Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf. Weatherly lives in rural Georgia and is a death talker, a kind of healer who is allegedly able to remove “death” from people and extend their lives. She has had a difficult home life and childhood, and is from a family of healers and people who believe strongly in alternative medicine. Weatherly’s cousin and best friend Adair has just died, and this is the mystery of the novel. There is a little too much witchcraft and magic in this one for me-and the crow theme was kind of scary. Not one I would recommend. #inthehourofcrows #danaelmendorf #netgalley #bookstagram #lovetoread #magicalrealism #witchcraft #alternativemedicine

⭐️: 5

My rotten, southern gothic soul devoured this novel. I don’t usually read murder mysteries, but I’m glad I took the leap on this one.

I was attracted to the premise of this book that had me at Southern gothic murder mystery and hillbilly witches... but ultimately it just didn't work for me.

At first I was compelled by the main character Weatherly's talent at being a Death Eater and her struggles with her family and the complications of her gift. But she behaved so recklessly and erratically that it was the worst of the "too stupid to live" trope. I almost put the book down when she hysterically hexed the judge in the courtroom at the beginning and there were other parts that made me want to stop reading. I skimmed the last half. I also couldn't emotionally connect with Weatherly and found her a flat, uninteresting character who never took any agency in her life.

I did love, however, the descriptions of ancient Scottish witchcraft traditions mixed with Southern Baptist culture and how this magical family integrated into a religiously conservative town. And the twist at the end surprised me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If I had to describe this book I guess it would be part murder mystery, part family drama and part coming of age (but not YA really since the main character was in her mid twenties but still seemed like a teenager) all rolled together with a dash of magical realism. This was 100% a five star for setting and ambiance, I felt like I was in the Appalachian mountains with the weather and customs. But I had an issue with the cohesiveness of the plot, I was not always certain what was going on, it jumped around so much between past and present, with maybe magic interwoven sporadically at times I could not keep up and became confused and then wondered if I cared to figure it out or just power through. Side note, I read an advanced copy so maybe the final is better edited for cohesion? Overall this was a very unique plot, I just did not really enjoy my reading adventure with this story.

I just love this beautiful cover so much!!!

I was wanting to step outside of my comfort zone and try a genre I don’t normally read.

Unfortunately, I really struggled with this one and couldn’t get through the book.

I stopped at about 40 percent in.

2/5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed In The Hour of Crows by Dana Elemdorf for it's perfectly balanced blend of murder mystery and magical realism. In the rural Appalachians Weatherly Wilder is a Death Talker, one who can sometimes save a person by talking Death out of taking their soul. Doing so takes a toll on her physically and emotionally as she is often called to help those in her community and cannot refuse. It is her gift. When her best friend and cousin Adaire is killed in a hit and run Weatherly knows in her gut that it was not an accident, she believes it was murder and she will stop at nothing to find the guilty party. If you like gothic, spooky and magically dark tales this book is for you. Highly recommended. 5 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for a chance to read an ARC copy of this fabulous book. All opinions are my own.

This is one of those backwoods witchcraft books that I find repellent. I didn't get very far in this one before I put it down. There's probably nothing wrong with it if you like that sort of thing but it certainly wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book. The setting was kind of eerie and gave me spooky vibes. The whole premise of the story is great for spooky season.

It is full of family drama and mystery and kept me turning the pages. Without giving any spoilers I’d like to have a continuation after the ending!

I don't know... There were things about this book that I thought were creative and interesting (Death Talking, specifically), but there were a lot of flaws too.
It DEFINITELY deserved a trigger warning for the first chapter. Maybe I'm just really sensitive to infanticide, but it was a really rough way to start out the book....
I wish the book had mentioned earlier than 3/4 of the way through that it was set in the 1980s, I think it would have cleared some assumed inconsistencies up (why no one just uses their cell phone, etc.).
It ended up wrapping up pretty well, but felt a little rushed.

Folklore, magic, and an Appalachian setting made this such a beautiful and intriguing read! The author’s writing is impeccable, you can easily visualize the surroundings, which really pulled me into the story. If you’re looking for a witchy mystery absolutely perfect for the fall season, grab this one!

Thanks so much for letting me read in advance!

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

This book has so many of the things I love, and it didn't disappoint! I found it to be rich and rooted in Appalachia lore and culture, with its own spin. I'm a sucker for things like that! This book was eerie and perfect for spooky season!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

I was very excited to get an advanced copy of this novel after reading the summary online. The magic system is something that I have not seen in any other book and it really intrigued me off the bat. It felt as if Weatherly's magic was a character of its own and was one of the reasons I could not put the book down.

I thought that this novel did a great job capturing life in a small, rural town where everyone is always in each other's business. It explored grief and how that tests the bonds of family and what it means to let go. The characters seemed to be fairly well developed for a debut novel. I am looking forward to reading more by Dana Elmendorf and hope to get a sequel in the future.

This was a book that I normally would not have read. I did end up enjoying it more than I thought I would. I would definitely recommend this book.

There is so much that works here it's really a shame more people haven't read it. It's atmospheric but genuine and the MC is a classic tough girl with a heart of gold, which I love.

The concept of a gift that lets Weatherly “talk the death” out of someone - just once - is an interesting one. Combined with her cousin’s mysterious accident or possible murder, it was intriguing. Throw in some family magic, a boy named Rook (who is sometimes a crow) and my attention was certainly held. Definite page turner for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advance copy.

This was just beautiful. I loved the Appalachian folklore. It’s always been one of my favorite things to learn about, so imagine my excitement when I saw this book. It lived up to everything I hoped it would be.

I am a sucker for anything from Appalachia. Make it witchy, dark, and mysterious and now we’re talking. I really liked this novel. Weatherly was so relatable, and her power of talking the death out of the dying was very interesting. It reminded me of John Coffey from The Green Mile.

I think my favorite thing about the Appalachian setting is always the exceptionally rich mountain folklore, and In the Hour of Crows did not disappoint. The culture and superstition permeated every corner of this novel.

If you like witchy mysteries set in the mountain south, you’ll like this. I certainly did!

In The Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf, pub 6/4/24 from MIRA. Set in Appalachia, steeped in mysticism and folklore. This is a story of class division, how talents/gifts are exploited and purposely misrepresented to create fear. Perfect for fans of Alix E. Harrow’s latest book, Starling House. Pulled in by the southern gothic vibes, I devoured this atmospheric book. I highly recommend. I received an early copy from the publisher.

Weatherly Opal Wilder is a Death Talker. She can talk death away from a person and let them live. It's a gift passed down in her family and the people of the town are always willing to take advantage, but they also avoid her whenever they're not asking for her help. She's learned to live with that as long as she has her close friends and her cousin Adaire. But Adaire gets run over by the richest man in town and justice is very obviously not served, so Weatherly sets off on a quest to discover what really happened that will reveal truths about her and her family that she never imagined.

This book was fantastic and shows how to do magical realism right. It feels like there's tons of folklore and tradition behind the things Weatherly can do, but it never really delves into it, letting the mysticism and lore of it as something the reader accepts because it is how it is. I loved that detail.
There is also a lot to delve into within the story, not just the downright murder of her cousin Adaire. We also get to explore Weatherly's family relationships, the haves vs have-nots of the town, and what justice truly means, all while getting a nice little potential romance story behind it.
The writing hooked me in from the very first page and it just kept pulling me back. Elmendorf builds the story through building blocks that might feel disconnected but end up building a complex and perfectly logical plot once you get to the conclusion.

I very highly recommend this read and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for the most excellent read!

In the Hour of Crows is a Southern Gothic murder mystery with magical realism, set in the small Appalachian town of Black Fern, Georgia. The story is richly atmospheric and character-driven, delving into themes of family, small-town life, love, death, grief, secrets, deception, and prejudice.

Weatherly Wilder possesses a unique gift—or curse, depending on your perspective—as a Death Talker. She can create Sin Eater Oil to help those on the brink of death. Her cousin Adaire, a Scryer, can glimpse into the future, though her visions are often unclear.

Three days before Adaire suffers a fatal accident, she shares a cryptic vision with Weatherly that neither of them fully understands. After Adaire’s death, Weatherly is determined to uncover the truth behind what she believes was a crime and to interpret Adaire’s premonition. As she investigates, she puts herself at risk to discover why someone would want to kill her cousin.

Overall, I enjoyed the darker atmosphere of this book. The town of Black Fern nearly takes on a character of its own, shaping the narrative just as much as Weatherly does. It gave me Starling House vibes which I loved!! I highly recommend this book!