Review by Booklist Review
Seven years ago, Nina stumbled into an unexpected romance. She married Hugh and left her native Florida behind for the faraway island of Lute, where she is the new Lady Treadway. The island is idyllic, the weather oddly perfect; and there is plenty of coastline for Nina's two young children to explore. Every seven years comes the Day, which she figures is a sort of summer-solstice celebration--only, the stories say that every seventh summer, seven people die. Hugh is doing all he can to get off the island as a sense of foreboding seems to settle over everything, and Nina can't help but wonder what it is, exactly, that her husband is so desperately trying to escape. YA author Thorne (Night Music, 2019, as Jenn Marie Thorne) melds traditional gothic horror with folk horror in this exceptional tale. Themes of family, community, longstanding tradition, and love are thoroughly explored in this deliberately paced novel that takes place over a handful of days. A very close exploration of grief, along with the ways it brings a community together and tears them apart, is the beating heart of the novel, palpable on every page.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This understated folk horror tale, Thorne's adult debut (after the YA novel Night Music, written as Jenn Marie Thorne), follows Nina Treadway, an American expatriate on the remote British island of Lute, as she tries desperately to protect herself and her loved ones from the mortal terrors of "The Day." It's an event that recurs every seven years and is said to claim the lives of seven of Lute's inhabitants as tribute to the forces that keep the island safe and prosperous. Now, as the bodies pile up, Nina's marriage to Lord Hugh Treadway begins to break down, and she's forced to learn Lute's horrible history and race to outpace its curse--even as the phantoms of her own past resurface. This is slow-burning horror writ large, and the terror resides in Thorne's use of atmosphere to construct an overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia even after Nina begins to make sense of her situation. This slow, methodical approach to story crafting occasionally results in a sense of inertia, especially combined with Nina's relative lack of agency. Still, Thorne's subversion of folk horror tropes and focus on small, intimate beats make for a gripping reading experience recommended for fans of Midsommar and Jennie Melamed's Gather the Daughters. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT With a Shirley Jackson--inspired premise, YA author Thorne's (Night Music) adult debut centers on an island called Lute, where every seventh summer, seven people die as a tithe for the good fortune the inhabitants experience. Although fictitious, Thorne has steeped her island in the real geography and history of England. Lute has endured for millennia, and there are disturbing reasons as to why. The protagonist, Nina, becomes a Lady of the main estate on Lute by marrying Lord Treadway, whose family has a long history of protecting the island. She doesn't believe in the supernatural or ghosts and thinks it's all just a bunch of nonsense until she finds out the hard way that there are sinister things lying in wait for her and her children. The Celtic myths that Nina has heard become more frightening and real as the impending death ritual advances. Someone wants her family dead, and they won't stop until the task is done. VERDICT Fans of gloomy British horror will adore Thorne's novel, with its references to the Shining Ones and other fae creatures. Recommend to fans of Catriona Ward, Sarah Pinborough, and Kristin Cashore.--Anita Siraki
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