Had a slow start but as the story progressed, the pace picked up as well. On the surface, this is a story about a very poor young girl, Weatherly, growing into a young adult, who has the ability to 'talk the death out of people', a gift given to her by her Papaw. Her cousin and best friend, Adaire, dies under questionable circumstances but her death is considered an accident; Weatherly does not believe this and is determined to find her killer. A mystery is introduced when she can't save a local boy who happens to be the son of a wealthy, influential man, who also dies and who she also can't save. A lot of unanswered questions as well - who exactly is the man named 'Bone Layer'? And I'd like to know what made the Grandmama so bitter. Weatherly is almost a victim of her own powers but she keeps them in check, doesn't abuse them. A small girl, she holds life and death in her fragile hands. And then there's Rook - an intriguing character and I'm still not certain what to make of him. This is a fascinating story that held my interest to the end.

This ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. I really was looking forward to this book after reading the synopsis but it didn't hold up to what I was expecting. The random formatting was very distracting. There was a lot of potential for this book it just fell a bit short.

“Folklore is stronger than science in Appalachia.”

3.5 stars……I requested an ARC of In The Hour of Crows because I love stories with “some” magical realism and stories that take place in Appalachia. This story had both. I loved the storyline, I loved Weatherly, Bone Layer , Adaire and Davis, I despised grandmama. If I’m going to be honest this story had a little too much magical realism for me.

5 stars for the underlying story, 2 stars for the magical realism giving this book 3.5 stars.

For anyone who likes this genre I highly recommend this book. I will definitely try another book by Dana Elmendorf. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

NO SPOILERS In the Hour of Crows was a mystical magical novel set in Appalachia, an area full of mystery and superstition. The hour isn't exactly happy hour as it covers a lot of incidents related to death and rebirth in a rather unappealing manner. The main character Weatherly has what is referred to as a gift or a curse in that she seems to be able to connect with people who are almost dead, and bring them back to life by her inhaling a black fluid from their lungs into her own, and teasing death away from them. The ability was given to her by her grandfather, and can only be transferred from mail to female to mail in order to be effective. Her grandmother is a sometimes witch also, an evil and manipulative woman who uses her gifts in a more personal way choosing whom to punish, and instructing her granddaughter whom to save.
Weatherly grew up with absentee parents, not finding out who her father is until the end of the novel. The death of her cousin Adaire, with whom she was extremely close, starts the domino effect as Weatherly assumes the death was no accident, but murder, and she sets out to discover w'ho done it'. We are introduced to the usual menu of alcoholics and crazy relatives as she proceeds with her investigations which taker to the brink of sanity on occasion. As a child, she became fascinated with black crow feathers, and the young man named Rook, who seems to appear at the most unlikely times along with a flock of crows, often to save her from herself and her erratic behavior. As she ages, she meets Rook at different stages of his life as well, but he always seems to practice a disappearing act. At times, Weatherly is not sure if he is real or a figment of her overactive imagination. Adaire's Death is surrounded with questions, many of which Weatherly feels will lead her to discover the puzzle of her paternity, and why her mother abandoned her. In true southern style, we are led through the setting of Georgia in some of the most poverty stricken areas with characters such as Bone Layer and Raleean tagged with improbable names. The book was entertaining, if not believable, and one gets involved with the characters, wanting to know the answers as badly as Weatherly did.
This book requires a little more careful editing as one can accept some of the poor grammar as being part of the southern dialect, but other errors are merely spelling: whoever proofread it does not seem to know the difference between "lie and lay", for example.; he, or she also seems unaware that you can say "between you and me", but when the lamp host is added, it would be "among you and me and the Lamp post ". There are many other grammatical errors, but I had to accept them as simply being part of that southern dialect as many pronouns were used incorrectly. From beginning to end, I wanted to take a red pencil to the novel, but since I was reading the Kindle edition that wasn't possible. I am submitting this review, as the book was supplied to me by the publisher and exchange for an honest review.

"I was born in the woods in the hour of crows, when the day is no longer but the night is not yet".

This was so many things... creepy, beautiful, haunting, hopeful. I loved it. In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf followed Weatherly, a Death Talker. She can sense peoples' soul songs and can sometimes trick death into leaving a person alone for awhile. Her beloved cousin, who was able to see the future, was just killed in an accident. Weatherly began to think that it was something far more sinister and occassionally gets help from Rook, her friend who can turn into a crow. 1980's Appalachia was the perfect, rich backdrop for this story. The writing was brilliant, and Elmendorf was masterful in how she could surprise the reader with such nonchalance of horrifying situations.

In the Hour of Crows is an intriguing, atmospheric fantasy-mystery. With a unique voice and perspective, I enjoyed the hell out of most of this book. I thought that the pacing sagged in the middle, and few of the characters are “sticking” for me, but while I was in the book—I was 110% there for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for the ebook ARC. All options are mine alone.

Dana Elmendorf is a YA author making her adult debut with In the Hour of Crows. I've seen this book refered to as a cozy mystery in some places and it does sort of fit into that slot with its small town setting and quirky characters but I feel there's more suspense than mystery in this book. There's also a touch of Goth, dark magic and the paranormal in it. I guess that just goes to show that not everything can be neatly pigeon-holed. Weatherly has grown up in a bad situation. She was abandoned by her mother and her beloved grandfather, Papaw, died when she was young. Before he passed away, Papaw handed his gift down to Weatherly, making her a Death Talker or a person who can talk the death out of the dying. This is an amazing talent and tremendous burden for a young girl to carry. Weatherly's grandmother wants to harvest the Sin Eater Oil that is a by product of her gift. With the oil Grandmama can create potions, charms and curses. She's got Weatherly firmly under her thumb, until Weatherly's cousin and best friend, Adaire is killed and the man who confessed to killing her goes free. This is more than Weatherly can stand and now she's looking for answers, answers that her grandmother and others don't want her to have. Eventually, with the help of her friends, Weatherly uncovers secrets about herself, her cousin and the family she never knew. She just has to find a way to prove it before the police or the killer find her.

Mystery, Magic and Murder

A tale of Appalachian folk lore, a young girl and a murder. Weatherly lives with her grandmother but often spends time with her favorite cousin Adaire and her aunt Violet. Her mother left her with her grandmother and her father is unknown to her.

She has a special gift of drawing death out of people, which works most of the time. A mystery is evolved around this gift and the death of her cousin Adaire who was hit while riding a bicycle. Now other deaths have surfaced and Weatherly is being blamed. She must solve the murder and prove her innocence.

It is an intriguing story, a little hard to believe at times seems a bit of fantasy. It was a good reading story and almost believable knowing some of the remote areas have strange customs. I found the part about Rook and the crows a bit hard to believe.

Thanks to Dana Elmendorf for writing an interesting story, to Harlequin Trade Publishing for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

In the Hour of Crows was such a fantastical, mysterious book set in the Appalachia region of Georgia. Such a deep novel of a young woman trying to live after tragedy strikes.

While I read the summary and knew what to expect for the novel, I was a bit thrown that there wasn't a romance in the book. On NetGalley the publisher information listed Harlequin, so I expected a romance. It's definitely not that! Fair warning.

I truly enjoyed this book! Everything about it made an engaging novel, from the characters to the plot itself. The first chapter opens in the middle of the story, with the Wilder's heading to the courthouse to see if the judge will go forward with the case that the mayor killed Adaire on purpose (he doesn't), and it does not slow down at all.

As someone who didn't grow up in the Appalachia region, it did take me a minute to get into the flow of the words and language, how this area of the county talks. I really appreciated how the author stayed authentic to that, as it immersed me more into the story and the feel of the region. It depicted a more accurate and sympathetic story written this way.

How the plot unfolds was well done, if a bit predictable. I had a strong feeling from the beginning that Lorelai was involved in Adaire's death somehow. I was also a bit disappointed that the motive was money, felt like a let down. The did like finding out about who Weatherly's dad is. I am perplexed by the epilogue chapter. What happened to Rook? Is he fully human now? What was that last scene between him and Weatherly about? Is there going to be a sequel to this? I thought this was a stand alone but who knows now a days.

I loved all the characters! They were so fascinating, yet deeply flawed. Going on this journey with Weatherly of proving her innocence was so fascinating as it really became a story about how to move on from trauma and her hometown. The abuse she endured her whole life can be left in the taillights now, and I'm so happy for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this amazing book.

Wow! This book is absolutely spell binding! I loved every page! I devoured it!

It has magic, mystery, and the paranormal. Just enough of each. It is a bit creepy and will give you goose bumps and tingles down your spine.

Parts of it gave me flashbacks to Where the Crawdads Sing.

I absolutely loved this book. It is one I will read a second time through, and with my mounting to be read list, that's high praise!

Highly recommend!

Five stars for me!

In the Hour of Crows tells the story of Weatherly Wilder, a young Appalachian woman who saves the lives of many people with gift of death talking. Throughout the book we hear of the many tragedies and triumphs that plague Weatherly’s life and we see her sort through them to find her truth. This story gripped me from the very beginning and took me on a wild ride that I could never have fathomed. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t set it down, would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a bit of magic and suspense.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you #HarlequinTradePublishing and #NetGalley for providing this #ARC Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is June 3, 2024.

• family secrets • dark magic • murder • Appalachian folk magic • 4.5 Stars

#InTheHourOfCrows by #DanaElmendorf is a Southern gothic novel set in a small town in Appalachia. The story follows Weatherly Wilder, a young woman gifted with the supernatural ability to "talk the death out of the dying," a power that comes with the price of being tied to her community. When Weatherly's cousin Adaire, a Scryer who can see the future in dark surfaces, is murdered, Weatherly is determined to uncover the truth behind her death. This novel has been described as a "gorgeous feast for the senses" that captivates readers with its blend of supernatural elements, gritty realism, and atmospheric storytelling.
that captivates readers with its blend of supernatural elements, gritty realism, and atmospheric storytelling.

This was an okay book for me. It didn't draw me in like I thought it would. It was interesting with the witchcraft stuff and I liked the relationship between Weatherly and Rook.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "In The Hour of Crows" and all opinions expressed are my own. I love a good magical realism book. I found the beginning a bit dark and I almost didn't continue reading. The story did get better. The loved the story between Weatherly and Rook which probably kept me interested in the book. Overall I really liked the story and I don't even like crows at all.

I did not enjoy this book. The premise is interesting and unique, but I found the voice to be rambling and unfocused. It also felt like it focused on odd things for shock value and horror that just felt uncomfortable, like the child being buried with the stillborn infants and kissing them, and on characters breasts and nipples.

Goodreads review 4/23

Thank you Harlequin trade publishing for the arc of In the Hour of Crows

This book was a different genre than what I normally read but I thought it was amazing. Once I got a few chapters in I was hooked. The storyline was so interesting and really kept my attention. I felt like I was solving the mystery with the main character and I had to keep reading so I could get the answers. I also loved how the storyline between Weatherly and Rook didn't overpower the rest of the story but was still the perfect addition to the story. Overall it was a great read and I highly recommend it.

This Southern gothic, magical mystery was interesting to read and had some very good concepts. But I had so many questions throughout. Why were the police so incompetent? How, exactly did the magic work and why could grandma piggyback on Weatherly's abilities? And what about Rook? The ending real confused me.

I enjoyed this book. I am fascinated by the highly intelligent crow so I was drawn in by the title. It would have been nice to have more of Adaire in the story and her relationship with Weatherly. Weatherly’s grandmother was a terrible person and I felt sorry for the way Weatherly was brought up. Intriguing murder mystery with Appalachian magic mixed in, there were many side plots of jealousy, hate, revenge and devotion. Would love to see a sequel with Weatherly and Rook as a man.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dana Elmendorf and Mira books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good witchy book! This one was just okay for me, not bad but just not great. I felt that the characters were not as well developed and that was a huge part of the story. The main character did not act her age but I felt like that was part of her upbringing? I enjoyed the magic in the book but still felt like things needed to be ironed out with it. There is a lot left up in the air and not explained. This is a good story but just did not work for me.

In the Hour of Crows has a fascinating premise full of endless possibilities, but the story’s execution didn’t work for me.

First we have Weatherly, our MC, who is 24 but behaves more like a 15 year old. I found her irritating and unlikable. Since hers is the only viewpoint we get, it was like being stuck hanging out with a bratty teenager.

The characters aren’t well developed, which is especially unfortunate since the plot relies heavily on personal connections between the large cast of characters.

The magic system is intriguing, but also not well developed.

Lots of things are left unexplained or just didn’t make sense to me.

While I didn’t connect with the writing style, I do think there’s a great story here that other readers might love.