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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the Hour of Crows drew me in to the world of Weatherly Wilder and her family. Weatherly is a Death Talker. Her grandfather passed on the gift to her before he died, and she'll have to pass it to a male eventually, or it will die out. When someone is dying, Weatherly can whisper some secret Bible verses and draw the death out of the person. When she does so, she has to spit out the death, and her grandmother collects it. It's called Sin Eaters Oil, and can be used in spells to cause someone to tell the truth, or, in its undiluted form, kill someone. Her grandmother is cruel, and uses Weatherly's gift for her own gain. She thinks Weatherly is from the devil (even though it was her husband who passed on the gift to Weatherly).
Every time Weatherly can't save someone, Rook visits her. Rook is part crow, part human, and has visited her 10 times in her life. Is he a figment of her imagination? Part of her gift/curse? She doesn't know, but she knows her whole being lights up when she sees him. He is a Soul Walker, and takes souls to the otherworld. He is the one person who truly understands her burden.
Weatherly's cousin and best friend, Adaire, died a few weeks ago. A local bigwig, Stone Rutledge, hit her with his car when she was riding her bicycle. The Good Old Boy Network keeps Stone from being charged in her death, but Weatherly is determined to make him pay. As she investigates, she finds that things don't add up in Adaire's death. She's called to help Ellis Rutledge after he is gravely injured, and Weatherly can't save him. But she doesn't know why. Then Stone allegedly committed suicide, and it is even more important for Weatherly to figure out what is going on and who is responsible for these deaths.
Weatherly has many questions, and few answers. I enjoyed learning right along with her as she unraveled some of the mysteries of her family and her gift. This book is dark, so make sure you're in the right frame of mind to read it. I almost stopped after the first few chapters because I couldn't see where the light was going to come from in this book. But the story drew me in and made me care about the characters. The light does enter Weatherly's life by the end, which made for a satisfying ending.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.
Every time Weatherly can't save someone, Rook visits her. Rook is part crow, part human, and has visited her 10 times in her life. Is he a figment of her imagination? Part of her gift/curse? She doesn't know, but she knows her whole being lights up when she sees him. He is a Soul Walker, and takes souls to the otherworld. He is the one person who truly understands her burden.
Weatherly's cousin and best friend, Adaire, died a few weeks ago. A local bigwig, Stone Rutledge, hit her with his car when she was riding her bicycle. The Good Old Boy Network keeps Stone from being charged in her death, but Weatherly is determined to make him pay. As she investigates, she finds that things don't add up in Adaire's death. She's called to help Ellis Rutledge after he is gravely injured, and Weatherly can't save him. But she doesn't know why. Then Stone allegedly committed suicide, and it is even more important for Weatherly to figure out what is going on and who is responsible for these deaths.
Weatherly has many questions, and few answers. I enjoyed learning right along with her as she unraveled some of the mysteries of her family and her gift. This book is dark, so make sure you're in the right frame of mind to read it. I almost stopped after the first few chapters because I couldn't see where the light was going to come from in this book. But the story drew me in and made me care about the characters. The light does enter Weatherly's life by the end, which made for a satisfying ending.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.
Weatherly Wilder lives with her mean old Grandmama in the backwoods. In her superstitious family, they have a “gift”. A gift of talking to death. Feared by townspeople, but called on when needed, Weatherly has an odd, strained relationship with folks. Helping to keep her grounded is her cousin & best friend, Adaire. When Adaire is killed in a hit & run by the town’s wealthiest man, Weatherly is cast adrift. The story follows Weatherly’s search for justice for Adaire. And that search leading to her learning more than she bargained for.
Gripping & poignant in parts, some inconsistencies detract from the ability to get lost in the story. Adding to that were a few word or spelling errors that jarred me out of the story (ex: “reap what you sew” instead of ‘sow’). Overall, worth reading but the story could benefit from a good editor.
Gripping & poignant in parts, some inconsistencies detract from the ability to get lost in the story. Adding to that were a few word or spelling errors that jarred me out of the story (ex: “reap what you sew” instead of ‘sow’). Overall, worth reading but the story could benefit from a good editor.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has an intriguing premise, but I found it to be super confusing and hard to follow. Also, the motive didn't pack enough punch to be convincing.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
In the Hour of Crows tells the story of Weatherly Wilder, a young Appalachian woman who saves the lives of many people with gift of death talking. Throughout the book we hear of the many tragedies and triumphs that plague Weatherly’s life and we see her sort through them to find her truth. This story gripped me from the very beginning and took me on a wild ride that I could never have fathomed. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t set it down, would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a bit of magic and suspense.
I’m usually all about witchy books, but this one just didn’t work for me. The cover completely drew me in (because of course I love crows), and the whole concept of Death Talking was super creative and had so much potential. Unfortunately, it just didn’t click.
One big thing for me was the setting. I didn’t realize until about three-quarters of the way through that it was set in the 1890s. That explained some stuff—like why no one had cell phones—but honestly, historical witchy themes aren’t really my thing. I’m more into modern takes. Also, the first chapter definitely needed a trigger warning. Starting a book with infanticide is… a lot, and it just set a heavy tone right out of the gate. By the time I got to the end, things wrapped up okay, but the pacing felt rushed, and it didn’t leave me as satisfied as I hoped.
I did like some parts of the story, though, and I think readers who enjoy darker themes and historical settings might get more out of this one. For me, it just wasn’t the vibe I was looking for.
One big thing for me was the setting. I didn’t realize until about three-quarters of the way through that it was set in the 1890s. That explained some stuff—like why no one had cell phones—but honestly, historical witchy themes aren’t really my thing. I’m more into modern takes. Also, the first chapter definitely needed a trigger warning. Starting a book with infanticide is… a lot, and it just set a heavy tone right out of the gate. By the time I got to the end, things wrapped up okay, but the pacing felt rushed, and it didn’t leave me as satisfied as I hoped.
I did like some parts of the story, though, and I think readers who enjoy darker themes and historical settings might get more out of this one. For me, it just wasn’t the vibe I was looking for.
mysterious
While this book is meant to be the author's first adult novel, it very much reads as YA. This is most evident in the protagonist's interactions with her love interest and her denial when confronted with difficult emotions.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes