This came off a little more horror for me. However, the pacing was off on multiple levels.

I found the beginning to be slow, picked up a little as we got into the thick of it with the plotline, but as soon as we hit that pivotal point it seemed to disconnect itself and didn’t quite… fit.

The second half of the book was alright in the sense that it simply fit in better with the twist and perhaps was what the author was looking for, but I wanted to do a deeper exploration where I felt like the author dabbled in the shallows or barely scratched the surface.

When I started reading this book, I had forgotten what the blurb said, since it had been sitting on my virtual shelf for a while.

The first part of the story feels like a small town romance. The setting is right, with two almost estranged sisters working in the same town in different directions, each with a hidden hurt in their heart. There are romantic partners that make their way into the scene and everything looks like it’s in its way for a reasonably happy ending. It’s then that the unease creeps in.

There are things that are just a little bit off and they start to crop up a little at a time. It is when Sasha’s Pip says a creepy sentence to her that the genre fell into place for me. I would not call this sci-fi or fantasy, it would probably lean closer to a cleaner simpler horror.

The writing was good and there wasn’t too much gore involved. Just a little bit towards the end and indirectly when talking about the ‘beginning’. I did not see quite a few things coming. I would have rated it even higher if I did not get the Pecan’s role at a pivotal point. Or, even if I did get it, I was a little underwhelmed by the explanation for the biggest part of the story.

I would still recommend this to people who find the blurb interesting.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

2.5 ⭐️

I found myself needing something more from this read. The beginning took me a while to get into, as I found it a bit slow. However, around halfway, the pace of the book did pick up speed rapidly as the conflict began to reveal itself. Typically I love when a book takes a turn toward the end that I didn’t not see coming, which this book absolutely did for me, however I found that the twist in this book felt almost disconnected from the first half of the story. The twist seemed so opposite of the vibe I was getting from the first half of the book - which felt more like the type of magical realism that gives you peak into a lifestyle of being whole connected to the land you live on. Overall I like where the second half of the book was going, I just wanted a deeper exploration of it and for it to feel more connected to the first half of the book.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I am a magical realism girly, but this one was confusing? It was like there was nothing going on, but a lot going on at the same time. I think it was the writing and not the storyline. It felt like I read reading s 600 page book.

Do I know what just happened ?
No.
Do I think I still had a good time reading this ?
Yes.

This had more twist and turns than a backroad highway. I wish I knew what creature/folklore this was exactly based on, but it was crazy to say the least.
The characters were lovable, the "hungry man" was creepy as hell, and overall it was a good fall/spookish read.

I feel like this story is a good metaphoric fantasy to explain how some people in small towns feel trapped and or so set in their ways that they don't accept the world growing around them.
The aging world around us is ever consuming with it's need to conquer all small things.

<spoilers>The nit picky part of me was a little annoyed that nothing was really explained.
The Pecan children somehow aged incredibly slow, but only once they reached like 20-30? Also, WHY were the pecan trees that were abandoned producing CHILDREN?
Lil and Sasha are not Pecan children but somehow also don’t age even outside of the time loop area…. But also the gold pecans somehow made the town into a time loop?
But then the shapeshifter monster thing somehow burned down the time loop town?
If I think too hard about the details it feels very offf…. But
I enjoyed the story for what it was worth and chalked the lack of detail up to small town folklore but that was my biggest qualm with the story. </spoilers>

I thought this was well-written! The story felt haunting and almost melodic, with great sultry, suffocating Southern vibes, and I, in particular, liked how the sisters appeared to be on parallel or diverging journeys, but the sweetness of those moments of intersection, of them coming together. I thought it felt very inventive, using the setting as a character to push the plot along and to emphasise the almost supernatural quality of what's going on.

The Pecan Children by Quinn Conner. Pub Date: June 4, 2024. Rating: 3 stars. If you enjoy magical realism with a Southern Gothic horror flair, then his book may be one you want to pick up and read. Told through the experience of the Clearwater twin sisters, this story was weird but unique. It has Southern vibes but there is mystery present too. The pecan festival is a focus of this storyline and I enjoyed reading about pecan harvesting. As I was reading, I felt like I was there and the imagery was very scenic/atmospheric. At times the story dragged, but I can appreciate the uniqueness of the story and it was unlike anything I have read before. Thanks to #netgalley and #sourcesbookslandmark for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The river is a character too and this book is so atmospheric and just a little spooky. Felt very southern and of course reminded me a little of Where the Crawdads Sing (but maybe this one is better? Or seems more true in a way).

I was excited for ”The Pecan Children” it seemed like fun. When I read the summary I was very intruiged. We follow two sistens in the south of america as they take care of an orchard of Pecans.

Ive dipped my toe in magical realism and had fun with it, but this was just too boring and confusing. I appreciate that it might have been to get to know the atmosphere but come on…

Thank you Netgalley and sourcebooks landmark for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The pecan children was my first book by the author duo. I didn't know there's a duo but came to know later as many people love their books.

Now for me, a setting that is dark and claustrophobic and melancholic, I'm definitely the one to grab it faster than you can say "sold". But this somehow did not work for me. It definitely is melancholic a d there's this claustrophobic tone to the book that was done perfectly well but I somehow did not care for the story or the characters.

Now being said that, that doesn't make it a bad book, it was just not for me but might work for all those who like such books.

I wish I could enjoy this book more, but I will definitely read some more books by the author for sure.

I don’t want to spoil the story for you but I will tell you The Pecan Children took me on a great journey.

# The Pecan Children
# 7/5/2024 ~ 7/8/2024
# 3.0 / 5.0

The Pecan Children had so many aspects of a book that I love, such as magical realism, set in the south, a bit of horror, family secrets, and LGBTQ+ representation.

When you start reading this book it is slow building, but somewhere around the halfway mark this story starts to come together in a way that makes it a propulsive, obsessive read from there until the end. The book will keep you on your toes, it will keep you guessing, and it will make you feel slighting uncomfortable while reading it, but in the end it will be an experience that you will not forget.

This book has a Southern Gothic feel. It is set in the small town of Clearwater, Arkansas, which is very isolated and has deep roots in its pecan harvest. The story centers around the Pecan Festival and the reuniting of the Clearwater sisters—descendants of the town's founders. Their reunion is not joyous, but strange events eventually uncover dark, sinister roots.

I like magical realism and eerie vibes, so I thought I'd enjoy this more. But I felt it was a bit confusing, and I got lost in the flow of things. Maybe that was purposely done to give the reader a sense of disorientation. There were many descriptive scenes: the kudzu vines that seemed to reach out and grab at anything and everything, spectral fires blazing and then extinguishing without even a glowing ember, and wild children living in the forest. I didn't quite understand the magic at play, though. Things start to ramp up about mid-way, but after a slow first half, the resolution is a little underwhelming to feel very satisfying.

I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy paranormal, urban fantasy, or even Southern Gothic, intertwined with some family drama.





Thank you @bookmarked for the gifted ebook via Netgalley

Atmospheric and unsettling, but also heavy on the slice-of-life perspective. I was really hoping for more horror elements, the parts that came up were definitely creepy, but they were interspersed with farm life and so much backstory. The introduction to new perspectives was a bit overwhelming and the skipping between time periods really had me confused multiple times. It comes out later in the book why a specific time and location for the setting isn't provided, but it felt a little.... idk, contrived? Not a terrible story, the natural magic was super cool, the antagonist was infuriating and creepy af, the sister rivalry/banter felt realistic (albeit petty and young for people in their 30s).

Lilith and her twin Sasha are the newest guardians of the town's greatest pecan farm after their mother’s death, but Sasha has never felt that it was truly hers. When Sasha returns home after years away she finds that the town is the same as it has always been but slightly more decrepit. Seemingly just a small town stuck in time, but the twins soon learn that the town and their pecan farm holds many secrets.
Lilith is bogged down in all the responsibilities of holding the farm together along with all of the requests from the town residents, but with the return of her sister she is hoping that she may finally have someone to help shoulder all the burdens.
Suddenly the town seems to take a dark shift; phantom fires emerge just as fast as they seem to disappear, children and babies seem to appear in the woods, born from a legend the twins heard long ago and vines that should not be touched. When they learn of a demonic-like figure haunting the town the twins begin to realize what plagued their mother and soon them.
Overall rating 2/5
I was beyond confused by this book. The first half of the book was boring and dragged on when the plot could have been condensed into 5-6 chapters. The second half had potential to be an alluring gothic novel but fell flat and lacked intrigue. I would have loved it if the true meaning of the farm and town were revealed earlier on in the book. Then to have the rest of the book be about the sisters grappling with their new reality.

*Thank you to Quinn Connor, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

I'm literally sitting here trying to gather my thoughts on this one... and I've been sitting here awhile 🙃
🥀Southern Gothic
🥀Magical Realism
🥀Small town trapped in time
🥀Familial loyalties and responsibilities
🥀Queer Representation
🥀Twins
🥀Creeping Kudzu

Ok, so the first half of the book was really slow.
Disjointed. There's a reason. We just don't understand until the ball drops bout halfway thru.
I honestly spent most of my time reading this one thinking, "Wait, WUT?"
It's one of those reads that gets better the more you think about it.
Very ambient
Very disorienting.
Time means nothing here. You'll see.
There's a creepiness to this read that I was surprised by. It's simmering right beneath the surface for like 90% of the story. I'm glad I stuck this one out.
I honestly think this one goes way deeper than I'm prepared to elaborate here.
Very smart writing, too smart for me 😅.
It takes patience, but once done, it brings to the surface all the things I love so much about reading. The pure WONDER of it all. ✨️

Many thanks to #netgalley for this #arc.
🥀🥀🥀
If you love a weird ass trip, this is the read for you.
If you like a straightforward reliable read, stay far away because this ain't it.
Either way, it's a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me.

I was interested in this book due to the Southern setting and realistic Louisiana small town, with dying agriculture (pecan) commerce. Initially the story grabbed me, as it was so realistic to small towns in our state, holding on by the fingertips, to keep their town from being incorporated into the county and loosing it's identity, But then it sorta fell flat for me, and I had to put it down for awhile and concentrate on other books for the month, and then go back to it. As the sisters sense change coming to town, it does in ways they never expected and this is where the magic part of the story comes in. Once it settles in, then the second party of the story really happens. It's a good allegorical tale, and if you know small towns, you'll appreciate how Quinn reaches and finds their soul and brings it to light.

3.5 rating

Rating: 3/5 stars

Last year around this time I reviewed Quinn Connor’s debut novel Cicada’s Sing of Summer Graves and gave it 3-stars. I remember it vividly, because it was one of my biggest disappointments of the year. Not because it was a bad book, but because it was a 3-star execution of a set of 5-star ideas. This year, a strange time-loop thing seems to be going on, as I had the exact same experience with Connor’s sophomore novel…
It’s hard to give an overarching plot synopsis, or mention comp-titles, as it would spoil a very significant twist that occurs about 50-60% of the way through the novel. Instead, I’ll paint a picture of the scene and set-up for you, as that’s incidentally where Quinn Connor is at their best too.

The Pecan Children takes us to Clearwater, a deeply isolated Arkansas town sustained by the lush pecan orchards that surround it and are tied closely together with the local culture. We meet the Clearwater-sisters, descendants of the towns founders and owners of the largest orchard that is rumoured to hold special power over the land. Lil Clearwater has continued their family’s legacy in maintaining the orchard, whereas her sister Sasha left town long ago for a more lively existence in the city. Now, in the long and hot days approaching the annual Pecan Festival, Sasha has returned home. What should be a joyful reunion soon turns dark, as an ancient rot from deep beneath their family roots begins to take shape again.

What I loved:
Quinn Connor is a queen when it comes to setting the “Southern Ghostly Town” scene. Just like in Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves, you can almost feel the blazing heat in the air, taste Autumns baked goods, and smell the sweet scent of warm pecans coming off the pages. The images this book paints in your mind could fill a canvas, and their settings wouldn’t be out of place in the real world. Cicadas’ Prosper was a town I’d love to visit for a summer-vacation, and the same can be said for Clearwater’s Pecan Festival.
Another strong parallel to their debut is how layered in motifs and symbolism it is. Where Cicadas at times spread itself thin in mixing too many different metaphors, The Pecan Children remains true to the central Garden of Eden motif, which adds to its strength.

What I didn’t love:
Again, a repeat of the sins of their debut; The Pecan Children lacks in terms of pacing and focus of the narrative. The first 60% or so (pre-twist) are incredibly slow, meandering and failed to engage me. Some character-build up and dropped puzzle-pieces were necessary to make the twist work, but this was too much, for too long. I tabbed my copy at the point where I predicted the twist (around the 30% mark), and had the reveal been around there, I would’ve felt there was the exact right amount of set-up present.
Partially because the set-up is so long and drawn out, the ending doesn’t feel completely satisfying. Some magical- and mystery-elements are never resolved and the emotional pay-off didn’t hit me the way it was supposed to.
Perhaps it’s a me-thing, but it’s a critique I often find myself having with books written by author-duo’s. It’s like the fact there isn’t a “single brain” keeping oversight over the whole creates a lack of focus and cohesion that I particularly notice.
Overall very similar in vibes and themes to Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves, so if you liked that one, this is a safe bet to pick up as well.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I really enjoyed this one. It kept me engaged and reading had had some twists I wasn't prepared for. I want to read it again so that I can see what I missed the first time. Definitely recommend this one!

First off...DISCLAIMER: this title was up for grabs on NetGalley (in the Read Now section). Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

The Pecan Children ended up going in a different direction than I had anticipated, and I mean it in the best possible sense. Based on the synopsis (which has all the reasons to be vague, since with books like this one, spoilers are just around the corner), I expected a contemporary story with a strong supernatural core - a troubled sibling relationship on the backdrop of a dilapidated town rife with secrets and malevolent forces. Now that I know what I know, I realise that the synopsis isn't meant to be misleading, and truth be told, it encapsulates the book fairly well...on a level. The fact is, The Pecan Children is SO. MUCH. MORE than its blurb lets on, and even if the authors start dropping a certain set of clues early in the story, I wasn't prepared for the scope and manner of the big reveal - and its implications. In hindsight, the twist is not only jaw-dropping and exciting, but it perfectly fits the claustrophobic, lethargic setting, and it's an equally perfect vehicle for the "allegory of decay in small-town America" the editorial notes promise. Also, in lieu of a supernatural mystery, this book turned out to be a strong specimen of the magical realism genre, though with elements that straddle the line between the two. Another pleasant surprise, since through the magical realism lens, the social commentary and sibling dynamic get to shine in a way that a mere supernatural context wouldn't have allowed.

FALSELY FAMILIAR

If the magical realism angle is a win, the contemporary elements are just as poignant. Lil is the sister who stayed and became the family orchard's caretaker (though not by choice), not to mention, the keeper of a devastating secret - and "keeper" might be the key word here for more than one reason, since Lil seems to be the only thing that prevents the town from succumbing to decay...though even she doesn't realise to what extent. Sasha (Lil's twin, a lesbian and a photographer) is the sister who got away, only to return home temporarily in order to reconnect with her sibling and her past. Add to the mix Lil's old flame (whom she had a devastating breakup with when he asked her to leave with him) and Sasha's (apparently unrequited) teenhood crush, both back in town after a long while, and you have a complex web of relationships...where not everything is how it seems. Seriously, if these pairings (both sisterly and romantic) seem to walk a well-trodden path, you'll soon find out that there's a lot more to them that meets the eye, and you'll fall in love with these characters in the process (especially Autumn, Sasha's crush, baker exquisite and keeper of a huge piece of the narrative puzzle). I'm not going to say more about the characters (secondary ones included) because I would spoil basically everything if I did - but I will say that in the end, when the truth finally emerges and the last twist occurs, you'll have had your heart broken and repaired in multiple ways. Atmospheric, creepy and tender at the same time, harsh and sad but ultimately hopeful, inventive and mind-bending, The Pecan Children is a not-to-miss book for every (dark) magical realism lover out there who's looking for something off the beaten track - and a shower of emotions.