“‘This town was built on revenge,’ I say. ‘And it’s never made anything better or right.'”
Sparrow is cursed. Two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death and drowned for alleged witchcraft (but really for being too friendly with the townsmen (married and single both).
Now, for a few weeks every summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three local girls and using them to lure boys out into the sea to meet the same fate they once met.
Penny Talbot has a secret. She knows that the legends are true. She knows that there is plenty to be afraid of each summer during “Swan Season” as the locals call it. She knows that it’s not a game. But when Bo Carter shows up, unaware of the dangers of being an outsider boy during this tumultuous time, the stakes suddenly become a whole lot realer for her. Now, she has a boy to keep safe. And the Swan Sisters do not like her meddling in their affairs.
This book is so freaking beautiful and creepy and lush. I loved the alternating timelines – the glimpses of the past were some of my favorite parts of the whole book. They reminded me of the past flashbacks in Holes by Lois Satcher. They have this mystical vibe even though they’re historical as well. It’s easy to lose yourself in them as the tragic story of the Swan Sisters unfolds.
“We would not be spared. My sisters and I were finally being punished: adultery, lust, and even true love would find atonement at the bottom of the sea.”
The Swan Sisters’ story is interwoven with Penny and Bo’s story in the present and I wa actually very surprised by exactly how the pieces all fit together. There are some unexpected twists and it made the journey that much more succulent. I’m not much for books about witchcraft, but this one is phenomenal – one of a kind – exactly the sort of book we need more of it. It’s unputdownable and irresistable and I hope to see so much more of Shea Ernshaw’s writing in the future.
Rating: 5+/5 stars