Bittersweet in the Hollow

August 21, 2023
An empath is thrust into a supernatural murder mystery in this sensory-rich, genre-bending series opener set in the Appalachian Mountains. Every year, the town of Caball Hollow, W.Va., hosts the Moth Festival, a long-standing tradition celebrating a local cryptid called the Moth-Winged Man. A year ago, during the festival, rising high school senior Linden James disappeared into the nearby woods and resurfaced the next morning with no memories of her experience except for flashes of running through a dark forest and feeling overwhelming terror. On the anniversary of her life-altering vanishing, she discovers her former friend Dahlia dead in the same woods; rumors begin to percolate that not only is Dahlia’s murder connected to the Moth-Winged Man, but also to both Linden’s disappearance and a decades-old case of a missing child. Determined to find answers, Linden recruits her diner-owning sisters and their special gifts to uncover the truth. Via intimate first-person narration, debut author Pearsall balances paranormal thrills and the horrors of the central mystery to craft a cottage-core-infused world replete with cozy domestic enchantments, a close-knit female cast, and a captivating romance. Characters default to white. Ages 12–up.

September 1, 2023
Mystery and magic unfold in a West Virginian town surrounded by Appalachian forest. The James women are insular not by choice but because they are feared as well as loved by the small-town denizens who patronize their restaurant by day and purchase their magic by night. Narrator Linden, one of "four sisters born in as many years," can taste other people's emotions; the women in her family each have their own small but potent powers. But no magic can repair the fallout from Linden's disappearance last summer solstice. She went into the woods and tried to summon the local bogeyman called the Moth-Winged Man, only to vanish for a day and be found injured and with no memory of what had occurred. Her father has moved out, her nightmares won't stop, and suspicion trails her, especially when another girl disappears a year later. This multifaceted book successfully manages to be many things: a satisfying paranormal mystery, a family narrative examining the damage of secrets kept and the ways in which silence allows violence to grow, and a paean to the immense Appalachian forest and the small communities nestled between the trees. Luscious prose and a compelling setting make the book hard to put down as the mystery slowly and steadily unfolds over the course of just a few days. Main characters read white. Complex, well-realized, and engrossing. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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Starred review from October 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-The James women are special; some people in Bittersweet Hollow, WV, even call them witches. The talent of Linden, the third of four sisters, is feeling and tasting people's emotions and the ability to influence people's feelings. The previous summer, she disappeared on Solstice when she and classmates gathered in the woods to call up the Moth-Winged Man, a local folk legend in their parts. She was found suffering from amnesia. A year later, Linden discovers her friend Dahlia's body in the woods and is determined to find her killer. Dahlia's case is tied to a young boy who went missing in the same area almost 20 years ago, and the Moth-Winged Man myth. The teen's investigation leads to her family being vilified, their business vandalized, and her life threatened. Throughout, she struggles with her relationship with Cole, the local golden boy, who seems to shun her since her disappearance. Aided by her three sisters and their supernatural talents, along with their Aunt Sissy's willingness to share family secrets, Linden slowly unravels where folklore meets reality and the sacrifices her family has made. The story flashes back and forth from the present to the night she went missing as she recovers more of her memories. The writing is tense and suspenseful with each new discovery bringing more questions. VERDICT A compelling story as the James women struggle to deal with their own secrets, and in the process, reveal some the darkest ones in town. A first purchase.-Tamara Saarinen

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Starred review from September 15, 2023
Grades 9-12 The James women have been purveyors of charms and folk magic for generations, though, by day, they run a respectable diner in their West Virginia town of Cabell Hollow. Linden, 17, is one of four sisters who helps their mom and gran at the Harvest Moon, where baking soothes Linden's lingering anxieties from a traumatic incident the previous summer--if only she could remember what happened in the forest that night. In her well-crafted debut, Pearsall intertwines local lore about "the Moth-Winged Man" with James family history, Linden's inner turmoil, and a string of unexplained disappearances that include a decades-old cold case, Linden's experience the year before, and a murder. The closeness of the James family is lovely to observe, and a thread of romantic tension between Linden and an older boy is expertly teased out. Pearsall's authentic Appalachian setting is almost a character unto itself, and her subtle handling of the story's magic will enthrall fans of A. R. Capetta and Melissa Albert. Thoughtfully blending mystery, thriller, and folk horror, Pearsall proves herself to be an author to watch.

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