In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf

 "Papaw gave me his death-talking gift when I was only nine. He  told me what he could do, then he told me how to use the secret Bible verses to do it. The gift jumped out of him and into me."

"There are only a few rules for death-talking. If you tell someone the secret scriptures, your gift is gone. You can only pass it to someone of the opposite sex. If you die with your gift, it disappears forever. And you can't talk the death out of someone twice."

"What Papaw didn't tell me is how you shoulder a lifetime of guilt for all the souls you can't save. That I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it."

 

 My thoughts: I liked the combination of mystery and magical realism in this book. And I always love that small town Appalachia setting with its deep-rooted families (and all their secrets), their strange superstitions, and their herbal folk magic. And I really liked Weatherly Wilder with her eerie gift of saving lives with her death-talking, and her vulnerability, especially as she tries to prove who murdered her cousin, Adaire. There's also a mysterious Soul Walker named Rook, who is sometimes a boy, more often a crow; I loved his connection to Weatherly. There's great Southern atmosphere, a compelling voice, and several good twists. Poignant, gritty, and beautifully written, In the Hour of Crows is a captivating novel.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

 

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

 

How it begins: "They raised the car from the lake on the same day as my father's memorial, two unrelated but equally newsworthy events: Something lost. Something found."

Where it takes place:  The isolated community of Mirror Lake nestled in the mountains of North Carolina.

The main players:  Hazel Sharp and her two brothers, Gage and Caden Holt.

The mystery:  The truth of what really happened when Hazel's mother ran off and left them all those years ago.

My thoughts:  Finally! A thriller that doesn't disappoint. (It's the third one I've read so far this summer and the only one I actually liked.) It's full of family secrets, quiet threats, mounting suspicions, and taut suspense. I enjoyed how Hazel unravels the truth of things bit by bit. It's so good; and it reads fast. This is the kind of thriller I was hoping for this summer. And it definitely makes me think I need to check out some of Miranda's other books. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

The Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie Rushmeyer

How it begins:  "Only the sharp clang of a bell above the door and lopsided towers of books greeted Hope Sparrow as she entered Dusty Jackets bookshop. She breathed in their ancient paper dust, their gentle decay. Between pages like these, she'd always found her refuge. Her Lucy Maud, Jane, the sisters Brontë, dear Louisa--all whispered the words she'd pored over in the dead of night and now fortified her strength for what she hoped was the last leg in a long journey."

The plot in brief:  Hope's come to Wanishin Falls, Minnesota, in search of several books her mom left to her. They're her only family legacy, and they just might be the key to finding a rumored family treasure. And Hope could really use a little extra money right now, both to help her leave her traumatic past behind, and to make her dream of owning her own food truck come true. 

The owners of Dusty Jackets, Mags and Ulysses Barrick, offer to help her search for her mother's books if she'll work in their bookstore for a few months in return. Their handsome grandson, Ronan, is willing to help, too. But Hope isn't big on trust, and would rather not get too close to anyone in Wanishin Falls. Only the people around her are too kind and generous to just give up on her. 

My thoughts:  There's a lot to like about this one: a charming small town setting, a dusty old bookshop, family secrets and a lost treasure. And I liked Ronan and Hope. But there are several side characters and small side stories that never felt fully developed, and that sometimes detracted from the main plotline. And when you combine Hope's complicated past with Ronan's complicated past along with their families's history there's almost too much going on; I felt like it forced the author to do more telling than showing, which slowed the pacing and kept the characters at a distance. And I really wish that the mystery itself, and Hope's and Ronan's search for the treasure, had unfolded a little faster. While the overall story has heartwarming and uplifting moments, for me this ended up only being a 3-star read. 

Happy Reading!

P.S. This book counts towards Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge.