Once upon a time, in a small village tucked away in the mountains, there lived a young girl named Emma. Emma was a curious and imaginative child, always finding ways to entertain herself. She loved exploring the forests that surrounded her village and often spent hours playing with woodland creatures. One day while venturing deep into the woods, Emma stumbled upon a hidden clearing she had never seen before. In the center of the clearing stood an old, weathered tree with a peculiar door. The door was small, only reaching up to Emma's waist, but it had intricate carvings and seemed to emit a faint glow.
Three women, separated by time but connected by blood and the strength of their unusual powers. An ageless, sinister, smooth-talking minister who stalks each of them in turn. A setting—the Ozark Mountains—as steeped in magic and folklore as it is in natural beauty, where compasses refuse to point North and where ghosts hide in shadowed hollows. From its very first page, Paulette Kennedy’s The Witch of Tin Mountain sets itself up as an enthralling work of Gothic fiction—and none of the pages that come after disappoint.
A setting the Ozark Mountains as steeped in magic and folklore as it is in natural beauty, where compasses refuse to point North and where ghosts hide in shadowed hollows. This multigenerational tale that travels across time and space is woven together like a delicate tapestry, and it will stay with you long after the last page.
The door was small, only reaching up to Emma's waist, but it had intricate carvings and seemed to emit a faint glow. Intrigued by the mysterious door, Emma cautiously approached and gently pushed it open. To her amazement, the inside was nothing like she had ever seen before.
The Witch of Tin Mountain, by Paulette Kennedy — A Review
Three women, separated by time but connected by blood and the strength of their unusual powers. An ageless, sinister, smooth-talking minister who stalks each of them in turn. A setting—the Ozark Mountains—as steeped in magic and folklore as it is in natural beauty, where compasses refuse to point North and where ghosts hide in shadowed hollows. From its very first page, Paulette Kennedy’s The Witch of Tin Mountain sets itself up as an enthralling work of Gothic fiction—and none of the pages that come after disappoint.
One Women’s Legacy
Told in alternating chapters by three generations of women, The Witch of Tin Mountain is very much about how women make their way and take hold of their own power in a world determined to see them powerless. The story opens from the perspective of Anneliese, a woman on the cusp of being burned for witchcraft:
“It is too late for her. She knows this, and so she finishes her writing, scrawling the last few lines of hurried script across the parchment. A shout comes from outside, followed by the steady rumble of male voices. Her son ceases spinning his top across the floor and looks up at her, his brown eyes limpid with fear.” (xi)
Anneliese’s perspective, after the opening scenes, is mostly confined to entries in the grimoire she has passed down to her female descendants and to the flashes of insight to which those descendants are sometimes privy. Yet what happened to her is the fulcrum upon which what happens to her descendants rests, the consequences of her life’s terrible end reverberating across the century that follows.
A Traveling Preacher Arrives
The rest of the story is told by two of Anneliese’s descendants: Gracelynn Doherty, a young woman living in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, and her granny Deidre, whose perspective is set fifty years earlier. Gracelynn, like Deidre, has a gift for healing, and when a traveling preacher named Josiah Bellflower comes to town offering promises of prosperity and divine healing to all who follow him, she is concerned both that his coming might cut into her own livelihood and that he will turn out to be as much of a charlatan as other, similar preachers who have made their way through the community on Tin Mountain. But when she attends one of the preacher’s revivals, Gracelynn discovers that there is something worse than a charlatan hiding under Bellflower’s smooth talk and handsome face.
“There’s something funny about him—unnatural. Up this close, there’s a brutality to his rangy good looks. My skin crawls. As if he can feel my eyes on him, Bellflower turns to me, his pupils widening until they swallow up the inky brown around them.
“A low hum starts in my ears and reverberates all through me. My head pings with sudden pain and the light in the tent flickers like a candle. The congregants’ voices fade to silence. Where Josiah Bellflower should be, I see only spinning shadows—a writhing blackness with nothing human at its heart. I ain’t never had a real vision, only dreams, but I think I’m having one right now. Granny was right. There’s more to Josiah Bellflower than a Holy Roller preacher who likes big words.” (35)
Unraveling the Family’s Past
Gracelynn’s granny, Deidre, knows that Bellflower cannot be trusted because she’s met him before. Fifty years ago, he came to Tin Mountain just as he has come today, but back then he had a different name and wore a different face. Their meeting nearly destroyed Deidre, and now she’s afraid that he has returned, as he once promised to do, in order to reap what he sowed so long ago. And when Deidre falls into a coma, and Tin Mountain falls victim to a relentless heat wave, it’s up to Gracelynn to unravel the threads of her family’s past and figure out how to confront the man who has been using generations of her family’s women for his own unholy purpose.
A Seamlessly Interwoven Tale
I am personally not always a fan of dual timeline novels, finding that I often am more interested in one narrative than another. But Kennedy writes her characters so deftly and intertwines their stories in so seamless a way that I was never thrown when the timeline shifted. She uses the dual timelines to great effect, building the mystery that has haunted the women in Anneliese’s family since her death, creating a page-turner of a novel that is as shiver-inducing as it is thought-provoking. Her characters are not Mary Sues, but are strong, passionate, powerful women who nevertheless are fully human and sometimes mess up—badly. I loved this about Deidre and Gracelynn—they were at once relatable and aspirational, not an easy combination to write.
Atmospheric Gothic Effects
The setting, too, is so richly depicted that readers will practically be able to see the fog and taste the coming storms. Kennedy uses changes in the weather to perfectly Gothic effect and peppers her novel with local speech patterns that serve to further situate her readers firmly in the Ozarks. Tin Mountain is so much a part of a story that it is almost like a character itself.
A Fully Immersive Story
And that is, truly, the greatest strength of this book—the vividness with which Kennedy creates the world of her characters. In the afterward, Kennedy writes that she herself grew up in the Ozarks, and her familiarity with her setting makes for a fully immersive story; the brush with which she paints the mountains and the community that lives there drips with authenticity, her deep love for this place and its people shining from every page. The Witch of Tin Mountain is a haunting story that readers won’t soon forget.
5 out of 5 Stars
GUEST REVIEWER BIO
Molly Greeley is the author of two books of Austenesque fiction, The Clergyman’s Wife and The Heiress, as well as a forthcoming work of historical fiction, Marvelous, about the real-life couple who inspired the fairy tale The Beauty and the Beast. She lives in northern Michigan with her husband and three children, where she divides her time between homeschooling, working for a local business, and writing. Marvelous releases February 28, 2023. Visit her at her website.
BOOK INFORMATION
- The Witch of Tin Mountain, by Paulette Kennedy
- Lake Union Publishing (February 1, 2023)
- Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook (331) pages
- ISBN: 978-1662507625
- Genre: Historical Suspense, Gothic Fiction
We received a review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Austenprose is an Amazon affiliate. Cover image courtesy of Lake Union Publishing © 2023; text Molly Greeley © 2022, austenprose.com.
“With LGBTQ representation, Kennedy’s captivating second novel is perfect for historical fiction readers who enjoy a bit of witchcraft, folklore, and mystery.” —Booklist
The interior was vast and filled with magical objects and creatures. The room was bathed in a soft, ethereal light that seemed to dance and twinkle. Emma's eyes widened with wonder as she walked further into the room. There were shelves lined with delicate glass jars containing colorful potions, books that floated in mid-air, and talking animals that greeted her with friendly smiles. It was as if she had stumbled upon a secret world hidden within her own. As she explored further, Emma discovered a small table in the corner of the room. On it laid a book with a note that read, "To the one who finds this door, welcome to the Magic Bouse. This place exists to grant your deepest wishes and desires. Simply write them down, close your eyes, and believe." Excitement surged through Emma as she realized the power she held in her hands. She quickly grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, thinking carefully about her wishes. She wrote down her first wish - to have the ability to fly. She closed her eyes, visualized herself soaring through the sky, and believed with all her heart that her wish would come true. Suddenly, Emma felt a tingle in her fingers, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself floating a few feet above the ground. She squealed with delight and spent the rest of the day exploring the heights of the Magic Bouse. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, as Emma ventured into the Magic Bouse time and time again. With every wish she made, her imagination grew stronger, and her dreams became more vivid. The Magic Bouse became her sanctuary, where she could escape to a world where anything was possible. But as time went on, Emma began to feel a emptiness deep inside her. She realized that while the Magic Bouse could grant her every wish, it couldn't bring her true happiness. The magical objects and talking creatures couldn't replace the love and connection she craved from the real world. With a heavy heart, Emma decided to leave the Magic Bouse behind. She said her goodbyes to the talking animals and promised to remember the beauty of the hidden world forever. As she stepped through the tree door one last time, she felt a sense of closure and gratitude for the incredible experiences she had. From that day forward, Emma carried the magic of the Bouse within her heart. She learned that true magic could be found in the love and connection she built with others, as well as in the infinite possibilities that lay within her imagination. The Magic Bouse taught her the importance of balancing dreams and reality, and she vowed to use her newfound wisdom to create a beautiful and enchanting life for herself and those she loved..
Reviews for "Creating a Magical Sanctuary: The Magic Bouse Experience"
1. Mark - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "The Magic House Made". The concept seemed intriguing, but the execution fell flat for me. The characters were underdeveloped and lacked depth, making it difficult for me to connect with them. Additionally, the plot felt disjointed and poorly paced. I found myself losing interest halfway through and struggling to finish the book.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I can honestly say that "The Magic House Made" is one of the worst books I've ever read. The writing was incredibly amateurish, filled with cliches and predictable tropes. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it hard for me to take the characters seriously. The plot was also incredibly weak and lacked any real substance. Overall, this book was a complete waste of time and I would not recommend it to anyone.
3. Jessica - 2 stars - "The Magic House Made" had a lot of potential, but ultimately it fell short for me. The world-building was weak and lacked detail, leaving me feeling confused about the setting and the rules of magic within it. The main character was also incredibly naive and made frustratingly poor decisions throughout the book. While there were some interesting moments, they were overshadowed by the overall lackluster execution of the story. I was left feeling unsatisfied and wishing I had chosen a different book to read.
4. David - 2 stars - I was really hoping to enjoy "The Magic House Made", but unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. The writing style was overly descriptive and bogged down the pacing of the story. The dialogue felt stilted and unnatural, making it difficult for me to engage with the characters. Additionally, I found it hard to connect with the main character, as her motivations and actions were often inconsistent. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and frustrated with this book.