GHOST WOOD SONG
by Erica Waters
There’s something haunting about this novel. It follows a young woman who grew up in a house with ghosts, ghosts that would appear whenever her father played his violin. Now, her father is long dead and she has taken up music in much the same way her father had, with dreams of his violin haunting her, as if the instrument calls for her to play it.
Grief plays a large part in this novel, as Shady works through her emotions that still linger on since her father’s death. The magic in this story is a slow crawl, that rises via music and threatens to destroy Shady’s life rather than solve the problems surrounding her family and their painful, tragic history. This novel is atmospheric, with a great cast of flawed, relatable characters. Care is given to the romantic relationships Shady is pulled between, respecting both sides of her bisexuality while also acknowledging the importance of platonic friendships.
This is a contemporary fantasy, set in a rural area of the United States.
Marie Croke 