The “hour of crows” is that liminal time between the end of the day and the beginning of the night, and a title that almost perfectly captures the dusky mood of this Southern Gothic style fantasy/mystery.

The main character, Weatherly Opal Wilder, has a magical gift that gives her the ability to absorb death out of a person and into herself so that it can later be expelled from her body, thereby saving the person that had been dying. She inherited this gift from her grandfather, and has been used by her granny-witch grandmother since a very young age to talk death out of the people in her small Appalachian foothill community.

Shortly after the death of her cousin, Adaire, Weatherly encounters a person that she can’t talk the death out of, and she doesn’t know why her power has failed. Even worse, this person is a member of a powerful family that has plenty of reason to want to point the long arm of justice toward Weatherly and away from themselves. When local law enforcement won’t believe her, Weatherly must take matters into her own hands to get to the bottom of the corruption she suspects, both to free herself and to defend rest of her family.

This book falls just short of five-star material in my opinion, but Dana Elmendorf has still made a solid debut effort.

Here’s what I loved: the plot is absolutely fantastic. The pacing is incredible, and I never really wanted to put it down. The gritty 1980s backwoods trailer-park vibe is spot on: I could see it vividly, I could feel it, and I could even smell it- drawing from my own recollections growing up in the South and knowing plenty of folks steeped in Appalachian culture. Most of the characters are incredibly detailed and fleshed out. And in the end, I love how Weatherly comes into her own agency, standing up for herself and what she wants for her own life, and refusing to be used as a pawn for someone else’s benefit.

Here’s what kept it from being perfect: There were some turns of phrase that truly just annoyed me, even taking into account that the perspective was that of a “hillbilly” kind of girl. A few times it didn’t feel as much like colloquialism as just plain old poor prose. In that same vein, I also sometimes felt like some of the characters were becoming too caricatured to be authentic (particularly the side characters that are more “villainous”). And more than anything, I really REALLY really wanted to know more about Rook and his relationship with Weatherly. I felt like that element was pivotal, but sort of glossed over, or rushed, in a way that wasn’t necessary. At less than 300 pages, there was plenty of time/space remaining to elaborate more on that point- so why didn’t she?

All that said, I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends and “followers” as the release date approaches. I hope this book gets some buzz because it’s got the all makings of a remarkable debut. This is a story that got under my skin in a way that I won’t soon forget.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, MIRA/Harlequin, for an ARC copy of In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf, in exchange for my review.

dark, southern gothic spec-fic (horror). very well written, filled with family drama and small town drama. thanks for the arc.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Mira for the opportunity to read In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf. This Southern Gothic at its best!

This book is unlike anything I've ever read. Taking place in Southern Appalachia, the story hooked me from the creepy opening scene. Weatherly Opal Wilder is a Death Talker. Since she was young, she has been called upon by townsfolk to save the dying. It comes with a price, though, and she and her family are outcasts of their small community. Her cousin Adaire also has a gifting and can see into the future. When Adaire is found dead, Weatherly begins to uncover secrets that her family and the town would rather leave buried. Haunted by a boy who morphs into crows, Weatherly is determined to discover the truth about her cousin's death. Even if it costs her everything.

If you like magical realism, ancient spells, a foreboding atmosphere, and a page turning mystery you need to read this! The characters were well developed and I could practically hear their Appalachian accents coming off the page.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book may create a new genre...Southern-Appalachian Gothic. It's not light magical realism or even ancient herb witchery but something much darker. This combines Scottish Celtic traditions twisted by Appalachian superstitions fused with religion. There are murders and family secrets galore compounded by poverty and lack of opportunity in rural Georgia, with a fascinating cast of characters. If you've lived anywhere in the rural South, you'll recognize many of them. There are plenty of deaths in this story and I loved this quote from Weatherly: "I've never understood why people apologized when someone dies. Sorry only goes so far with grief, and it's never far enough." If you like your magic on the dark side, you'll love this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.

I have mixed opinions about IN THE HOUR OF CROWS. On the one hand, this is an entertaining story that immediately captures the reader's interest. The subject matter and storyline are mesmerizing to a certain extent, and I think this will appeal to many readers, including fans of Sarah Penner. The author does a great job of setting up the story world and introducing the reader to it. The supernatural elements are also handled beautifully, and I liked the character of Weatherly.

On the other hand, in my humble opinion the novel is over-written and over-wrought at times. I guess I should have suspected this given the comparisons to Where the Crawdads Sing.

But again, some (many!) readers will be swept up in this world, and it will likely do especially well with younger readers. There is a definite YA sensibility to the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are my own.

Oh, my. I can't wait until this book is out. I've already sent a screen shot to a librarian friend asking her to review. This is all the best things a Southern Gothic novel can offer - crows, magic, dysfunctional families, secrets, and more. I loved every word!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I LOVED this book so much!! I finished the entire book in just 2 sittings. The characters were great and the storyline had me captivated. This was a great mystery with a witchy vibe and one of my fave reads this year. Looking forward to more from this author

Weatherly along with others in her family have certain gifts. She is able to lure death out of a dying person and into herself spitting death out. Her mean grandmother has exploited Weatherly her entire life for the powerful Sin Eater Oil Weatherly excretes at the end. When her best friend/ cousin Adaire dies and it’s too late for Weatherly to save her she goes after the Rutledge family, those who killed her.
This is a sad story, filled with a lot of death and not much hope. The plot is unusual, it held my interest the entire way and I enjoyed the supernatural magic aspect of the book, but I was just as glad when the book ended because it was so dark and dreary.