Damnation Spring is a stunning debut novel and Ash Davidson a master of her craft. Set in 1970's logging country , we are introduced to Rich, Colleen and their son, Chub. You can't help but fall in love with their family unit, to feel like their community is yours and to want nothing but happiness for the lives lived in these pages. I didn't want this book to end and boy, will that ending leave you breathless. I highly recommend this beautiful novel and cannot wait for whatever comes next from this talented author.

Well, this novel wrecked me. I couldn't even tell you why I picked this from the long queue on my kindle. Maybe the title? When I saw how long it was I thought I'd just give it a chapter or two and see. And now only two days later I'm a sniffly mess over the end of it. Colleen and Rich are two of the most heartbreakingly real characters I've read in a long time, and following them through their troubles in the 70s with the logging companies, the preservation "hippies," the hopes and stresses of growing a family...man. This one really hit me. I will say that the logging business and the technicalities of who owns the tress vs who owns the land vs the structure of logging outfits was confusing and over my head. FIVE stars, for sure.

This is what I would call a triumphant debut. I almost feel sorry for Ash Davidson because she has set the bar sky high for herself with this gorgeous, engrossing story of a logging community in the late 1970s. The beginning was a bit difficult to get through, but since my mother had read the book and highly recommended it, I pressed on and was richly rewarded with complex characters, chilling suspense, simmering conflict, and so much more. The details surrounding the logging process and equipment were somewhat lost on me, and yet I still felt as if I could see the woods and feel the immensity of the trees. Even better than the rich setting was the character development and the ways in which Davidson showed the toughness of the community and the challenges of the loggers' lives. In doing so, she made connections between their resilience and the fierce, yet tender love that also existed within them. I felt invested in their lives; as if these were real, living people. This is a book that will have you staying up into the wee hours of the morning, and upon waking after too little sleep, you'll still be thinking about it.

I am a very well-read librarian and I'm going to say that Damnation Spring may be the best book I have ever read. I couldn't put it down and then I had to stop and take a break before I finished it because I did not want it to end. I felt fully immersed in the issues, the characters, the setting, and the descriptions. The writing is beautiful and the story is one that you'll never forget. I loved every character and felt their pain. Kudos to Davidson for a magical, thought-provoking, gripping first novel. Author, where'd you get those sweet writing skills?

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.