I’m going to round up to 4 stars bc I enjoyed how atmospheric this was for Halloween, and I thought the writing was great. It felt like a classic ghost tale, and it was perfect to read on dark evenings. It’s very short and to the point which I enjoyed, although I wish the end along with Aveline’s relationships had been a bit more developed.

This had some genuinely creepy descriptions for a Middle Grade book, and I love that.

I think I’m rounding this up because after the 60% mark, I felt roped back in, and I liked the prose. Like others have said though, this kind of feels like an unfinished concept? The themes were there, but I felt like elements of characterization and plot points were missing. Had those elements been more solid, it probably would’ve driven home the point more, and it would’ve felt more profound.

I liked the themes around motherhood & humanity & whatnot- I just wish the plot was a bit more solid. It was repetitive, and it felt like she was bashing the same theme around toxic forced motherhood and Ruth’s never-ending hunger for more over my head. Ruth and Eden, and even Margot, felt kind of half-formed too. I really couldn’t figure out Eden.

I did really enjoy this after the 60% mark, and I thought there was some great prose. It was dark and grim- I can see what the author was going for and I respect it.

Aside from Claire’s never-ending inner dialogue consisting solely of questions- I was entertained, and this was a fast read. I actually found the first 20% or so fairly disturbing. There was some dark humor, but it seems like most of the attempted humor was centered around Claire questioning why people do the things that they do which just got tiresome.

Overall though, this was an average entertaining book with a messy plot and MC.

I really loved this, I don’t know what I was expecting, but this surprised me a bit. While there are supernatural elements, some of which were genuinely creepy to read even as an adult, this touched on a lot of powerful topics.

Jezzy is dealing with the loss of her grandma and navigating her loneliness, all while she feels the need to protect her family from both supernatural forces and worldly forces- in this case, a sheriff deputy.

Her & her brother Jay begin learning root magic to protect their family, just like their grandma did. Ancestors and family roots, along with unlikely friendships, are at the center of this story.

I highly recommend this- I think it has enough horror elements to be creepy, but paired with family bonds, it was also a really emotional read.

Overall, I enjoyed this, but I may have to sit with it longer since there were some elements that I didn’t love. In the author’s note, she said she wanted to write an enslaved character who had depth & dreams, and she wanted to have a more nuanced character- I feel like she did a great job with that. I loved the author’s note, and it’s clear that a lot of care went into writing this book.

At times, the historical aspect felt a little sanitized, and I wasn’t sure where it was going. As the plot developed though, it did become less watered down. It took a long time for the pacing to pick up, and there were some repetitive phrases that needed editing.

I’m still not sure how I feel about Violet’s storyline since it seemed liked it was trying to parallel some of Junie’s experience. I think that would’ve worked better in a post-civil war timeline. At the same time, it did add complexity & it was interesting seeing Junie’s character develop.

Overall though, I thought Junie’s story was compelling, and it felt complex which was nice to see since history tends to be flattened.

This was super cute, and I loved how perfect it was for Fall. It was emotional, but it was also funny and had some action towards the end. I loved Addie’s character, she felt real.

I think the daughter/mom relationship could’ve been developed more- the ending felt really abrupt and kind of out of place. Overall, this was a fun & charming autumn read.