Rating: ★★★★☆
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Format: eBook ARC
Pages: 352
Synopsis:
Part dark gothic fantasy, part journey into the bizarre, this delicious blending of tall tales and Latin American surrealism will haunt you as you devour it!
1836, Wisconsin. Catalina lives with her pa and brother in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of the wilderness. Harsh winters have brought the family to the brink of starvation, and Catalina has replaced her poet's soul with an unyielding determination to keep Pa and her brother alive.
When a sudden illness claims Pa, a strange man appears—a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. He scoops up her brother and disappears, leaving behind a bird with crimson wings. Catalina can’t let this man—if that’s what he is—have her brother. So, she grabs Pa’s knife and follows the bird.
Along the way, she finds help from a young lumberjack, who has his own reasons for hunting the Man of Sap. As their journey takes them deeper into the woods, they encounter strange beasts and tormented spirits. The more they uncover about the Man of Sap, the more they learn how deeply Catalina’s fate is entwined with his, planted long ago in cursed seeds.
An enchanting mixture of American tall tales and Faustian elements, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here centers a fierce Mexican American poet on a quest to save her brother. Autumn Krause’s vivid, haunting prose and rich symbolism make this a must-read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig.
A deliciously dark folk horror for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig, blending the tall tales of Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan with Faustian elements, and centering a fierce Mexican-American poet on a quest to rescue her brother.
Review:
"Sowing seeds of sin, he grows apples of ash."
1836 Wisconson, Deep in the Wilderness
Young Catalina and her little brother, Jose Luis, live with their Pa, deep in the forest in a dalapidated cabin. They live a humble and simple little life, but Pa warns them to always be aware. Considered to be a dangerous creature, the Man of Sap, that roams the forest realms, plants his apple seeds, growing trees across the lands. But there is something different about these apples and the trees they grow upon. The trees whisper to the souls of anyone nearby to come and eat upon its glorious fruit.
This whole story weaves together a tale of family bonds, lost love, and the battle of good versus evil. Temptations abound when wants are desired more than ones needs.
Told through two points of view, we are given the story of the Man of Sap, his tale is treachorous and heartbreaking. His character had me feeling so many emotions. The story through the eyes of Catalina brings to life the bonds of family, devotion, and new love.
The atmospheric setting is detailed, providing a sense of the dark and foreboding that lingers within the forest realm, as the creature roams. Planting, watching, and waiting.
The prose was captivating and has a beautiful quality that lingers long after reading. Sometimes needing to read passages again, to get lost in the world of words.
"Life was cruel, certainly. It was filled with bright, ravaging horrors that stun you like a sun flare and secret, quiet wounds that fold against your ribs. It took loved ones from your arms so you breathed hurt like air. But it was also full of mysteries. And there was room in mysteries. Room for things to be different. For them, despite the pain, to be all right."
"Te amo más que nada."
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