Curdle Creek has long been a sanctuary for its residents, an all-Black community seemingly frozen in time since the late 1800s. This quiet, isolated world offers safety and stability, especially when compared to the volatile, racially charged 1960s that rage beyond its borders. Yet, this peace comes at a cost. Osira, a 45-year-old widow, has lived her entire life in Curdle Creek, a town bound by tradition where adherence to strict rituals is the price of survival. One such ritual, the annual "Moving On," demands that the community votes for one resident to sacrifice each year in exchange for collective well-being. It's a harsh and unquestioned reality, especially for Osira, whose mother is one of the town’s ruling matriarchs.

Despite spending her life within these rigid confines, Osira begins to see cracks in the veneer of this supposed utopia. Her own husband was "moved on" years ago, and her children have mysteriously vanished. With her world slowly unraveling, Osira begins questioning the traditions she’s lived by and whether life within Curdle Creek’s boundaries is worth the price. As doubt stirs within her, Osira embarks on a journey into the past, seeking the truth about her community and the rules that have governed it for so long.

I’ll admit, the striking cover first drew me to Yvonne Battle-Felton’s Curdle Creek. Its gothic mystery vibe was impossible to resist, and when the publisher offered me the audiobook, it felt like the ideal pick for spooky season. But this isn’t horror in the conventional sense—the cover only hints at the deeper, more intricate narrative inside. Battle-Felton has created a fever dream of a novel, delving into themes of race, motherhood, and tradition. The questions the story raises aren’t easily answered, which may shape your overall impression of it.

Osira, the protagonist, is trapped in a dilemma, torn between the life she’s always known and the possibility of something different. The first three-quarters of the novel delves into this internal conflict, delivering thought-provoking drama. However, in the final act, Osira embarks on a time-travel journey that pushes the narrative in a direction that left me more confused than intrigued. Complex themes like those in Curdle Creek are often best conveyed through straightforward storytelling, which the book largely does well. Despite an overwrought ending, it remains a compelling exploration of the allure of utopia and the harsh costs often hidden beneath its surface.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Henry Holt Books for the review copies of Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton, narrated by Joniece Battle-Pratt.
This book is perfect for fans of works like Kindred and serves as both an homage to, and expansion of, Shirley Jackson's The Lottery.

The plot and tone are expertly crafted—unsettling and undeniably sinister, as one review noted. The story is richly nuanced, delving into themes of belonging, the weight of decisions and actions from the past, and a much-needed exploration of what it means to be Black—where, how, and when Black lives are seen, supported, and accepted. I was captivated by Osira’s journey as she is forced to confront how the events surrounding Curdle Creek shaped her present. Her journey to the past sets in motion revelations that deepen the plot and make her a symbol of the importance of folktales in understanding identity and culture.

Although haunting and unsettling, the story is layered with hope and persistence, centering on the strength of Black women and their roles throughout history and into the present.

The audiobook narration is particularly stellar—Joniece Battle-Pratt’s tone, pacing, and style perfectly set the mood, and I am now a fan of her work.

Firstly, I'm so excited to see more books by POC in genre fiction and more POC characters. It's about damn time.

Secondly, this book hurt my head, but in a good way if that's possible. I spent the first half of the book clenching my jaw and making frowny faces from the intensity of the society of Curdle Creek. The draconian rules and subtle missteps that could lead to a person's ruin or death were frightening, and just the way they apologize is terrifying. As in every society, there's abuse of power, lies, manipulation, and things going on behind the scenes that everyday people aren't privy to, which could turn everything on its head. Such a house of cards! This was their way of governing themselves after slavery was abolished, their version of freedom -- scary. Very scary.

Then Osira finds herself in alternate societies, back in time, across continents, and lo and behold, they're run the same way! So this reader had to ask herself if this was more a commentary about society in general than a made-up town in a fantasy world. It gave me things to ponder. It makes me want to talk about it with other people. And isn't that at least half of what makes a good book?

I'm also having this battle in my head over what constitutes "horror" and if this book falls into that category. It's a fantasy setting, it's a psychological thriller, it was shocking and disturbing, and in no way would I want to be there under any circumstances. Is that horror? It might be. It left me with *ick* about people in general so that's horrific enough to me.

✨ Horrifyingly Mysterious ✨

This was so eerie!! I LOVED learning about the mysterious rules and customs of Curdle Creek! Honestly, that was my favorite part! It was so atmospheric and 100% gave me the heebie jeebies! I was so invested and loved everything up until the last 2% of the book! Without giving any spoilers - the ending was not for me. I will totally be checking out more of Yvonne Battle-Felton‘s work in the future though!

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for sending me an advanced copy!

I was unable to get into this book. I did not connect with any characters. The narrator did a good job, however, it just was not engaging enough.

An absolute fever dream.

Osira is a 45 yo widow living in this weird ass town that has a bunch of ordinances and traditions. One being that the amount of people living there needs to stay at 1000 and they way the go about keeping that is 😬

The first 60% was super engaging and then we take a turn into what felt like a fever dream, wild and hard to follow. It probably would have been a five star read for me if we had just concluded at the 60% mark.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc

I am still haunted by the story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and this story had that feel. It's not completely clear what is happening at first but you soon figure it out. This is a creepy town with characters that aren't all that likable with the exception of Osira. Osira's sisters freaked me out and something about them reminded me of the creepy twins in The Shining. However I really had a hard time realizing that Osira and her sisters were not children. Osira is in her 40's and widowed 3 times, her sisters are in their late 20's.

I didn't quite catch on to what was happening in the world. This is an all black town and Osira alludes to other Black Communities failing because they didn't adhere to the same rituals. There are people living in Curdle Creek that have come there from the outside and stay because it's safe. But you really don't understand why.

I really like the first 2/3rds of this book even though I do feel it was dragged out a bit and really should have been shorter. I kept thinking I was near the end only to see I still had hours left.

The last 1/3 of the book completely lost me. It was hard to follow, and hard to stay focused. I don't want to give too much away but it was really confusing and I didn't understand the ending at all. I really wanted to love this book but I have to say it was only an okay read for me.

I loved the Lottery so I knew I would like this book. I love the lore the author created and the magic.

I'm very disappointed to say that this book did not work for me at all. Pretty much after the second chapter nothing worked for me.
I didn't connect to any characters or felt interested in anything else after that chapter.
This book failed massively to keep my attention. The plot, the world created, the descriptions...sadly, nothing appealed to me, and that is very disappointing because the synopsis made me very curious.
Not even the audiobook narrator (which I had known and listened to some of her other works before and loved) helped increase my interest.
I'm genuinely sorry, but no. Not for me. I'm sure this book will have its audience.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free audiobook copy of this novel.

Curdle Creek is a rural town steeped in traditions of the most ominous kind; there's The Running of the Widows, The Moving On, The Warding Off and a number of other town rules outlined in their bylaws. Despite having taken part in the Running of the Widows twice already, it's only when her own father's name is called for the Moving On that 45-year-old Osira realizes how depraved their society is.

Billed as a story for fans of 'The Lottery' and 'The Hunger Games', I was very excited about this one. The first half was interesting and, as set up by the description, reminded me a lot of The Lottery. I'm not really sure where 'The Hunger Games' comparison came from because it was nothing like that. For me it was more like Children of the Corn where the creepy town will do anything necessary to maintain its insular community and their disturbing rituals. It was definitely a slow burn but I enjoyed the way it established that Osira was born and bred in this crazy community and abided by all the laws and just accepted everything.... until her own father was chosen for Moving On. It really highlighted the way people come to realize they're neck deep in something they only believe because it's all they know. When Osira realized she had to get out, I thought we were going to finish the book out with her escaping (or attempting to escape) and getting to see the world as a whole that the Curdle Creek folks keep saying is a dangerous disaster, which again, I was interested in.

Then, almost 70% of the way through the book, there were all of a sudden multiple time jumps and I felt like I picked up a totally different book and a very confusing one at that. Osira suddenly finds herself in the Curdle Creek of the past, where her mom and dad are younger people not yet married. Since we jumped from the future, we know that the dangerous traditions of Curdle Creek continue at least forty-five years into the future because Osira is born and is 45 when we started the story.... but yet somehow, she finds herself in a Curdle Creek where she's being held accountable for participating in all the traditions? I was very lost but ok fine we're obviously alternate universe where Osira grew up like that but at some point the town came to its senses and changed. Ok. Cool. But then we time jump again, and now the narration changes to what sounds almost like a Scottish accent and Osira is with her long-lost brother and weird things are going on in this town, too. It was all very bizarre. The entire portion of the book after the original time jump was confusing and honestly a little annoying to read and left more questions than answers.

I really enjoyed this book prior to the time jump. I was hoping Osira would eventually escape Curdle Creek and find herself in like modern day Virgnia or something, like she finally makes it out of the town and has to walk a couple miles but then crosses a highway and suddenly walks directly into like Knoxville or Charlottee or something with its convivence stores and electric cars and Starbucks, learning that she's been SO close yet SO far from real life the entire time. There are probably other directions it could have gone, but the multiple time jump thing was just too disjointed and confusing and killed the whole thing for me.

I loved this so thoroughly as a book that I was just craving it as an audiobook. Oh my gosh it is SO good as an audiobook. It was absolute perfection. They could not have chosen a better narrator. I felt like I was there. It was just a lot. I love the whole creepy story and the way the cities are set up. Just listen to this one. Trust me.

Curdle Creek takes the familiar concept of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and further twists the concept while the sanity of the main characters feels like it is unraveling. It is an all black town where ordinances have been put into place to keep everyone happy and healthy. But once a year there is a widows run (to get remarried) and then a reduction in the population because it can never be too many - by names being pulled by the Caller. While the details can be a little hard to track at times via audiobook, it was still a thrilling read that was heavy on the world building. It calls into question what is truly required for a utopian town, and if it is truly a utopia for the people who live there.

Where do I begin? This story drug me in from the first chapter. Took me back to a settlement-like colony-esque setting that were strict with traditions and rituals, barring all sense of reason. The town of Curdle Creek maintains their barbaric traditions by threats of violence outside the city lines. So when the “lottery” occurs and people of the population are offered up to die to maintain population, they go willingly. This gothic, folklore-like story hits all the marks for creepy stories that’ll make you question everything.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I requested this based on the summary as it sounded really good. However I really didn’t enjoy it. It wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t for me. The narration was good at least. Maybe it will be better for others.

I wanted to live this book. The description sounded very intriguing, but the premise fell flat and I felt like the characters were one dimensional