Stephanie A. Hicks
Praise
For this being a debut work, I’m super sold & want more.
Wren being considered an outcast even among her own people just because she does healing in a way that isn’t traditional.
Thatcher just wants to start a new life away from what he was taught to believe and act upon.
Together, they form an unbreakable bond forged out of love for each other and the hollow and its people.
As I kept reading, the descriptions were so vivid that I actually picture myself there. To be so immersed in a story to the point you don’t want to stop reading, even if you need to sleep was so difficult. Each night, I waited for my quiet time to just read and let go.
Seeing how Wren could take on the role of daughter, caretaker and “mother” for her brothers, yet never stray from what was taught to you by her mom. She knew the stories, whispers, rumors said about her and still she helped when needed. She was just a child herself, yet wise beyond her years. She could feel things that others couldn’t even comprehend. And that’s when Thatcher entered.
Thatcher was running from a family name that made him feel like he was drowning. He couldn’t erase the stories told about his family or the horrors they inflicted. He just wanted a chance to show he wasn’t like them, didn’t believe like them or wasn’t a spy for them. Wren saw him for his TRUE SELF. She knew he was something different. And over time, he became what she needed as well as he needed her.
Together, their love was stronger than any presence that the Hollow had to endure. It want to consume and cause sadness and loss. The choice it wanted was to give up. Thatcher and Wren, along with others who believed in the old ways were able to prevent the presence from coming to fruition. Their love of each other, the love of the others to protect the Hollow and LOVE in all was what drove back the presence to pull it to sleep.
Once their daughter was born, Laurel, she was blessed to have gifts from both parents. She continued to learn of the old ways so if she was called, she would be prepared. She had her mother’s spirit & her father’s patience. She listened and waited while she learned. She was the new Keeper of the Hollow.
I just can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this story. I was there. I saw it all. The details were so vivid that you not only could envision the hollow, but actually smell the smoke, the flowers & the food. You could feel the presence when it was pressing on you. The imagination could just be let free.
Can’t wait for another.
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Lisa S.
I cannot say enough about this book, the writing is so imaginative, poetic, and it’s honestly so freaking beautiful. The storyline was so rich and so riveting that I finished this book in literally 2 sittings!
I also went into this book thinking that this was not my normal genre of book that I read (my norm is thriller/horror) but there was a beautiful mystery tied into the story and it kept me invested!
I loved Wren’s story, her life, her knowledge, her love for her family and community and I also love the old naturalistic ways plus religious traditions that you tied together so well in this book!
Forever 5 stars in my mind!
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Jaime E.
This is a wonderfully written tale that grabs you from the first chapter. I rarely find a book that I don't want to put down, but this is one. I loved the "what happens next" feeling I had, while reading, which stayed with me the entire book.
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Jennifer M.
