Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: October 5, 2021

SUMMARY:
This is the story of the Valla family, and their long history on an island in Lake Superior...the gothic and wonderful Metsan Valo. Anni has recently returned to her childhood home, after learning of the death of her beloved grandmother Mummo. As the rest of the clan arrives, mystery after mystery occurs, until Anni wonders what her purpose is? Should she stay and become the caretaker of her beloved ancestral home? Or does fate have other plans for her?

PROS and CONS:
It always amazes me how Wendy Webb seems just off everyone’s radar...she’s amazing. If you love gothic settings, spooky vibes, great plot (and just a touch of the supernatural) - she’s the gal for you!! In no way is this book a thriller so don’t go in expecting that. Rather, it is a well researched book with fairy tale elements that a lover of gothic fiction is sure to enjoy.

READ IT?
Wendy Webb is a great author, I look forward to reading her next!!! I’ll admit this one wasn’t my favourite of hers (I think The End of Temperance Dare is my all time fave) but she always delivers on setting and characters.

3.5 Stars

Magical realism? Check.

Folklore, folklore, folklore? Check, check, check (and folklore of the actual folk and lore variety, not the TSwift variety). Bonus check? It’s based in a folklore and mythology I am not too familiar with. Sure, we all know of the Viking tales of Thor and Odin and the Valkyries, but how much do we know of the mythology of the Finns and Samis, the Vikings own neighbors?

A family going off the rails? Check.

A gothic and almost otherworldly setting? Check and check again.

This book had it all for me. I adore all of the above things so, in some ways, I feel like I’m the exact audience for this book. This was a great title to kick off spooky book season. Though, upon reflection, this book isn’t so much spooky as it is tied back to a time and people where the natural world was a lot bigger, a lot more incomprehensible, and therefore requiring of a supernatural way to explain things.

Highly recommended.

Sadly I'm giving up on this one. I had expected it to be more gothic ghost story and it turned out to not really be that scary.

I also felt annoyed with the twins and their mockery towards their mother, and just felt that their life was one of so much privilege it was sickening.

By Wendy Webb

The spirits of Nordic folklore come calling in this entrancing tale of family secrets and ancient mysteries by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Haunting of Brynn Wilder.

In Metsan Valo, her family home on Lake Superior, Anni Halla’s beloved grandmother has died. Among her fond memories, what Anni remembers most vividly is her grandmother’s eerie yet enchanting storytelling. By firelight she spun tall tales of spirits in the nearby forest and waters who could heal—or harm—on a whim. But of course those were only stories…

The reading of the will now occasions a family reunion. Anni and her twin brother, their almost otherworldly mother, and relatives Anni hasn’t seen in forever—some with good reason—are all brought back together under one roof that strains to hold all their tension. But it’s not just Annie’s family who is unsettled. Whispers wind through the woods. Laughter bursts from bubbling streams. Raps from unseen hands rupture on the walls. Fireflies swarm and nightmares stir. With each odd occurrence, Anni fears that her return has invited less a welcoming and more a warning.

When another tragedy strikes near home, Anni must dive headfirst into the mysterious happenings to discover the truth about her home, her family, and the wooded island’s ancient lore. Plunging into the past may be the only way to save her family from whatever bedevils Metsan Valo.

I’m no stranger to Wendy Webb’s books. I’ve read them all. So when I was given a change to read the eARC of this book by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing (in exchange for an honest review), I jumped at the chance. I read the whole book in under 24 hours.

This book took me by surprise. I’m used to high levels of creepiness, dark corners, shadows taking on a life of their own and weird dolls with insane smiles on their faces. Wendy Webb knows how to write an intensely dark novel with enough scare to keep you up at night.

So you can imagine my surprise to find not a whole lot of that in this book. The story was good - really good. There are some eerie moments and some minor shivers down the spine but nothing to what I’m used to coming from this author. I’m not going to lie when I say I was a bit disappointed. There is a bit of a supernatural element to it along with a fair amount of folklore but the scare factor wasn’t there at all.

That being said, the folklore and antiquity of this family was nicely written. As with most Wendy Webb books, the house is its own character and you’re left with a few questions here and there. You also really get to know the Halle family and experience their nuances and get to dig deep into their relationships.

This story is about family. It’s about family history, particularly the Halla family history. It’s about ancient stories laced in the supernatural whose magic has survived the generations. It’s about a young girl stepping into the role she was born to play superseding those that came before her and taking the reins of an ancient magic that surrounds her home. It’s about the folklore weaved in and out of her past and moving her into her future.

And it’s about forgiveness, love and the ability to overlook the flaws we see in those close to us.

One thing I really loved was the way characters and places from Wendy Webb’s previous stories were laced throughout this book. It felt like a little “thank you” to all of us who’ve read all of her previous books. I almost felt like I was coming home to visit some of my favorite haunts of Wharton. That was a really nice surprise and I loved every bit of it.

If you’re looking for a traditional ghost story, this book isn’t it. If you’re looking for dark and sinister, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a light read with some mild shivers and a quick read, this book is for you.

"The spirits of Nordic folklore come calling in this entrancing tale of family secrets and ancient mysteries by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Haunting of Brynn Wilder.

In Metsan Valo, her family home on Lake Superior, Anni Halla's beloved grandmother has died. Among her fond memories, what Anni remembers most vividly is her grandmother's eerie yet enchanting storytelling. By firelight she spun tall tales of spirits in the nearby forest and waters who could heal - or harm - on a whim. But of course those were only stories...

The reading of the will now occasions a family reunion. Anni and her twin brother, their almost otherworldly mother, and relatives Anni hasn't seen in forever - some with good reason - are all brought back together under one roof that strains to hold all their tension. But it's not just Anni's family who is unsettled. Whispers wind through the woods. Laughter bursts from bubbling streams. Raps from unseen hands rupture on the walls. Fireflies swarm and nightmares stir. With each odd occurrence, Anni fears that her return has invited less a welcoming and more a warning.

When another tragedy strikes near home, Anni must dive headfirst into the mysterious happenings to discover the truth about her home, her family, and the wooded island's ancient lore. Plunging into the past may be the only way to save her family from whatever bedevils Metsan Valo."

I love that Wendy Webb writes for my region, and just the thought of her writing about spirits of Nordic folklore has me planning an entire day with a blanket, this book, and no interruptions.

I think that this book is utterly brilliant and unlike anything I have read before. I think that this book has such a special message about how we have seemingly become more and more disconnected from our ancestors and surroundings as generations go on. I think the world building and the premise of this story are truly interesting and enthralling. I think the way in which the author told the story made it so it was easy to visualize in the readers head. I think that the incorporations of folklores was also and interesting added touch that made it so this book truly felt so unique and separate from other stories. I think that the pacing of this story was perfect, the characterization was perfect, and overall this book was just a solid read. Wendy Webb creates this world that feels so familiar and also like something that is made up of a wildest dream. When it ended it truly made me feel nostalgic and homesick for the world that she created through her writing. Truly such a good read.

What worked: Eeriness interwoven with family dynamics, the beauty of Lake Superior and the forest. I live in MN and have experienced its beauty.

What didn't: Plot points thrown in that weren't fleshed out, drawn out.

If you've read Wendy Webb's books before, this has the atmospheric atmosphere that the author does so well. It captures both the mythical elements of the book alongside the small town atmosphere of the region it depicts. It also is an interesting story about a family full of generally kindly Midwestern eccentrics and their bonds and frays. Set in late summer as the weather in the northern areas is starting to change, this is a book that feels perfect for fall reading.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review!

Wendy Webb writes such intriguing stories. The keepers of Metsan Valo has lots of themes. Family, grief, local lore and becoming who you are meant to be. This is a story of a woman who inherits her grandmother’s mansion which comes along with some unique and mysterious elements. The plot grabbed me but overall I just could not get into this book. I have greatly enjoyed her other novels so much that I cannot in good conscience give a bad review and I don’t feel like this book deserves a bad review. It just wasn’t for me. 

I love this author's earlier work. “The Tale of Halcyon Crane”, “The Vanishing” and “The End of Temperance Dare”. In my opinion, I wish she would return to her old Gothic mystery style stories.

This is a light read and not to scary. Although there were a few times that shivers raced up my spine.

The Keepers of Metsan Valo is a mysterious tale with elements of magical realism woven throughout that takes place on Ile de Colette on Lake Superior.

Mummo, the beloved matriarch of the Halla family, has passed and her family gathers for the reading of the will. As they listen to her video of her final wishes, there is a lot that was to be expected, and quit a few surprises, especially for our young protagonist Anni, Mummo’s granddaughter.

As the family gathers at their ancestral home, Metsan Valo, many strange and unexplainable things begin to happen to their family members in Mummo’s absence. Mummo would tell them the vaki are astir, but does the rest of her family believe in her Finnish folktales?

If you are a fan of the mystery genre, this book is an interesting and quick read. I personally lean towards the historical fiction genre and found this book lacks depth. I would have loved to learn more about the vaki throughout history. The author’s handling of the ending felt a little clunky and unsatisfying, but if you are a mystery reader, it might be just fine for you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and of course Wendy Webb for the advanced copy for an honest review. The Keepers of Metsan Valo comes out on October 5th.

If you’re a fan of folklore, magic, mystical characters, etc. then you will probably like this one. I’m not so I won’t be the targeted reader for this genre. Overall, I will say it’s well written and the characters would be interesting to a reader of this type of story.
I received an ARC from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Anni Halla’s beloved grandmother has died and she must uncover the mysterious happenings to discover the truth about her home, her family, and the wooded island’s ancient lore."

Fun read. Great gothic atmosphere including an old sinister house, odd creepy characters and Old Nordic legends.

3.25☆

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author Wendy Webb.
This was quite a confusing one. The book was gripping at times, and the mysteries and events to be solved were fundamentally involving. However, the resolution was just too simple and fantastical to make this a satisfying read. The build up and domino topple of events covered the whole book while the denouement took up merely a couple of pages. This is a supernatural fantasy novel to a degree, but it requires too much suspension of belief to be truly satisfying. This isn't a genre I'm typically a fan of, so I also may not be the target audience. Bear that in mind!

Annie Halla returns from Paris to the family home of Metsan Valo on the shores of Lake Superior. The home is rich in history and were several of her ancestors have lived. Anna is home for the reading of Mummo (Grandmothers) will. When she was a child, she spent summers here with her twin brother Theo. Her grandmother telling her stories about her Vaki, Spirts of the ancient Finnish.
Her grandmother has been long time ill but did not tell anyone from the family tat she was. Only that she tied up things and decided for the family before her dying day. So, when the will is read, she is surprised that her grandmother left it to Annie. And since that time strange things start to happen to each of the the family. Which Annie thinks that the Vaki may have something to do with it.
Thanks Lake Union for a copy of The Keepers of Metsan Valo. Although I thought that the start was a bit slow, I ended up really enjoyed this story of the Halla family with some mystical and supernatural tendencies. It was beautifully written a unique storyline and likeable characters. I will be looking out for the other books that the author has written 4 stars from me.

Wendy Webb weaves a magic with her tale of Metsan Valo! I love stories which have some folklore, some myths and some magic, and this one had all of that and more! Mystical creatures Vaki were fascinating as was mysterious Mummo and her family. The forest is home to enchanted tales and this one was more than alive, it was pulsing and throbbing with magic!

I wasn't sure whether to read this book when I saw that some readers had described it as 'horror'. That's the one genre that I don't read. But I decided to give it a go and I can honestly say that it's about as scary as Enid Blyton. Not even slightly creepy. Just a rather boring tale about a house with a weird name - that we get told many many times - and a rather disfunctional family and some weird happenings. Not an author I would want to read again. With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

First off...Wendy Webb is my favorite author. I discovered her books about 7 years ago and have loved every one of them. Metsan did NOT disappoint. From the first moment, I felt connected with the story and characters. Wendy has such a way of interweaving past and present stories. I couldn't put the book down and read well into the night. I loved reading about Anni's journey and all of the other characters at Metsan. Anyone looking for an amazing book that will keep you hooked... Grab this one!

I’m a big fan of Wendy Webb and the books she’s written, but this one left me wanting and saying meh! The plot itself is a good one, but it seems far fetched in so many ways that I won’t go into because of spoilers. It also seems cliched kluging together plots from many other books. So all in all disappointing. One person is bad, then they’re good, a bad mother who’s a good mother. I also found it too long in the middle and just stopped caring about the book and its characters.

WOW! What a wonderful story filled with magic, folklore, mystery and so much more!

The entire family is brought back together for the reading of grandmother's will. What could go wrong when a slightly dysfunctional family reunites in hopes of collecting wealth of some kind or another?

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release on October 5, 2021.

This is my first abs won’t be my last book by author Wendy Webb. Taking from her Finnish roots, she casts a magical spell of words that give you all the chills, intrigue and enchantment.

The story is centred around the return of family members to hear the will of their grandmother at her Gothic estate on Lake Superior. Twins Anni and Theo were raised by the grandmother who told them many haunting tales of Finnish folklore. The mystery unfolds between family members on the estate and their ancestral magical lore.

This is a perfect eerie, creepy cottage read near lapping water at night where you are unsure about what may be lurking in the woods. Will be be healing spirits or harming ones as told by Mummo (grandmother).

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley for the advanced e-copy for review.