice and Jim Dastard haven't time to tread, Elle Black will take up the lead and follow.

A lesbian female sleuth series:
Deep in London's Chiselhurst lies the Sundark, a magnificent, mechanical manor built in earlier times by a master illusionist and his occultist wife. Its guests have been known to stay, only to never be seen again. Now converted into a hotel, is the rumor some publicity lure or a cover for fleeing, non-paying residents? Elle Black, a housewife and telekinetic among London detectives and Secret Commission agents, is summoned to solve this mystery as more victims vanish, faster than before.

What Gothic horror awaits as the psychic sleuth leaves her beautiful wife Faedra to investigate the seemingly harmless, clockwork turnings of Sundark's rooms and towers? During her first night’s vigil, Elle slips into the chilling, preternatural past as ghosts walk, gaslamps become candles, floors and walls mechanically move, and yet another unlucky guest screams in terror and vanishes.

But whatever is behind the vanishings did not count on making Elle angry...

Sundark: An Elle Black Penny Dread, is a supernatural mystery from storyteller Elizabeth Watasin, who delights in bringing you shilling shockers immersed in Gothic Victorian mystery, women detectives, and the paranormal vestiges of an otherworldly London. Read more in Dark Victorian: Risen, Dark Victorian: Bones, Ice Demon: A Dark Victorian Penny Dread Vol 1, and Medusa: A Dark Victorian Penny Dread Vol 2.

Experience a bonus Art Gallery:
The paperback version of Sundark: An Elle Black Penny Dread, contains a small gallery of illustrations by Elizabeth Watasin.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elizabeth Watasin is the acclaimed author of the Gothic steampunk series The Dark Victorian, The Elle Black Penny Dreads, and the creator/artist of the indie comics series Charm School, which was nominated for a Gaylactic Spectrum Award. A twenty year veteran of animation and comics, her credits include thirteen feature films, such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Princess and the Frog, and writing for Disney Adventures magazine. She lives in Los Angeles with her black cat named Draw, busy bringing readers uncanny heroines in shilling shockers, epic fantasy adventures, and paranormal detective tales. Follow the news of her latest projects at A-Girl Studio.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00F4E1TY8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ A-Girl Studio (December 8, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 8, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2122 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 186 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

About the author

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Elizabeth Watasin
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Winner, Best Lesbian Fantasy & Fantasy Romance, 2015 Rainbow Awards. Elizabeth Watasin is the author of the Gothic steampunk series The Dark Victorian, The Elle Black Penny Dreads, the paranormal sci-fi noir series, Darquepunk, and the creator/artist of the indie comics favourite Charm School, which was nominated for a Gaylactic Spectrum Award. Gentlewoman and artist, respected member of the animation guild and mistress of the pencil and paper, she lives in Los Angeles with her ghost cat named Draw, bringing readers uncanny heroines in queer sci-fi, Victorian steampunk, and sapphic diesel fantasy.

Join her community at Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/ElizabethWatasin

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
25 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story imaginative and well-crafted. They appreciate the mystery and exotic elements that keep the tension high. The characters are described as fascinating and delightful, with just enough myth and history to keep them hooked.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

5 customers mention "Imagination"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the imaginative story and vivid descriptions. They find the mystery and exoticism keep the tension high. The characters are well-developed with enough myth and history to ground the reader. The book is described as poetic, delicate, and heartfelt.

"...extra vibrancy and they're such a powerful duo with a great amount of heartfelt passion. I just want to squee about them...." Read more

"...Her style for this penny dread is poetic and delicate. Sundark, the haunted mechanical house, is portrayed as a formidable persona...." Read more

"...It was not a disappointment! Highly imaginative and just as fascinating characters with just enough myth and history to ground the reader as her..." Read more

"...They have a mystery and exoticism that keep the tension high and precludes much second guessing of developments." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the imaginative and fascinating characters with just enough myth and history. They are delighted by the heroine.

"...All hell is breaking loose and yet I'm completely tickled and delighted by our heroine, two adjectives I have never used outside of a Watasin novel...." Read more

"...It was not a disappointment! Highly imaginative and just as fascinating characters with just enough myth and history to ground the reader as her..." Read more

"...Watasin has a gift for creating well fleshed-out characters and a deeply atmospheric world. Good stuff." Read more

"This was a really great story with a great protagonist and a wonderfully dark tale. I can't wait for the next one." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2015
    (12/7/17) This was so much better on a 2nd read through. I think getting interrupted so often the first time I read it really did impact the flow. This time, it felt much more fluid and the energy of the book really picked up at the 1/2 way mark. The mystery was cohesive and I don't think I can ever get over Watasin's cleverness and imagination.

    I loved the subtle humor sprinkled through the climax of the book and Elle's indignation at the events around her. All hell is breaking loose and yet I'm completely tickled and delighted by our heroine, two adjectives I have never used outside of a Watasin novel. This writer just has that effect.

    I still think Faedra and Elle together, rather than apart, lend the scenes extra vibrancy and they're such a powerful duo with a great amount of heartfelt passion. I just want to squee about them.

    In my second read through, I put this around 4.25 stars. I still am partial to the 2nd novel in this series, "Poison Garden", especially because Faedra and Elle ARE together through that book. For us readers, though, that only means there's better yet to come.

    ******

    This book is just shy of 4 stars...3.9.

    Elizabeth Watasin creates another captivating heroine in Elle Black. Instead of a paranormal creature, however, Elle is a woman with sensitive intuition with the ability to move objects with her mind.

    Mrs. Black is recruited by, Josefina, an employee of the Sundark hotel to investigate the disappearance of hotel guests. Josefina has gone to the police and to the Special Commission, being turned down by both. Mrs. Black is her last hope.

    I found this book to be another imaginative read, this time a world created around a living house. The book isn't too long but, unlike the first Dark Victorian book, I felt that the story was fleshed out enough. Despite its short stature, this is a dense book that you need to pay attention to. There's a lot packed into it.

    As I was reading, the pacing seemed on the slower side until the last 1/3rd of the book. I think this was a combination of the author needing to do a lot of setup, when weird things happened they didn't seem to point to each other, and me being interrupted about 20 times while reading it. The book didn't get a build up of intensity until the end. It was more like ominous thing...lull...lull...ominous thing...lull...lull.

    What I mean by the weird things happening not pointing to each other is that every strange occurrence that unfolded didn't seem to add up to a conclusion; nothing I could figure out anyway. I had no clue what the mystery behind the house was until the author revealed it.

    I was delighted to see a cameo by Helia Skycourt and it also felt like an easter egg bonus that she and Elle could be fast friends (that's what the author seemed to be hinting at, anyway).

    I also really enjoyed the coupling of Elle and Faedra. I actually think the story would've been a lot more intriguing if the two could have been together to figure out the mystery than apart. They have a chemistry together. Faedra is the more dominant of the two and gives a certain oomph to the dynamic. I do really appreciate how unapologetic the author is on having two women together. In this story, too, we see more physical intimacy (though not much) between Elle and Faedra that the Dark Victorian series hasn't offered (yet).

    I also appreciate how active the author's heroines are in all of her books. I love it!

    Even though this book did feel fleshed out there is something about it that gives me a similar impression to the Dark Victorian series in that the first book probably isn't the best to come. I think if the author writes a subsequent book for this character it'll be stronger and I definitely would be interested in reading it.

    For the Penny Dread stories, I'd say the Ice Demon is a tighter, more solid read than this one. However, this is a nice introduction to new characters and a descent read in itself, especially if you're a fan of Watasin.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2014
    1880. 22-year-old Elle Black, big fan of Artifice (the artificial ghost from HRH Prince Albert's Secret Commission) and an avid reader of mad journalist Helia Skycourt, leaves her wife Faedra at home in Camden, to investigate mysterious disappearances in a haunted mechanical house.

    This is a gothic and romantic novel written by fabulous Dark Victorian author Elizabeth Watasin. While this new heroine is feminine to a fault, she is also strong-willed and if necessary she can move objects with her mind. She is not afraid to tell people that her marriage with Faedra White-Black is more than a legal contract, it is about love.

    Elizabeth Watasin writes character-driven and detailed mysteries. Her style for this penny dread is poetic and delicate. Sundark, the haunted mechanical house, is portrayed as a formidable persona. The descriptions are so vivid, you can see the characters moving in front of your eyes, colourful, animated and three-dimensional.

    After witnessing a guest being taken away by ghostly entities, Elle Black is more than determined to solve the mystery and put an end to the disappearances, even if it means facing the malevolent house on her own.

    Elizabeth Watasin will convert you to her personal brand of steampunk (Dark Victorian) with her sense for details and her impish sense of humour.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2013
    After reading Watasin's 'Dark Victorian: Risen' and 'Dark Victorian: Bones' -which I enjoyed immenseky and highly recommend- thought I would give 'Sundark' a read. It was not a disappointment! Highly imaginative and just as fascinating characters with just enough myth and history to ground the reader as her other works! I am also happy to see crossover characters and cannot wait to see how either series advance. If you haven't read any of her work, start now! She is a great writer- kind of a cross between Neil Gaiman's fairytale-esque imagination and Margaret Atwood's fierceness.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2014
    The book is described like this--Gaslamp, steampunk, Gothic Victorian horror and mystery; bringing you an uncanny heroine in a mechanical, paranormal, alternate world London--and that should tell you how awesome it is.

    The Secret Commission can't do it all and when they can't Elle Black steps in. A Victorian housewife who loves nothing more than spending time with her wife, Elle is also a "perturbationist," a psychic with great powers. She's asked to investigate a hotel that is famous for its occult nature, engineering triumphs, and missing guests.

    Watasin has a gift for creating well fleshed-out characters and a deeply atmospheric world. Good stuff.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2015
    Sometimes you wonder, with these haunted house stories, why everyone doesn't simply run away. In this case most of the hotel residents and guests have left, and the few remaining characters are....peculiar. But not as peculiar as the house. The mental image of the house's mechanics realigning it to the constellations is unsettling.

    I love the way the Victorian attitudes have been captured in the story, and enjoy seeing less conventional supernatural elements. They have a mystery and exoticism that keep the tension high and precludes much second guessing of developments.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2017
    This was a really great story with a great protagonist and a wonderfully dark tale. I can't wait for the next one.

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