Genre: Folklore/Horror
Format: eBook (ARC)
Pages: 237
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis:
Carve the bones. One for the gate, one for the door, two for the mantel, and three for the floor… Hyacinth Turning knows the terrors beyond her village, the insatiable hunger of the Teeth. She listens to the sermons given by the Elders in their hare-skin masks. She watches as the heathens hang and the witches burn. They tell her to be good and quiet. But Hyacinth is neither good nor quiet. After a series of tragic events, Hyacinth finds herself hastily wedded and sent far away from all she has ever known to a settlement at the edge of the sea. Where more than just the Teeth are hungry. Another horror swims below, leviathan shadows kept at bay by offerings of flesh and bone.
But no sooner does Hyacinth take root in her new home do the Teeth and the Deep come to feed. Suspicion soon falls upon the outspoken Hyacinth, who spends more time with the outcasted Morgan Carroway than her own husband. The Elders want her burned, her husband wants her hanged, and a long-lost love claws at her dreams, but Hyacinth only wants one thing. A life and death of her choosing.
Review:
"Share the stories, keep the faith, bring the bones, carve
the bones."
Hyacinth lives during a time of
deep uncertainty. She is expected to always follow the rules of the village.
Her parents as well as the elders. By rebelling she risks not only her life but
her family. All are forced to follow the ways or be hanged as a heathen or
burned as a witch and sacrificed to the woods.
There is always an unsettling
fear among the villagers. They must sacrifice and hang the bones for protection
from what dwells deep within the dark and sinister woods. They must live in
fear of the woods and always be sure to satiate its hunger or risk everyone.
The elders decide the ones to
be sacrificed. Everyone's lives are always in danger, not only from the
monsters that dwell within the woods, but also from the human monsters.
Hyacinth in her rebellion has
been chosen to marry, and they are both sent far away to another village. What
she discovers there is even more terrifying than what she was forced to leave
behind.
The darkness that lies within this novel is permeating, right
into the soul. The thought of having to live a life that was never yours to
control with all decisions made for you is unsettling. Always living in fear of
having to pay for your sinful ways with your life or being devoured by monsters,
humans or otherwise. Feeling as if there is never a place that is safe and
knowing that decisions are always made for you. Wanting more than anything to
break free. Discovering that no matter where you go, there is something even
worse waiting for you.
It is so atmospheric that it always feels dark, it always feels
cold, damp and chilling, with a deep-seated loneliness. It feels dreadful and
deeply unsettling. It feels as if there is no hope for a better future, only
peril.
This is not my first experience of reading L.V. Russell's
writing style, and I was excited to read this one as well. I also knew I would
not be disappointed.
"Folklore serves to validate culture, reinforce morals and
values, and provide a means of social pressure." Indeed, this novel
embodies the fear of these old practices from a time long past.
There is no greater light than merciful love.
Thank you so much Quill & Crow and L.V. Russel for the complimentary copy! It is very much appreciated!
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/
Amazon Author Link:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/L.V.-Russell/author/
Author Website Link:
https://lydiarussell63.wixsite.com/intothewickedwoods
About the Author
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