Publication Date: 26th Sep 2023
Genre: Gothic Women’s Fiction, Paranormal
3 Stars
One Liner: Great atmosphere but gets burdened by unwanted elements
Cordelia Bone’s life is now a mess. Her husband’s affair and debts push her to the brink of ruin. With loan sharks threatening dire consequences, she doesn’t know what to do. A sudden call from her sister, Eustace, gives a ray of hope. Aunt Augusta may be estranged, but since she named them in her will, the sisters can sell her house and make money.
They fly to a remote town in Connecticut to realize that the house is in proper Victorian Gothic style. Cordelia knows her experience as a real estate agent will come in handy. However, the lawyer informs them about the additional stipulations. Also, Cordelia’s extra-sensory talents are back in action.
The house has too many secrets to unearth (including the dark past of the sexy tattooed groundskeeper). Digging into it may offer some answers about their dead mother and Cordelia’s skills. However, there’s danger everywhere.
The story comes in Cordelia’s third-person POV.
What I Like:
Aunt Augusta’s estate and the setting is wow. The house is a character of its own (though this gets diluted due to extra elements) and is quite creepy. I love every bit of the description of the estate. It’s dark, brooding, sinister, and tangible.
Cordelia’s initial struggle in using vs. suppressing her talents is well done. Her desire to lead a ‘normal’ life and the consequences of her decisions align with the creepiness of the house.
Eustace is my favorite character in the book. It’s too bad she doesn’t get her own POV and still manages to shine bright. She is the one who keeps things going when Cordelia sulks around.
The ghosts are great, though. I like that each has a definite personality and is easy to track. They have unfinished business but are also protective of their family.
The concepts of runes, coded writing (recipe books), secret rituals, etc., are interesting to read. There are some eww moments, which cannot be helped when you get into a dark basement with weird tools and scattered bones.
The pacing gets better in the last quarter where things move faster. But this means the atmosphere doesn’t hold steady. Still, I’m glad I could sit for a few minutes extra and finish the book instead of slogging through the second half.
The last chapter serves as an epilogue. It fills the gaps and provides a satisfactory ending.
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
The entire story comes in Cordelia’s POV (thank god for the third-person narration). However, she is hard to connect with. Though initially I empathized with her, as the story progressed, I found her voice uneven and erratic. She also sounds whiny and immature in some places.
Moreover, Eustace is a great character despite not getting an in-depth arc. I like her a lot more and couldn’t help but wish at least half the chapters come in her POV. It would have balanced the narrative. Though Cordelia is the MC and gets to save the day, I wouldn’t mind if it was otherwise.
The pacing is super slow. While this is necessary in the beginning to establish the setting and atmosphere, the story gets bogged down by too many elements. There’s a mysterious stalker, a creepy lawyer, Gordon (the love interest with a romantic track we could do without), a mafia lender (he wasn’t necessary since Cordelia had enough troubles to handle), a useless ex who gets a full chapter, and Cordelia going back and forth. Yep, it’s quite exhaustive and distracting from the central plot.
It’s a good thing this book is not marketed as a mystery (or is it?) since the clues are way too obvious and in the face. I’m sure everyone except the main characters figured out the danger and attacker.
I knew there would be a love track with Gordon in the picture. I wish it was believable or at least a real slow burn. This one doesn’t feel organic, and the third-act breakup is so stupid. It may seem like a way to advance the plot, but man, it’s horribly done. I can’t sugarcoat this.
To summarize, The Witches of Bone Hill has terrific potential but manages to deliver in bits and pieces. It would have worked better if the focus was limited to the house, family history, and the sisters instead of trying to force-fit too many threads.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Griffin), for the eARC.
***
TW: Animal harm and death.
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