Authored by: Dakota J. Miller

Mostly, I read science fiction, some fantasy, non-fiction, but have never had a taste for horror or anything like it. I generally don’t watch horror movies either. I have never sought out or read a book in this genre or with this topic, so the whole experience is new for me. That being said, I enjoyed it.

The story is about a family that has moved to the south from Massachusetts in the era of the Salem witch trials in the late 1600s. Something evil came with them, and the story that follows is quite creepy. The twist near the end was definitely unique, and the ending really surprised me. I don’t do spoilers, so you’ll have to read it to find out.

The writing style is dark and purposefully starts a bit angular. It sets the dark tone well. In particular the opening chapters are oppressive. I found myself thinking: “self, what is this poor family doing on this terrible road!?” It lightened up for a bit after that, but it was short lived.

The settings and descriptions are very well done and are easy to imagine. I enjoyed the character groups and how they overlap and interact. The family, the townsfolk, and the natives all have different perspectives and views on the same things. It’s easy to follow and actually makes sense.

The sense of heavy dread works, and the complexity of dealing with the curse and various ways that it touches the characters really makes the story not monochrome. Oddly, there at the end is a glimmer of hope, but not for who I wanted it to be.

Being a debut novel, it’s pretty well done, and worth reading, especially if you like disturbing stories.