This book follows Susanna, who believes in a curse that has followed the women in her family beginning at age 18. Throughout the novel she’s trying to understand the curse through dreams and break it.

The audio for this was fine, but nothing spectacular. I started this almost right after Ashley Winstead’s newest and I think the setting was so similar and there were plot elements that were the same too. I just don’t feel like this story went anywhere and it felt very repetitive. Listening to her ancestor’s story was interesting, but I didn’t care for the present day story.

"Curses and Other Buried Things" by Caroline George offers a blend of atmospheric tension and YA romance/mystery, earning 3 solid stars.

The premise, revolving around a generational curse affecting everyone in the tree line, was intriguing, and the swamp settings added a nice atmospheric touch. However, the book fell short of the anticipated darkness, feeling somewhat diluted in its execution.

The romance elements proved somewhat irksome for me, and the main character, despite harboring secrets herself, seemed quick to blame others for the same transgressions. Her decision not to seek help despite the evident danger felt perplexing, to say the least.

And let's talk about the ending... It left me scratching my head, to say the least. The novel's redeeming qualities lie in its atmospheric settings and the initial promise of a generational curse. For those who enjoy YA romance/mystery with a touch of the supernatural, this might be the right pick, although it may not fully satisfy those seeking a darker narrative. 🌲🕵️‍♀️📚

I'd like to thank NetGalley for the online copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was intriguing and engulfing. Once I started it I couldn't put it down. The voice of the reader was equally as engaging and wrapped you around their finger and engulfed you in the story. Highly suggest reading this book it's a perfect one for this season.

This was a different story than I expected from the blurb as I expected more dark influence and maybe even a bit of thriller/horror aspect, so I did struggle to try to reconcile what I thought the book was with the actual story being told. I would almost bill this as a southern gothic YA romance, which unfortunately is just not my favorite subgenre. Knowing that I'm not the perfect audience for this, book I rate it 3 stars as the story certainly had its merits and I think if you were a fan of this subgenre, you would enjoy it.

The one thing I can say I did really enjoy about this book was the prologue/author's note that tied the story together with the author's personal experiences/family history.

I was trying to multi-task, crochet while listening to this book. Nope! The narrator did such a fine job of grabbing my attention, I could only stop and listen.

When the woman of this family reach majority, the curse kicks in. No matter the actions they take, the swamp will claim them eventually. It's a great plot line and a great story, the narration pushed it over the top!!!

The audiobook was superb. The voice was pleasant to listen to and the narration was upto the mark and definitely enjoyable.

About the book now , Curses and other buried things is about Susanna Prather and the curse which revolves around women in her family starting in 1855. So far seven generations have passed and all women were first born and named Susanna. They didn't just bore the namesake but they born with resemblance of looks even.

The curse starts taking root when Susanna turns 18 years old and the pull towards swamp starts. The mystery of the curse was good, it has creepy and spooky elements too which made overall read quite good.

My only issue with the book is that it was very long, and somehow the character development wasn't great. The jumps from present Susanna to old Susanna intertwined with present Susanna's mom's story was very confusing. Also at many points it got repetitive and the ending just felt dull and unexciting. Also there were so many characters that it was difficult to remember who's who.

Even then I was totally engrossed in the book and the whole cursed story. The book is full of beautiful quotes and it made the journey a heart winning experience for me.

For me, the Audiobook deserves all the stars but giving it 4 for the reasons I mentioned.

Some quotes that I really loved —

"Even in silence I never go unheard."

"God doesn't send monsters!", I tell her.
"He doesn’t have to", nanny taps her chest "they are already inside us."

"Hometowns are like the dead. Part on bad terms and they will always haunt you."

"Everyone has monsters that goes unseen."

"Grief is stranger kind of haunting. It stays closer than a ghost."

"I don't wanna leave pain in my wake."

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Christian publishing for this amazing ARC written by Caroline George and amazingly narrated by Hallie Ricardo. Will be looking for more books from author, narrator as well as publications henceforth.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Curses and Other Buried Things by Caroline George is about Susana Prather as she hits her 18th birthday and the beginning of the curse that has plagued the 6 generations of Susanas before her. The curse passes through the family line and she is prepared to say goodbye to this world until someone gives her new hope for a happy future.
This book was eerie and interesting. I loved the historical flashbacks to her original cursed ancestor. The main character grows into herself and out of her mothers shadow as she tries to stand out from the rest of the Susanas that came before her. I was rooting for the character the whole time and the suspense was crazy for this book.
This book dives into many deep topics such as grief, societal and parental expectations, and the need to create your own identify as you grow into adulthood. It has a good message that our world is what we make it as the character feels the need to control her own life as the curse takes that control away.
It was an enjoyable story, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good southern gothic mystery.

This story is haunting and the reader has the perfect voice for it. The generational trauma is well-illustrated and mixed with the magical aspect- a solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a creepy thriller. I enjoyed the flashbacks intermixed with the present day. It added a lot to the overall story.

This year has been the year of books with curses for me and this book did not disappoint! Susana has always believed that the women in her family have been cursed and as she nears the age of the curse, she finds herself sleepwalking. While attempting to find out the ways to break the curse, Susana starts to uncover familial secrets. With flashbacks to Susana's ancestors, readers are immersed in this story and the mystery of it all! The narration in the audiobook was a perfect fit for this story! It kept me engaged and into the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced audio copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Susanna is cursed. Every women in her family has lost their lives to the swamp that surrounds their sleepy southern town. When Susanna turns eighteen she begins to sleep walk, the swamp calling her to it. Each night she wakes covered in water. With love, family and belonging hovering over her will Susanna let the past consume her.

This is ultimately a tale of how we let the past shape our future. Despite the elements of fantasy it is truly a slow burn romancing where our FMC has to battle fate and the past.

If you’re looking for a dark and creepy witchy fantasy this is not it.

If your a fan of “where the crawdads sing.” A drama that unpacks some heavy topics with mysterious elements sprinkled in you may like this.

It’s definitely a slow burn and very atmospheric beautifully poetic just not my usual cup of tea.

I really wanted to love this book. The description was amazing. The audio narrator was amazing. I ended up DNFing this book because I found the jumps between viewpoints jarring, I wasn't relating to any of the characters. For me, the character development fell flat. There was a LOT of repetition about the curse, and it became tedious after a while.

This is my first Caroline George book! This book had a great description,
But unfortunately for me the book just seemed boring to me. The writing didn't hold my attention. I thought it was very inappropriate to have the main characters sister to be living with her boyfriend. The author is Christian and should keep Christian values in her book. There was other things I found inappropriate as well. There was underage drinking, plus mentions of adult characters getting drunk.

The jumps between the past and the present was super confusing.


thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free.

I was really excited to listen to this audiobook especially as Caroline had spoken at the beginning saying that it was based on actual family events.
The narrators voice was exceptional for this type of story, however I do wish she had altered her voice to make it easier to pick up which Susana was actually talking, the one earlier or the later one.
It was a bone chilling story of trauma, family and destiny and to know that the author has dug deep into her family history makes this book more chilling, emotive and magical.
Thank you to Netgalley and Zondervan Audio for an ARC in return for an honest review.

"God doesn't send monsters!", I tell her.
"He doesn’t have to", nanny taps her chest "they are already inside us."

Susana Prather is cursed. Seven generations of women before her have met their tragic end far too early for their age. As soon as night comes on her 18th birthday, the swamp behind her Georgia house calls to her. Soon enough waking up drenched in swamp water with no memory of how she even left her room becomes the new normal together with her being able to see memories of her ancestor, Susana Yawn, who in 1855 cursed the whole town. Now she is on a race against time to try to break the curse before she meets her own tragic fate.

Going into this book, I definitely did not expect the amount of twists it revealed. They just kept on appearing at the points you finally thought you had the whole picture. It was a great interpretation of how influential generational trauma can be in skewing our opinion of ourselves, the people around us and what we actually deserve from life. Listening to the author note at the end detailing the events and people from the author's family that actually inspired the story made it that more emotional and impactful.

I was incredibly glad that we got to see not only Susana trying to fight the expectations, trauma and secrets her family brought her up with but also her friends and family who finally got to break the shackles they felt around themselves. I think it was a great way to show that other people are also going through things we might not know of even if they seem to be alright and that generational trauma des not discriminate.

The relationship between Susana and the mmc was really sweet and they both tried to be better for themselves and also for each other despite the obstacles they both faced in their rocky start. All the characters were affected by their own issues and I couldn't help but root for all of them to find their own peace or happy ending.

TW: Mention of: alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy, rape, suicide, death

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for providing me with an audio ARC of the book in exchange of an honest review!

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. This was different than most books I read but it was a pleasant switch for me. Fun, complex story that kept my interest until the end.

Susanna Prather is cursed. Just like her mother before her and her mother before that. The firstborn daughter in her family will always fall to madness, that is how it has been ever since her ancestor, Susanna Yawn, spoke the curse into existence. Shortly after her 18th birthday, the Okefenokee swamps start to pull on her and she awakes drenched in water, the visions of her ancestor's life still crisp and clear. The worst part of it? No one truly understands, not her friends, not her grandparents, even though all her life they've been begging her to not turn out like her momma, to make different choices. Susanna is (seemingly) on her own in fighting the curse, but on her journey she discoveres things about her family she has never thought possible.
Curses and Other Buried Things was a bone-chilling story about generational trauma, family and destiny. I really liked the author's writing, her descriptions of the nature and how she portrayed emotions. The plot I felt was a bit repetetive at times, and I didn't really like the big resolution (it felt, compared to the rest of the book, a little on the nose). Sometimes I wished we as readers would get a bit more insight into character's reasons for their behaviour (namely the grandparents - I think they should have cracked a bit earlier). All in all, I really liked the idea of the novel and am content with how it was executed, the points I disliked didn't take away from that.
The audio book narrator did a great job!

I absolutely love reading thrillers especially during this time of year. What I enjoyed the most about the audiobook was the narrators ability to make me feel at home. I'm from the south and I felt in the moment. The storyline was engaging; the twists and turns and mysteries made it hard to press pause.

Fantastic job and thank you for the ALC.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC.

The audiobook narrator did a great job.

The book was a bit boring and repetitive. I did see what the author was trying to do with this book and I really did want to like it more than I did. I almost DNFed it a few times but I am one of those people that can’t DNF books lol

This book had an interesting plot but unfortunately the book itself wasn't so interesting. It just felt flat for some reason. The writing style didn't hold my attention for long and I often got confused between our main characters and struggled to keep up

It might be just me. I do tend to avoid slower paced books, so readers who like slow paced books might enjoy this one