Truthfully, it was the cover that drew my eye to this book. There was something very haunting about the presentation. Coupled with the title, I knew I wanted to read it. It took me a while to get to it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.
It was a highly unexpected setting. I would actually recommend going in without paying much attention to the blurb, or if you have already read it, to try and phase it out of your mind. I say this because the introduction to the situation, to the Rowan siblings and why they work well together even if they now live apart is quite absorbing.
Our leading lady is the middle sibling, who left home never to return. She is forced to go back because her mother has now passed, and she must be present at the will reading. There is a very strong presence of the idea and use of magic here. It is treated as part of the narrative, and a reader who is not fond of magical realism in any form should avoid this.
It is not for the faint of heart; the Rowan kids’ life history makes for some hard reading. The thing that binds all of the factors of the story is the writing. I was held in place by the writing style and the imagery provided and finished this in a sitting or two. When I think about the plotline, as I write this review, it was never my primary focus. The individual people, as described by the author, was the reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I will definitely be reading another by this author if I get the chance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Superfluous Reading 