Title: Curse of Crow Hollow by Billy Coffey
Media Source: Nook
Rating: 4 out of 5
Recommendation: I would recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys a mystery, thriller or supernatural stories.
"People think they are free in life. Maybe they are for a while. But sooner or later all the choices you make narrow down to a single end, and that's the only end you can meet."
A group of teenagers decide to have a small party in the mines that are closed off, considering how dangerous they are as well as the stories about a witch living among the woods. The teens discover a set of footprints seared into the ground. They decide to follow these tracks which lead to Alvaretta Grave's cabin, the fabled witch. The witch curses the girls that occurs the very next day. It slowly begins to effect not only Cordelia, Scarlett and Naomi, but takes hold of every teenage girl in the town. The town becomes a frenzy as fear strikes the hearts of every resident. Neighbors turn on neighbor, family on family. Every small town has a secret and Crow Holler is no different, but could that secret be what is causing the ailments of the town's daughters?
This novel was one of those books that really told a story. It was as if I was sitting beside the narrator listening to the story of someone who witnessed all the events. I loved the theory Hays came up about the curse being the girls' worst fears, that added a new level to the story. I would have liked to see other theories from people in the town. The story revolved around the town trying to figure out how to stop the curse and who's fault it was and how to erase the sins that caused the curse. There is little back story to Alvaretta, which I would have liked a little more. To know why she was considered a witch other than the fact that she lives alone up in the woods.
The other characters were well developed. I especially enjoyed John David and Bucky. Bucky starts out as a weak, fearful character, but by the end he becomes probably the strongest character. John David contains an air of mystery about him, something unknown and eerie, almost making you think he is working with the witch. Out of the three girls originally cursed, I say I enjoyed Scarlett the most. While she felt invisible and not worthy, she was the strongest of the three. She acted when others didn't, she began to stand up for herself to others even to the point of pushing past her curse. She made herself be seen, therefore in my eyes started to break through her curse. Angela was probably my least favorite. Even through the curses and trials of the town, all she cared about was herself. I almost wasnted a curse to hit her. I could sit here forever talking about what I liked or disliked about a character, but I won't do that. I'll let you find characters you enjoyed the most, and tell me about it.
Overall, the novel was well written and interesting. It held my attention throughout the story. There were elements that I wish were used more such as The Circle and even Alvaretta herself. Again, it was a well rounded book with a lot of information building up the suspense until you find out what Alvaretta is hiding and who has been aiding her. When I read the part of who helped her I honestly uttered "no way," the same with what was hidden within her cabin. Check it out, it is worth the read.
**Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. **
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