Author: Erin A Craig
Series: n/a
Series #: n/a
Genre: horror
Age Group: young adult
ARC?: yes

Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range–five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.

As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames. 

Review

This is a book I was really excited for. I loved Craig’s debut, A House of Salt and Sorrows and when I went into this book I was looking forward to it. I’m honestly not sure what went wrong for me to be honest. I was into it in the beginning, and I think that it was an intriguing idea. But something…somewhere it fell off for me and about midway I was starting to struggle through it. So you can imagine I am so disappointed I didn’t like it more than I did. But this will definitely be a book for some people. To be clear it was a good book, it just wasn’t what I was expecting and parts of it didn’t work for me.


First off, I think people who like Stephen King or lite horror will love this book. It certainly was atmospheric. Another book that has similar vibes is Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton. They both have this eerie feeling that builds as the book goes on. Small village, cut off from the rest of the world, something lurking beyond the borders…those are the main parts of this novel. Like I said, it is atmospheric and moody which were major points. Craig is really great at doing things with atmosphere.


The major issue I had I think was the pacing. The pacing felt off to me. It’s supposed to build and unfortunately, I think it built a little too slowly for my tastes. I felt instead of building it dragged a bit by the middle. Some parts felt a little too repetitive. It get what the aim of it was, but it still didn’t totally work for me. And that I think was the main crux – the pacing didn’t work for me which made the later parts of the novel not as interesting.


I also didn’t love the romance aspect of this book. I felt that it was a bit strange addition, especially the further we get into the book. I also felt the characters didn’t hold up as well as they could have. I don’t mind that Ellerie didn’t figure out what was going on, but I did have issues because it felt like once something happened nothing happens for several more chapters.


What I did like about the characters is you’re suspicious of everyone. You have no clue who is who or who is bad or who is good and I really liked that aspect of this book. It was well done because it kept you guessing all the way until the end of the book. I certainly didn’t see the twist coming at the end, and I was surprised.
The other thing is this book feels like it’s supposed to be a fantasy world, but it also feels like it is supposed to be set in our world, which is a little confusing for me to be honest.


Craig is a great writer, and the writing is good, and enjoyable to read. I don’t feel like I was struggling with the writing at all. It was clear and concise and helped as I said build up such a creepy atmosphere. I could see this as a good story for the summer or the fall. It is definitely mystery/thriller/creepy/horror lite.


Overall, I think it is a good book and will hit the spot for some readers and miss the mark for others depending on what you like. For me, it just didn’t go far enough and then in some ways it was too slow. Apparently, this was supposed to be a partial fairytale retelling, but I didn’t get that in this book. I wouldn’t say it was a retelling. My final comment is I think I enjoyed it, but not as much as her debut book.

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Author: Erin A Craig
Series: n/a
Series #: n/a
Genre: fantasy
Age Group: young adult
ARC?: no

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next. 

Review

A retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses, Annaleigh lives with her sisters and father in a manor by the sea. Her sisters are dying one by one, and Annaleigh is tormented by visions. All the while her sisters continue to sneak out to go dancing.

This book! I went into it with the expectation that I would like it, but I REALLY liked it. I thought it was a brilliant and clever take on the original story. Craig definitely knew what she was doing when she wrote this book. If you know the original story (and you don’t have to to read this book) then you’ll understand some parts…but not all of them. Nothing is as it seems in this book and Craig crafted it so very well.

It is filled with suspense and mystery, but it is also insanely atmospheric. You feel like you are there, at the manor on the edge of the sea. It is absolutely brilliant. (I know, I’ve said it before, but it was SO GOOD.)

Annaleigh was a great character. She was a bit of an unreliable narrator, so you weren’t totally sure of what was going on. And the further you get into the book the more the other characters get suspicious to you. And you start to wonder…and wonder some more…her sisters too, were interesting characters in their own right. Many of them simply supported the plot, but others were fully realized.

The plot — now that was awesome. I definitely wasn’t expecting what happened to happen — SERIOUSLY. I don’t want to spoil it too much, but just read it!

Craig’s writing was brilliant and I thought it was so well written. I kept getting lost in the story. (Okay, and I will admit, I read it while we were holed up during Hurricane Dorian, and than only added to the intensity.)

Anyways, go read this book! It is absolutely amazing!

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