Kate Pearsall's Bittersweet in the Hollow was a very pleasant surprise, full of the atmospheric beauty of West Virginia's Appalachia woven together with the region's Mothman myth.
Linden James can taste what others are feeling. It's a special ability like those all James women have, and the family keeps its secrets carefully guarded while serving their community at their Harvest Moon diner.
But Linden has other secrets, for one year ago she was attacked and vanished into the forest, with no memories of what happened that fateful night. While trying to put the pieces together, another girl disappears, and it's bears close resemblance to what happened to Linden. And when this girl fails to make it home like Linden did, all signs point to murder.
Linden fears that it's the Moth Winged Man, come to claim a life. But was hers supposed to be forfeit as well one year ago? As threats to her family start to take a more dangerous turn, she starts to wonder if it's time to bury the family's secrets once and for all.
So many books these days all feel like copies of each other, regardless of genre or age category and it's sometimes hard to find a story that feels fresh. Bittersweet in the Hollow gave me something new. If you like witchy stories, I think you'll find the James women enchanting. But the witchcraft isn't something that is farfetched or overt. Rather, Linden and her family are tied to nature and their land in a way that feels very natural. I found the characters sympathetic and convincing, and Pearsall keeps the reader guessing about the mystery until the very end.
Thanks very much to Penguin Teen and BookishFirst for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review. It's a really satisfying read that I'd absolutely recommend, rather you're into YA literature or not.
Linden James can taste what others are feeling. It's a special ability like those all James women have, and the family keeps its secrets carefully guarded while serving their community at their Harvest Moon diner.
But Linden has other secrets, for one year ago she was attacked and vanished into the forest, with no memories of what happened that fateful night. While trying to put the pieces together, another girl disappears, and it's bears close resemblance to what happened to Linden. And when this girl fails to make it home like Linden did, all signs point to murder.
Linden fears that it's the Moth Winged Man, come to claim a life. But was hers supposed to be forfeit as well one year ago? As threats to her family start to take a more dangerous turn, she starts to wonder if it's time to bury the family's secrets once and for all.
So many books these days all feel like copies of each other, regardless of genre or age category and it's sometimes hard to find a story that feels fresh. Bittersweet in the Hollow gave me something new. If you like witchy stories, I think you'll find the James women enchanting. But the witchcraft isn't something that is farfetched or overt. Rather, Linden and her family are tied to nature and their land in a way that feels very natural. I found the characters sympathetic and convincing, and Pearsall keeps the reader guessing about the mystery until the very end.
Thanks very much to Penguin Teen and BookishFirst for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review. It's a really satisfying read that I'd absolutely recommend, rather you're into YA literature or not.