Autumn Thorns by Yasmine Galenorn Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 12 hrs 32 mins
Series: Whisper Hollow #1
Published by Random House LLC on October 27, 2015
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 292
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I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Fifteen years ago, I ran away from Whisper Hollow, Washington, a small town on Crescent Lake in the Olympic Peninsula. But truth is, if you were born here, you can never really leave. I’m Kerris Fellwater, and when I returned, I inherited my grandmother’s house—and her gift. As a spirit shaman, it’s my responsibility to drive the dead back to their graves, because around Whisper Hollow, people—and secrets—don’t always stay buried.
When I was little, I was told my mother ran off. But now it looks like she was murdered. With the help of my mysterious neighbor Bryan, we begin to unravel the mystery of her disappearance, and in doing so, unearth a dark force seeking to bury Whisper Hollow. Now I must work with the dead, rather than against them, because our enemy will do whatever she can to destroy the town, and she means to start with me.
Everything starts for Kerris when she returns to Whisper Hollow. She ran away 15 years ago to escape what she knew was her destiny as well as the abuse from her grandfather. You don’t get to really know much about her life in Seattle except that she did use her powers somewhat to make money. The problem is that she’s been using the powers, but until now, did not realize how soon she was going to learn to take it a step further.
Kerris returns to Whisper Hollow after her grandparents die. All of the superstitions point to one of the many beings that haunt the city. You can’t discount that the characters are truly there. But are they truly responsible for her grandparent’s death, or is something else going on in the city.
I found the line of mystical characters a little hard to keep up with. When the story moved to including more of the humans, it was easier for me to follow. I think I should have paid more attention to what mystical character was responsible for what. It was a bit confusing for me. I enjoyed the final discoveries and confrontation. There was an unexpected appearance that contributed and it was exciting.
We do have a romance that we sort of jump into really quick. The realization of their compatibility is introduced fairly early. Their relationship is important to Kerris’ work so it makes sense that it works in quickly. It just could have had a few more bumps in the road.
I would continue on in the series. It will likely give me more of an understanding of the mystical workings of the town and the powers everyone holds. Kerris is just coming into her powers, so that leaves a lot of room for the story to move on. It was a good introduction, but a lot of world presentation that could make it hard to comprehend everyone’s involvement.
About Yasmine Galenorn
Yasmine Galenorn is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of the Otherworld Series (Sisters of the Moon) and the upcoming Fly By Night and Whisper Hollow Series. In the past, she also wrote the Indigo Court Series for Berkley/Jove, two mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime (one under the pen name of India Ink) and eight nonfiction metaphysical books. She also writes short collections to fill in the gaps in her series and publishes these herself in e-format.
Yasmine is a caffeine junkie and describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos–the former in her china closet, the latter on her skin.
She is a shamanic witch, has been married to Samwise Galenorn since 1993, is the mother of four cats, and they reside in Kirkland WA.
