A huge thank you to the author, Claudia Cain, for sending me an Advance Copy of her book Lovely, Dark and Deep in exchange for a honest review.
SYNOPSIS
It’s a beautiful day in autumn, and a little girl has gone missing…
She’s not the first.
Hannah Hendricks is the fourth child to disappear from the small town of Fallow Creek in the past two months. Search parties comb the woods and vigils are held, yet there is no trace of the missing children, as if they have vanished off the face of the earth.
Cassandra Reilly is certain there is magic involved, but few people trust the word of a witch, and fewer still want her help. As an outsider to the rest of the town, it seems there is little she can do – until Hannah’s parents arrive on her doorstep, begging for magical aid.
Cass is tired of doing nothing, but agreeing to help is more dangerous than she knows. Something evil is at work in Fallow Creek, and if she isn’t careful, she’ll lead it back to her own door.
| BOOK INFORMATION | TRIGGER & CONTENT WARNING |
| Title: Lovely, Dark and Deep Author: Claudia Cain Publisher: Black Sheep Books Publication date: 5 November 2021 | 🍁Profanity 🍁Mild Gore 🍁Mentions of Suicide 🍁Animal Death |
| BOOK LINKS | Amazon Goodreads |
THOUGHTS & RATING
“Have you ever met someone who made you feel seen? he asks quietly. “When nobody else did?”
“Once you do, it’s hard not to get attached”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s a glorious autumn afternoon, and the woods are about to swallow a girl whole.
When a book starts with that kind of sentence be ready for the most exciting (and creepy/scary) adventure of your life!
Lovely, Dark and Deep follows the story of Cassandra a witch who lives with her siblings, Theo & Pen, and her Aunt Louisa at the edge of the wood of Fallow Creek. When 4 children had gone missing Cass thought that it’s about time she does something and stop hiding from everything.
I loved Cass’ character. She was the person who would risk everything for anyone who is in need and doesn’t ask for anything in return. She does doubt herself throughout the 1st part but when she realized that it is possible for her to do something and bring the kids back home safe she never hesitated to go through with it.
Her relationship with the rest of the characters were also well rounded and I felt like it was all so realistic that you could relate to the drama they had. Broken family, controlling aunt, favoritism, being the golden boy or the black sheep of the family, A LOT of expectations and misunderstandings. Everything just felt so real and that made it all the better.
Merich was also one of my most memorable character. When he first came out I was literally scared sh*tless cause he was mentioned to have black eyes and my imagination just went over the roof. Then we find out he was actually a Fae (which I am a sucker for) and the Warden of the Woods. Him and Cass didn’t really liked or agree with each other and they always have this banter going on but when they started to work with one another it felt like they do have a special connection even though it was not fully opened or mentioned in the story.
Since reading The Year of the Witching last year I have been on the hunt for a good witch book that involves the woods or a forest and this gave me what I want. I LOVED how atmospheric and magical everything was and while reading I got so immersed in the story and the world that I felt like I was connected to everything. The writing style was well paced and the plot was solid all throughout the story. Upon starting you think of a ton of questions and they slowly gets answered as you read on.
This was a very short but epic story that is perfect for Fall. It was a mixture of drama, magic, mystery, paranormal and creepy/unsettling vibes that will keep you on the edge of your sit and wanting more. AND with that cliffhanger?! (which makes you list out more questions to be answered) I’m glad 2022 is almost upon us and I can’t wait to go back to Fallow Creek in the next book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Claudia Cain is the author of the Silver and Bone trilogy, bringing together crime and fantasy in a supernatural San Francisco.
She currently lives in New Zealand and can usually be found either writing or reading. She owns more books than strictly necessary, and loves fantasy, animals, and dark humour.
The Bibliophile Thoughts 