I loved loved loved this story! It started off with a bang and then kept going building such an amazing story. I would re-read this for sure and recommend that anyone who enjoys "witch craft" in religion to read this. It definitely shows how religious trauma can affect who we are as people when we grow up. But it also just tells a great story despite the religious aspects. This story was so good and an easy read that was unputdownable.

I was really intrigued by the description but this one just wasn't for me. There were so many cringey and unnecessary aspects of this book that made it difficult to get into.
DNF 20%

Thank you to HTP for my own copy of IN THE HOUR OF CROWS. This one is out now.

It's dark and gothic and oh so southern. Honestly, maybe a little too much of all of those things. I had a hard time getting into this story and actually caring about the characters. Pretty meh if you ask me.

In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf is a story of seeking justice set in rural Appalachia with a decidedly gothic feel involving a death talker, a seer of the future, and a shape shifter. The story also have the very human elements of greed, vengeance, and power. The Appalachian setting is almost irrelevant other than being a small town where everyone knows everyone and everyone is connected to everyone. No major twists, but nevertheless an interesting, dark, gothic tale.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/07/in-hours-of-crows.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

After moving down south, I have been absolutely eating up stories set in the south and Appalachia and this checks that box! The gothic fantasy elements were exactly what I hoped for and the story was well paced and well-written. It definitely entertained me and I will look for other work by this author.

Southern Gothic
Set in creepy small town backwoodsy Appalachia.
Lots of witchy vibes.
Evil Granny.
While this one had lots of the things I really enjoy, something wasn't clicking for me.
The main character, Weatherly is spunky and sassy but I couldnt connect in the way i needed to.
There's a spooky murder mystery aspect.
It was an ok read. 👍🏼

Thank you netgalley for letting me read and review this book. The beginning of the book had hooked me with a mystery. I like the way the mystery grew as the story continues. I hope to read more like this by Dana and maybe some more about the character Rook.

Murder, witches, and southern gothic vibes. This is just the kind of book I love the most. It was atmospheric and magical. The mystery at the heart of the story was a little predictable, but it was still very entertaining.

The author does a fantastic job of bringing Weatherly's emotions and grief to life. You can truly feel her anger and helplessness about the situation. Her cousin Adair's death is the catalyst that sets in motion the events of the book and drives everything that Weatherly does. The conclusion was satisfying, and the way the ending was wrapped up was enjoyable.

This was a beautifully written magical realism novel that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Exciting idea for this story. It was executed well and I enjoyed reading how the story unfolded. I would definitely read more titles from this author in the future. Thank you for sending me this E ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending me an ARC for this spooky, new title!

This book was technically a 3.5/5 stars for me.

In the Hour of Crows is the newest book by Dana Elmendorf that is perfect for someone looking for a paranormal mystery. Set in an Appalachian small town, we follow Weatherly Opal Wilder as she tries to uncover the truth behind her cousin and friend, Adaire’s sudden and tragic death.

Weatherly is very interesting protagonist because she is a Death Talker, a powerful individual with the ability to talk the death out of someone and save their life. While this is a very handy ability and people typically show gratitude, Weatherly often finds herself being seen only as what she can do rather than who she is as an individual.

Being someone from Appalachia myself, I love reading about small towns in the South. It leaves me with a sense of nostalgia and familiarity. This, and the Southern gothic horror elements, was what drew me to this book. I loved the inclusion of magical elements and spiritual traditions that are so engrained in Southern culture, such as sin eaters and specific funeral rites.

The mystery aspect of the series reminded me of True Blood or The Southern Vampire Mysteries. Sookie Stackhouse would have fit right in. It was very small town where everyone could be a major player in the plot. I thought the side characters were interesting and they helped to flesh things out. I especially loved seeing the complicated relationships that Weatherly had with her family.

As much as I hate to say it, the thing I was most disappointed about was the use of Rook. He had a lot of potential to be a very interesting character, but he just kind of missed the mark. I feel like you could have removed his character and storyline altogether, and it would have done nothing to change the story. He would show up at random moments and really not do anything of significance. I feel like there could have been more time spent developing his part of the story if the author felt that it was absolutely needed. Not every book needs a romantic plot line, and this was one of them.

Besides that, this was a fine, magical coming of age story that roots itself in Appalachian culture. I would love to see more books like this one!

In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf
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This is an atmospheric mystery set in a small town in Appalachia. Weatherly has the ability to help people on the verge of dying, an ability she got from her grandpa becore he died. She is devastated by the death of her cousin and starts digging up what happened the day she died.
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What I liked:
-The atmospheric vibes were excellent. This whole book really felt like escaping to a different place.
-The mystery was very intriguing. I wanted to know everything! Once things started to be revealed I didn’t want to put it down.
-Weatherly’s grief for her cousin hit hard, even though their whole family had problems I loved how close these cousins were. 💜💜💜
-The ending was not what I expected and got crazy (in a good way).
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I see lots of people comparing this to Where the Crawdads Sing, and I guess I can see how the vibes are similar. For me Crawdads was “meh”, and I liked Crows a lot more!

This story started out pretty great for me, actually. And then at some point it just lost me. I'm so sad about that. The synopsis was so promising. The writing was actually quite lovely. I just didn't enjoy the story or characters very much.

Weatherly is special. She can talk the death out of someone dying, but only once. After the death of her cousin Weatherly will stop at nothing until she finds out who committed the murder and why. I was instantly drawn into this novel. An excellent blend of backwoods magic and religion.

ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴜʀ ᴏꜰ ᴄʀᴏᴡꜱ

Written by: Dana Elmendorf
Pub 🎉 date: June 4, 2024
Format: Physical (288 pgs.)

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴍɪꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ꜱᴘᴏᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ’ᴍ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜰᴜʟ ♥️ ᴛᴏ @htp_hive @htpbooks ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜᴛᴇꜱᴛ #ɢɪꜰᴛᴇᴅ ᴘʀ ᴘᴀᴄᴋᴀɢᴇ.

ᴡʜᴏ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ’ᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴏᴛᴇ & ᴊᴇᴡᴇʟʀʏ?

⤷ ꜱᴡɪᴘᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴍᴀɪʟ!

ˀqotd: Do you enjoy books with magical realism in them? Or, how is the weather near you?

In the Hour of Crows is a fresh and unique tale I found myself immediately captivated with.

I am about half way finished with the reading and if it weren’t for mom duties I’d be finished already.

What I’m enjoying so far: the atmospheric vibe, the magical themes, the book setting in the Appalachias, and the writing. I feel like I’m getting an inside look into folk-lore and the supernatural as it’s happening.

ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴅᴇꜱᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ:

When called upon, she can talk the death out of the dying and save their lives—only once, never twice. But this truly unique gift comes at a price, rooting Weatherly to people who only want her around when they need her and resent her unfamiliar ways when they don’t.

Weatherly’s cousin Adaire also has a gift: she’s a Scryer and can see the future reflected back in dark surfaces. Right before she is killed in an accident, Adaire saw something unnerving, and that’s why Weatherly believes she was murdered—never thinking for a moment that it was an accident. But when Weatherly, for the first time, is unable to talk the death out of the mayor’s son, the whole town suspects she is out for revenge, that she wouldn’tsave him.

With the help of clues Adaire left behind and her family’s Granny Witch recipe box, Weatherly sets out to find the truth behind her cousin’s death, whatever it takes.

This is a darkly atmospheric and magical novel set in the Appalachian forests. As someone that was born and raised in Appalachia, the author realistically portrayed the southern vibe, all the way down to the religious trauma so many of us (myself included) have. I looooved the magical realism this book provides, but did find the plot lacking in places. However, the way that magic and mystery were woven together made it an overall great read! The ending was quite satisfying as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and HTP for the advanced copy.

The premise of this was so good! I don’t know that the plot was perfectly executed, as there were some plot holes which led to some confusion. However, I LOVED the witchy vibes and Appalachian folklore. This would be the perfect October read. The atmosphere and setting was immaculate. I enjoyed all the elements of magical realism in this. At only 280 pages, I flew through it in just a couple of sittings!

✨ 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 ✨

In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf
Mystery • Magical Realism • Gothic
Spells • Witchy • Spooky
Published • 4 June 2024

Thank you to @htp_hive and @_mira_books_ for the complimentary review copy!

This is the tale of a Death Talker and a Soul Walker.

I ended up loving this one, which has the perfect balance between spooky/gothic/witchy Appalachia small-town murder mystery vibes, coupled with a unique magic and a touch of romance. I would describe the writing style as lyrical and romantic which shades of Adrienne Young and Rebecca Ross. Very easy to read, poetic in prose, capturing the perfectly ethereal feeling of the cover and the title...:

In the hour of crows is dusk, the hour between, when spirits can roam...”𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵.”

Weatherly Wilder is an orphan; she’s been raised by her grandma and her various extended family in a small rural town in Appalachian Georgia where everyone knows everyone. She and her family carry forward the family legacies including herbal remedies and concoctions. Her cousin Adaire can divine the future and Weatherly can save people by talking the death out of them, a one time gift per person. None of these gifts come without a price.

When Adaire turns up dead, followed by some other prominent and wealthy townfolk, suspicion turns to Weatherly, who must solve the mystery and unearth buried secrets that have haunted the town for generations. I was sad when this book ended and will definitely be looking forward to what Dana Elmendorf @danaelmendorf writes next!

TW: Abortion

This unusual tale features a young woman who can talk death out of a dying person. The characters and plot are interesting, but failed to hold my attention. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

I was unable to get to this in time prior to it archving but I was able to get ahold of it after! I was really interested in the folklore in this and it did not disappoint.. The author did a wonderful job bringing the dark/moody atmosphere of the Appalachian lore to the reader.
While I did enjoy the lore, I will say the plot fell a little flat for me. There was something missing behind the motive and it just did not feel authentic. I think there could have been more work done as far as character development goes but overall a good read.

In the Hour of Crows drew me in to the world of Weatherly Wilder and her family. Weatherly is a Death Talker. Her grandfather passed on the gift to her before he died, and she'll have to pass it to a male eventually, or it will die out. When someone is dying, Weatherly can whisper some secret Bible verses and draw the death out of the person. When she does so, she has to spit out the death, and her grandmother collects it. It's called Sin Eaters Oil, and can be used in spells to cause someone to tell the truth, or, in its undiluted form, kill someone. Her grandmother is cruel, and uses Weatherly's gift for her own gain. She thinks Weatherly is from the devil (even though it was her husband who passed on the gift to Weatherly).

Every time Weatherly can't save someone, Rook visits her. Rook is part crow, part human, and has visited her 10 times in her life. Is he a figment of her imagination? Part of her gift/curse? She doesn't know, but she knows her whole being lights up when she sees him. He is a Soul Walker, and takes souls to the otherworld. He is the one person who truly understands her burden.

Weatherly's cousin and best friend, Adaire, died a few weeks ago. A local bigwig, Stone Rutledge, hit her with his car when she was riding her bicycle. The Good Old Boy Network keeps Stone from being charged in her death, but Weatherly is determined to make him pay. As she investigates, she finds that things don't add up in Adaire's death. She's called to help Ellis Rutledge after he is gravely injured, and Weatherly can't save him. But she doesn't know why. Then Stone allegedly committed suicide, and it is even more important for Weatherly to figure out what is going on and who is responsible for these deaths.

Weatherly has many questions, and few answers. I enjoyed learning right along with her as she unraveled some of the mysteries of her family and her gift. This book is dark, so make sure you're in the right frame of mind to read it. I almost stopped after the first few chapters because I couldn't see where the light was going to come from in this book. But the story drew me in and made me care about the characters. The light does enter Weatherly's life by the end, which made for a satisfying ending.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.