Syndrie
In this novel we follow a girl named Raven starting on the day of her mother's funeral. Raven's mom — also known as the Wind Witch and a member of the Hill People community — was involuntarily institutionalized after being accused of killing two boys when Raven was only six years old. Now eighteen, with almost no memory of her mother or the first six years of her life, Raven is looking for answers as to who her mother truly was and what actually happened on that tragic day thirteen years ago. Was her mother actually killer, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was she a member of a cult, or just a community that wanted to live off the grid in peace?
This novel is labeled as adult fiction, but I personally felt that it read a bit closer to YA — especially with the love at first sight romance plot that suddenly drops in out of nowhere. But I'm not trying to imply this is a bad thing by any means, I just think it might make it harder for the appropriate audience to find this novel and felt it worth noting.
Now as far as the actual plot goes, I did find the novel pretty interesting. The mystery aspect kept my attention and the story unraveled in a way that was easy to follow and made sense. The prose itself was smooth, easy to read, and had some really nice imagery throughout. I also really liked the incorporation of the healing magic and thought it gave the story a little bit of whimsy that helped balance out the darker parts of the story.
Regarding things I didn't like as much, I'd say we really didn't need the romance plot here at all because Sam's character could've worked just fine as a friend. But I wouldn't have minded if he and Raven actually had time to develop a proper relationship instead of just suddenly jumping head first into acting on their sudden feelings. I also wish the ending had been drawn out a bit more because it does snowball pretty fast during that last 15-20%. But I will say all the loose ends seemed to be tied up and I can't really complain about that!
Overall I would recommend this novel to YA readers looking to dip their toes into more of the adult fiction side, or to the adult readers looking to give YA a chance, because this really feels like the kind of book that toes the line in between the two sides.
(Thank you to Severn House for offering an advance review copy for free via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)
In this novel we follow a girl named Raven starting on the day of her mother's funeral. Raven's mom — also known as the Wind Witch and a member of the Hill People community — was involuntarily institutionalized after being accused of killing two boys when Raven was only six years old. Now eighteen, with almost no memory of her mother or the first six years of her life, Raven is looking for answers as to who her mother truly was and what actually happened on that tragic day thirteen years ago. Was her mother actually killer, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was she a member of a cult, or just a community that wanted to live off the grid in peace?
This novel is labeled as adult fiction, but I personally felt that it read a bit closer to YA — especially with the love at first sight romance plot that suddenly drops in out of nowhere. But I'm not trying to imply this is a bad thing by any means, I just think it might make it harder for the appropriate audience to find this novel and felt it worth noting.
Now as far as the actual plot goes, I did find the novel pretty interesting. The mystery aspect kept my attention and the story unraveled in a way that was easy to follow and made sense. The prose itself was smooth, easy to read, and had some really nice imagery throughout. I also really liked the incorporation of the healing magic and thought it gave the story a little bit of whimsy that helped balance out the darker parts of the story.
Regarding things I didn't like as much, I'd say we really didn't need the romance plot here at all because Sam's character could've worked just fine as a friend. But I wouldn't have minded if he and Raven actually had time to develop a proper relationship instead of just suddenly jumping head first into acting on their sudden feelings. I also wish the ending had been drawn out a bit more because it does snowball pretty fast during that last 15-20%. But I will say all the loose ends seemed to be tied up and I can't really complain about that!
Overall I would recommend this novel to YA readers looking to dip their toes into more of the adult fiction side, or to the adult readers looking to give YA a chance, because this really feels like the kind of book that toes the line in between the two sides.
(Thank you to Severn House for offering an advance review copy for free via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)