The Pecan Children by Quinn Connor blends Southern atmosphere with supernatural and magical realism.

Lil and Sasha, twin sisters, are stewards of a Pecan orchard. But only one is the true steward. In a small town, there is something that's not right. Kudzu is taking control of everything. There are mysterious fires, and houses are burning, but Lil can not leave. Can Lil and Sasha figure out the reason before it's too late?

This book has a lot of gothic atmosphere and supernatural vibes. That was the major part of why I finished the book. Though it has a character driven plot, I personally think it is an extremely plot driven story. The first half of the book was a little difficult to get into for me, but I enjoyed the second half a little better. I would have enjoyed the book a more if there would have been some history behind the orchard. It was an ok read for me.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for this book.

The Pecan Children is beautifully written in such a way that you almost feel drowsy at first, like the languorous heat of summer enveloping you. There’s little odd moments at first; some flickering lights from fires, little superstitions, the feeling of something amiss though nothing that jumps outright at you. This is what makes this book so effective.

If you like beautiful prose, Southern Gothic, magical realism of a David Lynchian quality then look no further.

5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley, however my review is completely unbiased and entirely my own personal opinion.

Definitely make sure you have a snack while reading this! The food descriptions are incredible!!

This book absolutely took me by surprise. It’s a slow start with a lot of moving pieces, but it is so worth it once things fall into place. In hindsight the pace is good, it works well being a cozy paranormal thriller. There’s more than a few twists and it definitely kept me from putting this down!

The imagery is absolutely spectacular. I was blown away by the constant descriptiveness and the curating of a small-town vibe. I felt right at home throughout the entire book, so much so that I felt I could vividly see everything that was going on.

This was such a heartfelt way to explore not only family relationships, but romantic, and community ties. I was constantly blown away by just how deep and significant those came to be. Finishing this book truly left such a warm glow in my soul. It was truly a pleasure to be able to experience this world.

This book was a vibe for sure! Very atmospheric and dark, which I love. Also loved the sister story.

A beautifully haunting tale of being trapped in a small town where nothing is as what it seems. This book was captivating - I couldn't put it down!

This was a challenging read for me. I loved the author's descriptions - her writing is beautiful - and I suppose that's why I stuck with it. I really didn't enjoy what she did with the plot, though. It left too many holes for my taste.

My publisher selected this as a discussion book, and the discussion is set to open in a few days (6/6). I suggested that we not review the book until we see what our readership thinks of it. Personally, I'm leaning toward not reviewing it. If we do move forward, though, I'll post an update here with the full review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was such an enchanting read! It started slow but eventually picked up midway through. The gothic vibe and atmosphere was a character in itself. Sometimes a bit creepy but captivating story

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark, NetGalley and authors Quinn Connor for my gifted physical copy and e-arc!!

When I read the summary of this one, I was so excited. I thought it would be just my thing! But unfortunately, I struggled through most of it and just couldn’t engage. The sense of small town, creepy, mysterious, strange-things-happening-here vibes are on point and held so much potential … but it just never seemed to take off and didn’t succeed in pulling me into that place of captivity where I can’t put the story down.

And although the writing is sophisticated and lyrical … it felt a little hard to break through the words and figure out what was going on. I was confused. A lot. Still not sure what really was happening there. I really wish I would of liked this one better … sigh.

The authors definitely succeeded in offering a southern gothic that is shrouded in mystery and masked in dream-like vibes where you don’t really know what’s real and what is just playing with your mind. Personally, I like my stories a little more clear, but if you like atmospheric magical realism, then give it go! It may be the one that grabs you, haunts you and won’t let you go!

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

The Pecan Children is a book that walks a trail I’ve been loving the last year or two: a mix of folklore, romance, low fantasy or magical realism (take your pick), and a generous splash of darkness. Does it walk the trail as well as other books in this vein I’ve read and reviewed? Maybe not. It’s not an entirely wasteful read, either.

At times this book can feel like part of it is magical realism and part of it verges on fairy tale, almost like there are two disparate books happening within the same book (there would be spoilers here if I said much more about that aspect), and I was honestly more intrigued by the book within the book than I was with the book I was reading; however, the inclusion of that interesting fairy-tale aspect is what kept me invested enough in The Pecan Children to keep reading until the end.

Quinn Connor (which is a pen name for two separate authors writing together) has an interesting story to tell, I simply felt it was told in a very predictable and rote way for the most part. The more fantastical aspects of this book is what saved it from becoming too familiar, but there was still so much of this book that felt like deja vu.

I still say you should check it out if you like unique folklore added to your fiction, if you like sapphic love stories, if you like ancestral mysteries, and if you love that eerie feeling of, “something’s not right in this town”.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Folk Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/LGBTQ Romance/Magical Realism

Though I didn't connect fully with The Pecan Children, I loved the language, the rural-southern-gothic setting, and I look forward to more from this author(s). The use of kudzu in the narrative was particularly fantastic (when I was a kid, we joked that it would grow over us if we moved to slowly)

This is absolutely beautiful and I am so glad I was able to get a copy. Would you stay and fight for your small town? I probably would.

This was a strange little story. Nothing like what I expected and yet I found myself still turning the pages.
It was different to say the least and does kinda border on a horror story.

This book felt really slow in the beginning - but the rest of the book more than made up for it! I feel like I don't want to say anything because that might spoil everything but if you are looking for a magical and mystical read which is downright eerie at times then this is the book for you! I loved it!

And, as always with Quinn Connor books, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

I loved Connor’s debut novel so I was very excited to read more from them. Love that Connor gives trigger warnings list at the start of their books as well.

I was pulled in by the mysterious plot and setting right away! Atmospheric, eerie southern gothic small town which was well described, it felt like I was there. I love that Quinn Connor’s books always give an acknowledgment of the indigenous peoples of the area the stories are set in, and I once again learned some of the history of the area. Which for this book meant learning about the origins of Pecan trees in the US!

Connor has a way of making me terrified of small southern towns with water 😂 I felt like I really got to know the characters, especially the twins. They were well developed and I enjoyed watching their relationship dynamics. The romance subplots were fairly well written as well, they added to the story instead of detracting from it which can be hard to do; plus the chemistry really came alive through the writing.

The twist had my jaw dropped!! I wanted to keep reading but the next chapter was so long and I needed sleep 😭 there was maybe one minor twist/reveal that didn’t surprise me just because the way it was described earlier in the book. I assumed it was supposed to be that way and known to everyone but apparently not 😂

Some places the story could drag and become a little telling over showing but for the most part I was hooked and engaged, not wanting to stop reading! The ending was mostly tied up nicely but with some open endedness which is exactly how I like my endings. I was left with one nagging question however that I really wish we got more background info on 😭

Overall an entertaining, unique read that I enjoyed! Quinn Connor is now a fave for me, and an author I’ll be looking forward to reading more of in the future!

Rating 4.5 rounded down to 4

Yeah, no. I tried reading this book a few times but I could never get into it. The novel has a really slow start, but my biggest reason for DNFing this is the author's writing style. The language felt overly verbose, using a lot of five dollar words. It's the authors' sophmore novel but it felt like they were trying too hard.

Who uses the word 'Disquietude'? And the sentence "She could hitchhike straight out of here to that sweltering, flatter-than-flat city where the flesh starts are." I don't get it. If that's a typo I don't even know what it really would be. Or which word is actually the typo.

Using their Quinn Connor pen name, the writing duo Robyn Barrow and Alex Cronin craft a lyrical Southern gothic novel that creeps, smolders, and twists in all the right places. Set in an unnamed Southern town, this is the story of twin sisters Lil and Sasha Clearwater, who have inherited the family pecan orchard. Lil, always the favored sister, has taken very seriously their deceased mother's instructions regarding the orchard and everything within its fencelines. Sasha, on the other hand, tends to the upkeep of the surrounding town. Together they're keeping this forgotten place from oblivion. 
The scene-setting and foreshadowing are 🔥 and blaze full-gas from the first page.
"A screech shreds the delicate membrane of the night ... It's the train, howling like a heartbreak as it passes into, or really through, the town."
I loved this book's characters, its language, imagery, and magical realism. But I especially loved the gothic setting, with its creeping, sentient kudzu, its ghostly fires that ignite then snuff as if they never started in the first place, its strange, otherly children born of the pecan trees themselves, and its out-of-time vibe. If you like mind-bending, atmospheric Southern gothic, this novel is for you.
[Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Life is too short to read boring books. Everyone else loved this one.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

This walks and sometimes crisscrosses the fine lines between horror, gothic, and paranormal themes-all in an atmospheric small town where kudzu vines - wait-no spoilers! Lil and Sasha are twins with very different personalities but they are and always have been outsiders in their town not only for their twinhood but also for the parenthood- and in Sasha's case because she loves women. Lil has kept the pecan farm alive and now Sasha's back in town and things are getting weird. I found this unsettling and strange but it kept me engaged. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Genre-bending, plot-twisting, secret-revealing- this novel was a RIDE. The personal and the paranormal are deeply intertwined. While the relationships and family dynamics draw you in and humanize the story, the small town’s secrets and obscurities keep you turning pages. Definitely didn’t see the major plot twists coming AT ALL (though I did have to reread them to fully grasp what was happening). Quinn Connor has, once again, managed to make a strong sense of place work to their advantage, and I love seeing a second novel continue to grow on what worked about the first!

After loving Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves, I was so excited to get to read The Pecan Children, and Quinn Connor did not disappoint. There are a lot of elements that speak to the same themes - of rural small town decay, of stewardship of land, of familial relationships and queer ones in navigating a place in the world, and that slow sense of magical realism that creeps over the setting and the characters. There's a wonderful twist between parts 1 and 2 that I definitely didn't see coming and actually gasped out loud at - it's crafted and set up wonderfully, and going back to re-read the first few chapters was the first thing I did after finishing.

At its heart is the relationship between Lil and Sasha, twins who are both bound to the land through their family pecan orchard, but also constantly set just outside of things by their single mother, their Puerto Rican father, Sasha's queerness, and Lil's rebellious streak. It's an exploration of how to love a place and people but still want to escape it, and the balance between romanticizing the familiar to the point of ignoring its flaws and accepting change.

Once again, I love the atmosphere set up here - you can all but feel the change in the air during autumn, the shift in humidity and temperature, the smell of the broken kudzu vines, of the baked goods. It makes the subtle wrongness that starts to set in the longer the story goes feel that much more poignant.

I do wish we got to explore the pecan children a little more, especially their links to the town and the bird traps, but overall I was utterly fascinated by the story Connor tells here. Also very charmed by the Summer Graves cameo!