Parallel stories of two two relatives of two different time periods with the same curse. Each must decide how much they will let the curse control their lives, their happiness, and the lives of those they care about. Trying to break the curse is easy compared to uncovering the truth.

This one was a little difficult for me to listen to. I don't think it was the narrator as much as it was the story. It seemed original, but it didn't entertain me like I had hoped it would. I feel like the characters were lacking. It wasn't bad! It was just one that I was happy to finally finish.

I was totally bored by this book...and I am usually all in for curses and mystery and stuff. I am not sure if this is a me problem or an author problem. But I will give Caroline George another chance in the future.

#CursesandOtherBuriedThings
#NetGalley

Curses and Other Buried Things by Caroline George


Caroline George delves deep into familial histories and curses in "Curses and Other Buried Things." The suspenseful intertwining of past and present keeps readers anchored as Susana Prather grapples with a haunting generational curse. While the narrative beautifully depicts the determination to rewrite one's fate and the transformative power of love, at times the story does feel a bit predictable. George's exploration of family secrets and the looming shadow of the past is commendable, but there are moments where the pacing could have been tightened. Nevertheless, the novel offers an immersive journey into belief, love, and the strength of the human spirit. Solid 3.5 stars for an enchanting tale of hope and history.

What an amazing book dripping in generational trauma. Set in the present and past this book combs through family history. Susanna believes she is cursed and will die by her 18th birthday. She feels like she has so much pressure she has to live up to for her grandparents. She tries everything to make sure she doesn't end up like her mother who she is named for. Come to find out all the women in her family who is a first born daughter is named Susanna and looks just like her great grandmother Susanna and meets an early end to her life. The past and the present intwine in this novel and we learn about the family curse and how the curse can be broken. A must read book that will remind you that the past doesn't define you, YOU make your own destiny.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First the positive. I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job. I also like the concept of generational trauma take the form of a curse.

That said, I found this book fairly boring and repetitive. The supernatural elements seemed unnecessary to me. I also had difficulty distinguishing between the different Suzannas in different timelines.

I thought the book would be better...I found as it went on, it became too repetitive --the curse, the curse, the sleepwalking, insomnia, the curse and then add in Suzanna/Suzannah/Susan/Susie/Susana--not confusing at all, especially with an audiobook. I would have also preferred the magical element, especially the end, not be there at all. The chapters muddled on as my interest waned. Sometimes, breaking chapters up helps to keep the story straight and being this is a YA novel, that certainly should have taken place.
Susana at 18 has to cast the curse of her ancestors-swamp is calling her--she begin sleepwalking--and she doesn't know her whole family history..this drags on while also weaving in a story from 1855, where it all began.
Overall, it just fell short--too much going on resulting in a lost plot. On a positive note, the southern culture was spot on. The author's note was quite moving. But, this did not work for me; did not keep my interest. But, I muddled through it

I'm completely blown away but how well written and read this was. The author really conveyed what she was trying to say, don't let generational trauma dictate your life. No matter how hard it is, break the cycle. And the characters did exactly that. In such a beautiful poetry way too. I absolutely loved the narrator as well. She made me feel like the main character was actually speaking unlike a lot of other audio books. I will definitely recommend and listen to this one again.

In a Nutshell: Expected something dark and mysterious from the blurb; found it only partially. Didn’t expect to find romance in the plot; found it in abundance. Assumed this to be Adult fiction; turned out to be YA. In short, not my type of book, but might work better for a YA mystery fan.

Story Synopsis:
Susana Prather’s family legacy involves a generational curse that ensures that every first-born daughter loses her mind and kills herself within a few months of her eighteenth birthday. Now that Susana has turned eighteen, she feels like the countdown to the end has begun. Can she do anything to stop this horrid familial endowment?
The story comes to us in two timelines, with the contemporary time containing Susana’s arc in first person, and a historical timeline detailing in third person the life story of the person with whom the curse began.

Bookish Yays:
🌹 The book begins with a striking note penned by the author. She speaks about how the story was inspired by her family’s history and folklore, and how much it derives from the life of her own great-great-great-grandmother Susana Godwin.
🌹 I did, and still do, like the premise. The idea of a generational curse and its impact on the mind is depicted well. It’s an innovative take on intergenerational trauma.
🌹 I loved the use of the swamp in the story. It is incorporated into the plot much better than in Delia Owens’ “Where the Crawdads Sing”. The alligators added to the atmospheric fun.
🌹 A couple of the secondary characters, such as Aunt Missouri, are interesting.
🌹 As a Southern Christian fiction, the book hits the right note in terms of the depiction of the southern lifestyle. Right from the food to the culture to the beliefs and superstitions, the writing represents that part of the country wonderfully. (Except for the hooey about the curse.)
🌹 I hadn’t expected the writing to be YA in style. Thankfully, inner monologues, so common in YA writing, are mostly avoided in this book.

Bookish Nays:
🌵 I had expected a much darker story, almost on the lines of psych horror, considering the mention of curses and witches in the blurb. But somehow, the darkness is sporadic. This is partly because romance plays a strong role in the narrative, thereby diluting the impact of the core plot. (All the more as the romance was typical YA in style, filled with tropes that I never enjoy.)
🌵 The book has two timelines, and each contains a love triangle. With the two Susana’s of each timeline battling two distinct Romeos, this triangle-hating reader lost her patience.
🌵 I didn’t like the main character from the contemporary timeline. She acts her age, which is good for YA readers but not for me. I was tired of her secret-keeping, which was quite ironic as she kept blaming others around her for having secrets. Her decisions and actions were almost always illogical.
🌵 I hate the miscommunication trope with all my heart. When Susana Prather already knows how much danger she is in after her eighteenth birthday, why does she not seek help from anyone? Why tackle such a serious curse alone, despite there being no shortage of love and support?
🌵 There are some silly things in the plotting. For instance, the family already knows that every firstborn girl child will go through the curse. And yet, they name every such girl ‘Susana’. It’s almost as if they are marking the baby for death with such a trend. This tendency of maintaining the same first names also makes the plot slightly confusing to follow, despite the change of narrative voice between the two Susanas.
🌵 Except for minor historical elements, there is nothing much to distinguish between the two timelines and they feel quite repetitive. The middle of the book drags a lot because of the feeling of déjà vu between the timelines.
🌵 The ending was absurd. It didn’t spring up logically from the rest of the plot, and felt bizarrely out of place. I hate pull-the-rug endings of this kind.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 13 hrs 37 min, is narrated by Hallie Ricardo. She handled her job really well, and I loved her voice. But I wish she had used two distinct pitches for the two Susanas.
If you are interested in this book, the audiobook would be a great option, as long as you are attuned to haring books in this format. With its dual timelines and multiple characters – some with the same name, it doesn’t make for easy listening. Won’t recommend this format to audio newbies.

All in all, this would have been more interesting to me had I been the right reader for this content. I picked this up expecting a psychological horror, not a cheesy YA romance with just a few dark scenes.

If you are a YA fan, you will certainly experience this book much differently. So please try the book depending on your reading preferences rather than on my review.

2.5 stars.

My thanks to HarperCollins Christian Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC of “Curses and Other Buried Things”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

I wasn’t too sure about this at first as the pacing was a little slow, but it surely picked up around the second half and I’m glad that I stuck around for it. Great prose and a very interesting take on familial relationships and so-called intergenerational curses. It was moving and I connected to the main characters rather well. I enjoyed the fact that the narration was split between the past and the present. Overall, a very good read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this ARC.

Susana Prather comes from a family with a long history of their women being cursed. Not long after each first born woman turns 18 the curse begins to pull them towards the swamp. Is Susana able to overcome her curse and uncover long buried family secrets along the way?

While I really wanted to love this book, something about it just fell flat. I really really struggled to continue on and after a point I was so confused about which Susan/Susana was which in her family, that I kind of just gave up. I expected so much from a genre that I really love, curses and witches, an interesting atmosphere and setting, and a completely different lifestyle to one I live in Australia. Unfortunately, it didn't take me on the journey I was expecting and definitely had the 'slow burn' feeling the WHOLE way through (and not in a good way). The ending was predictable and boring and I am happy to shelve this book.

This book captured my attention by the title and the caption, and the genre stated this was a mystery / thriller. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver for me personally. The premise is from a teenager’s perspective trying to navigate life while being told her whole life that she is subject to a family curse.

While I’m sure this book would be capturing to some, I am not a huge fan of southern romantic style writing. I would say this is more of a southern gothic / romance YA read than mystery / thriller. The characters fell flat for me and I was unable to connect with them or follow their backstories very well.

The narrator did a great job telling this story!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this ARC.

A young woman’s life in turned when she turns 18, an age where many women in her family are affected by the family curse. Our main character, Susana, is suddenly waking up covered in swamp water and can revisit moments from her ancestors, and she begins to unravel her family’s history and where and when the curse came to be.

Story was okay. Nothing I think I need to reread.

Felt like the narrator did a good job.

Caroline George! 5 stars!
What's better than settling down to read a good book? Reading a good book you know is based on facts and history from the author. Especially one thats southern gothic romance in the midst of October.
This book has a beautifully written plot that is not annoyingly repetitive. Georges writing brought the story to life! There's a few dozen quotes I wrote down that I loved. The characters were so relatable and interactive. The idea of a generational curse made for a great storyline. I simply cannot say enough about this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins Christian, author Caroline George for the digital ARC. This positive review was based on my honest opinions and not required by any means.

"Possible is too small a cage to live inside"

This book is labeled as a thriller/mystery but I would never classify it as such. I would say instead it is a southern Gothic fiction. While there is a mystery of the curse in this blood line, the book is about dealing with intergenerational trauma, not sleuthing out whodoneit.

The prose in the book is beautiful done and has very evocative imagery. The narrator has a soothing tone and I could almost the the breeze off the river. The writing is highly quotable too.

My difficult with this book arose with the fact that all the firstborn women of this bloodline have the same name. Keeping them straight was basically impossible for me. I focused more of the time frame: then versus now and that worked better than trying to remember which Susanna is which.

Fans of "Where the Crawdads sing" will probably enjoy this book as the setting, writing, and themes echo each other. My brain used much of the same imagery from "Crawdad" while picturing this book. Fans of "Mexican Gothic" would probably also love this book as the overall tone of the novels are similar and though very different tales both have a streak of supernatural.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

Couldn’t decide between a 3.5 or a 4 star review for this one. Family trauma and curses meet in the main character Suzanne who has been raised with a long standing fear that after her 18th birthday she would become pregnant and die shortly after. As has happened to all of the Suzanne’s that came before her. But what is family trauma if not a curse?

I was so engrossed in this story throughout 80% of the book! It was truly wonderful and I was so sucked in seeing how the curse has taken its toll in the past and if Susana would be able to break the curse as it grew stronger and stronger. The writing was beautiful in the novel and the narrator was honestly one of the best that I've ever listened to. She made listening to the story so enjoyable for someone like me, who typically prefers a physical copy.
My only complaint was I felt like some of the themes, like "you're only cursed if you believe you're cursed," got a little repetitive at the end, and the ending kind of lost me a little bit. I truly did enjoy this though and would definitely recommend to anyone who's looking for a goody mystery this spooky season.

Thank you to netgalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful, haunting story! The blend of reality and folklore is perfect. The twists were amazing; the romance even better! This is an eerie family drama with a lot of heart. I loved and appreciated the author's notes in the beginning and end. It's always a treat and wonder to get a bit of the author behind the story. This book was clearly written from her spirit, and it shows.

The narrator was clear and even--clear enough that I could listen at almost 3x speed, which I love. She wasn't weirdly emotional and kept the intensity even. My *only* criticism is that she did the male voices a little weird.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an audio-arc to listen and review, voluntarily.

DNF @ 10%. Caroline Georg's writing is absolutely stunning, but this book was a little too heavy for my current mood, but I hope to come back to it at some point in the future

4.5 I'm just going to round it up to 5 ⭐️

This is one of my favorite reads this year. I adored George's other book Dearest Josephine so it isn't a surprise that I fell in love with this one as well. Her writing is just stunning and impeccable. Curses and Other Buried Things was a beautiful metaphor for curses, generational and otherwise, that haunt us and will continue to haunt us if left unaddressed. Set in a small village in the historical south, CAOBT is an enthralling gothic tale that had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't stop wanting to know how it all ended and how each of these stories intertwined with each other. I have to admit that this hit home and I cried multiple times. Another brilliant heartbreaking but uplifting story by the end.