Witchy, creepy, dark creatures in the woods! This was a really great read, well written, unique and eerie.
It’s set up a small town where the religious townsfolk do their best to forget the existence of the family of witches. Only when they need something to they risk asking for help. I loved this setting, you can feel the tension and see the strain of being outcast and unwanted plays on Cass and her family. Children are going missing and tired of doing nothing Cass allows herself to be drawn in. Cue evil creatures, a mysterious gate in the forest and a darkness only she and her family can feel, and we get Lovely, Dark and Deep.
I really enjoyed the plot, the missing children made it high stakes and the uncovering of the dark goings on in the forest had me invested. I loved the creepy horror aspect of the story - as someone who doesn’t usually follow horror it was the perfect amount of scary to keep me interest but never too much. I liked the witch magic, it was explained easily and worked perfectly with the story. The contemporary setting with the witch/ magic aspect made it atmospheric (it would be perfect for autumn) and though it was a unique story I haven’t read before it felt familiar in a good way, giving the vibe I’m often wanting.
Another aspect I really appreciated was the family dynamics. It was nice to see a family portrayed with complex realistic relationships. This was actually a highlight for me and I really enjoyed all of the side characters and what they brought to the story.
There was also a tiny hint of romance that gave us a tease of what’s to come (I assume)! I loved that though there was this underlying feel of romance he played an important part in the story that had nothing to do with feelings - he stepped in because in was the right thing to do. I’m looking forward to a little more development of this but I do really like that it’s not at the forefront in this book; much more natural and allowed the story to flourish.
Overall it was a really enjoyable read! Exactly what I wanted from it and delivered really well. I ended up binging it in one day as I couldn’t put it down! I’m looking forward to continuing the series.
The main story wraps up but it does on a rather creepy cliffhanger that suggests what the next book might entail.
