R&R Review Thursday: Escape From Witchwood Hollow by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek (creepily intriguing)

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Goodreads Blurb:

"Everyone in Arnn - a small farming town with more legends than residents - knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.

After losing her parents in a horrific terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria and her older brother escape New York City to Arnn. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope, when she should be afraid.

Perhaps the witch can reunite her with her lost parents. Awakening the witch, however, brings more than salvation from mourning, for Honoria discovers a past of missing children and broken promises.

To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness.

How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?"

Review:

Thank you to the author, Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, for gifting me with a copy of Escape From Witchwood Hollow in exchange for an honest review!

1.  The plot.  I really liked the idea of this story.  It's so different in the fact that there isn't much focus on the actual witchcraft, it's more of what happens to the people that disappear and if it's real or not.  I think the author did a splendid job of fitting that idea into a plotline.  While it isn't really a rollercoaster ride, it has the mystery feel that kept me wanting more.

2.  The characters and POV.  The characters were adequate.  While they weren't fully developed and complex, they certainly held down the plot and kept everything moving.  I especially loved the different POV's from the different time periods so it was a little easier to understand what had happened over the years and how it impacted Honoria in the present day.

3.  The ending.  I have semi-mixed feelings about the ending.  On one hand, I loved it so, so much because it brought together all of the threads perfectly.  Elizabeth, Shane, Allison, Lynn, and Honoria's stories were brought together perfectly and there's such an amazing 'ah-hah' moment near the end that I so cherish in mystery books.  However, I do think it was brought together a bit quickly and could have been infused with a bit more emotion.

4.  The history/idea.  I mentioned this a bit in the plot section but I wanted to emphasize how much I loved this idea.  The history of the hollow is so intriguing and getting to put the pieces together was really fun for me.  Just the idea of a mysterious place where people have disappeared and don't age is so cool and I loved how the author kept dropping little pieces of the puzzle.

The Final Verdict:

This book has such an intriguing concept and the execution is wonderful.  However, the characters could have used a bit more emotional-attachment and the ending was slightly rushed.

4.5 stars