Inanimate Objects is a dark and glittering novel of artists and magicians, muses and immortals. At the heart of the story is Leonidas Bondi, a charismatic young artist who falls under the watchful gaze of Matilda August. Matilda has been a patron to the stars for hundreds of years, but this fickle muse is more than a little taken with her new protégé, blurring her own lines of work and obsession. Providing opposition is Matilda’s son, Elisha, a moody figure who holds revenge above all else after he suffers a terrible wrong.
“If I’m not a book or a spell, I’m only an abstract concept to you. A nuisance.”
Book Review:
Inanimate Objects, by Kendra Saunders is nothing like anything I have ever read before. Had I read this in paperback format, I would imagine that glitter may have fallen from the pages. It is darkly poetic; a book about angst, rebellion, curses, magic, and tragic love. With chapter headings such as “Vanity and Pearls”, and “Cherubs and Wickedness”, you can’t help but to be intrigued!
We are first introduced to Elisha August, a 127 year old soul with golden curls, and the son of Princess Matilda August. Matilda has the ability to change young boy’s lives, by igniting their creativity and passion for the arts. She prefers boys who are lonely, self-centered, and completely devoted to their artistic savior, (her). She takes on Leonidas Bondi, as her new “pet”, and shows him off to the world. Matilda becomes Leo’s muse.
“We make a perfect pair. Darkness and light. A devil and a muse.”
Leonidas Bondi is a British artist, clothing designer, poet, and painter extraordinaire. A classically tortured gothic prince, Leo gets a lot of attention from women everywhere, especially Matilda. Leo has a sister named Helena, who Elisha finds himself strangely drawn to, which Leo isn’t too keen on. All sorts of mischief and wickedness follows Leonidas.
“Passion, rebellion, and anger make for magnificent art.”
I enjoyed the characters in Inanimate Objects very much. Sometimes when there are more than two or three main characters, and various secondary characters, the lines become blurred of who is who, and how they relate to the others, but that wasn’t the case with Inanimate Objects. Each character had their own place, and it wasn’t confusing at all.
My favorite character was Elisha. He was always hell bent on various missions, and there were several moments where I gasped out loud because you never knew what he was up to and what he was going to do next! Gosh am I glad that I am not Matilda August to have a son like Elisha! I’d be a worry wort!
Overall, I am giving Inanimate Objects 5 glittery stars! A very enjoyable and dazzling read for those who enjoy urban fantasy!
Product Details
- Print Length: 238 pages
- Publisher: Invincible Starlight Publishing (August 22, 2011)
- Language: English
From the Author:
“This project took me much longer than any other I’ve ever written. It came from a dream I had about four or five years ago, where a man was standing in a cemetery on a cold autumn day, observing a funeral for someone he didn’t know. I woke up feeling terribly curious about him and wanting to know why he was so disappointed when he finally walked away from the cemetary.I had been kicking around this phrase “Inanimate Objects” as a title that I thought was worthy of someone like Neil Gaiman or Tim Burton. A few times I had even invisioned what they might do with such a title, make a crackling dark comedy about a dysfunctional family, or an understated, depressing story about some forgotten toy, maybe.Eventually I realized it was stupid to wait on them to make something up, so I should just write a book called Inanimate Objects, myself. The dream melded it all together and over the next few years, ideas from various sources, characters from unfinished projects, and a couple of magical settings that I’d been hoping to use… all of that ended up in the cauldron of ideas.”–Amazon
A Well Read Woman 
Thank you again so much for reviewing this. I’m SO glad you liked it!! Sometime we need to sit down and talk about that “Marvel teamup” now that you’ve met everyone!!
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I would enjoy that very much, Kendra!
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What a terrific review. I’m in :-).
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Fantastic! Makes me happy to hear!
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