A review by connorjdaley
Marshbank by Josh Hanson

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Grabbed this one to get in another short read before month’s end! A short review for a short read. 

This is a weird little tale about a village near the marsh that has a string of children disappearing. Although often left alone, these disappearances have drawn attention to the old witch in the marsh. Through a growing need, an obsession, a love, the spirit of the marsh takes its first steps to be near the old witch. Together they seek to uncover the horrors haunting these young children. 

This novelette is like a visual smorgasbord, with rich descriptions and heavily described characters and set pieces. One that stuck out to me the most was the witches favorite mug, something so simple, yet so effective. The marsh spirit, through drawing in beings of the marsh, alive, dead, even rotten, has become something both monstrous and horrifying, but regardless how you feel, it’s so easy to picture. 

I will gladly read more from this author and even this one again!