My thoughts
This book had great promise for me but unfortunately it just fell short. It starts out great but fairly quickly loses something. I think maybe it's the personal effect. It just did not ever capture my attention like I usually enjoy. The main characters were a bit drab and unlikable. That is my opinion.
Children go missing and are later found dead. A young man, Jasper, who is new to the small town of Blue Cliff is quickly accused of the heinous murders. Even though he had no reason and certainly could not have done all the murders as they date back to the early 1900s. But someone is taking children and then placing them where they will be found. Dead.
Cheyenne grew up in this town and left five years earlier after the murders of three best friends. Little kids who everyone knew. They went missing at different times and then were found dead. It appeared they drowned but looks like their clothes were never wet. Cheyenne's mother is a bit odd but also very concerned about the woods and the killer.
Natalie was Cheyenne's best friend and is now dating Hunter. I did not like Hunter. He should stand up for Nat when his parents treat her bad about this killer thing. They are very closed minded about who the killer is. Set on the fact that it is one guy who was released from prison because there was evidence he was very much innocent.
Jack was also a part of Chey and Nat's friendship ring. All three did everything together growing up. Chey and Jack dated until she left town. She didn't keep in touch with either of her friends which was not a good thing. I found that a bit unbelievable also. Best friends keep in touch. You keep in touch with the person you love unless something bad happened between you then you break up and move on. I just found this aspect of the story hard to believe also.
This story is told between Chey and Nat. They each have opinions about things and lives in this town. This is suppose to be a very small town yet they do a lot of socializing. Historical society things. Seems there are some rich people who don't really care if the real killer is found. There is also a kind of fairytale affect that is told throughout this book. I've not heard of it but it seems to fit. Though it sure didn't help any of these kids. I also figured out who the Hickory Man was like way early on so no surprise here.
I was very disappointed in this book and I truly hate that. I am never happy when this happens but it does at times. It breaks my heart to have to say it about a debut author's book but I do have to be honest. It just didn't capture me. It fell short and was just way to predictable for me.
Thank you #NetGalley, #KatherineGreene, #CrookedLaneBooks for this ARC. This is my own true honest thoughts about this book.
I give it 2.5 stars and recommend you read it for yourself. You may get a different take than I did. It just wasn't there for me.
Synopsis
In the tradition of Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware, Katherine Greene’s debut thriller is a dark descent into the sinister traditions and customs of a small town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Yet no superstition will prepare childhood friends Cheyenne and Natalie for the macabre truth that awaits them.
Cheyenne Ashby knows the dark and disturbing history of her hometown of Blue Cliff, Virginia, all too well. It’s why she left. Growing up deep within the woods with her eccentric mother, Constance, she was raised on the unusual customs and generational superstitions linked to the local legend of an evil entity that haunts the forest.
Five years ago, the bodies of three children were found in the woods. It was a man—not a mythical beast—named Jasper Clinton who was convicted of these heinous crimes. For five years the town breathed just a bit easier with a real-life monster behind bars.
But when another child goes missing, Cheyenne and Natalie are determined to discover the truth and uncover the town’s dangerous secrets rooted in its terrifying past.
The two women must confront the reality of the superstitions they always believed in and their town’s complicated connection with who—or what—lives in the woods.
Cheyenne Ashby knows the dark and disturbing history of her hometown of Blue Cliff, Virginia, all too well. It’s why she left. Growing up deep within the woods with her eccentric mother, Constance, she was raised on the unusual customs and generational superstitions linked to the local legend of an evil entity that haunts the forest.
Five years ago, the bodies of three children were found in the woods. It was a man—not a mythical beast—named Jasper Clinton who was convicted of these heinous crimes. For five years the town breathed just a bit easier with a real-life monster behind bars.
But when another child goes missing, Cheyenne and Natalie are determined to discover the truth and uncover the town’s dangerous secrets rooted in its terrifying past.
The two women must confront the reality of the superstitions they always believed in and their town’s complicated connection with who—or what—lives in the woods.
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