Lies on the Serpent's Tongue (Bittersweet in the Hollow, #2)
Kate Pearsall
A beautifully dark YA set in Appalachia tinged with magic, mystery, murder, and romance. For fans of House of Hollow and Wilder Girls! As Caball Hollow slowly recovers after a tumultuous summer, the James family must also come to terms with their own newly revealed secrets. 18-year-old Rowan James has spent her whole life harboring unpleasant truths—that’s what happens when you can smell people’s lies—and building walls around herself to block them out. Like her younger sister, Linden, who can taste the feelings of others, Rowan has long resented her gift, which has taught her that everyone lies and no one is who they seem to be. So when her old nemesis, Hadrian Fitch, the biggest liar of them all, shows up on her front porch—bloodied, broken, and asking for help only she can give—her first instinct is distrust. But something new is stalking the Forest that surrounds Caball Hollow. Now things are disappearing. At first, it’s small stuff—like letters, photos, and keys. But then, Rowan notices people around her are losing their memories. And when the body of a neighbor is found in the middle of town, Rowan knows there’s a link between this death and all the events disturbing the Hollow. Can she find what—or who—the link is before it takes another life?
Publication Year: 2025
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~~Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!~~
Not gonna lie, I thought I was going to enjoy this as much as I did its predecessor, which wasn't that much. But my low expectations might have worked in favor for this one, because I actually liked this.
I liked being in Rowan's head a lot more than Linden's. I can't help but love the girlies who are (rightfully) angry. In Rowan's case, her anger is towards the town that resents her family and the power, her lie detector, she didn't ask for. Plus, the conflict she has with Hadrian has its cute moments. It helps that it was built up from the last book, but some part of me finds it really funny that the Mothman is a serious love interest in a published piece of literature. Again, I don't know much about Mothman, and I dunno if the cryptoid is utilized as a love interest in the publishing world, but I don't really care to find out. As for this book, I think it works fine enough, despite the little bit of humor I get behind the idea, personally.
The mystery this time around was more intriguing, too. It starts off with the assumption it's one, but it gradually splits off into two that coincidently connected through a series of events. In short, there's the supernatural mystery and the more grounded one, and both were done well. It kind of surprised me that Pearsall pulled this off, considering I found her mystery-crafting skills lacking in Bittersweet, but I'm glad she was able to come back around with this one. Her creepy atmosphere builds are still probably what I like most about her writing.
Despite my praises, I still wasn't incredibly blown away. I'm happy my expectations were wrong, but that doesn't make this my next favorite book or anything, nor does it compel me to continue this series(?) if Pearsall chooses to continue it.
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