#Review: Autumn Thorns by Yasmine Galenorn - 4 Wine Glasses

 

Title: Autumn Thorns
Series: Whisper Hollow #1
Author: Yasmine Galenorn
Format: Ebook/Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
Published: October 27th 2015 by Jove
ISBN: 0515156248
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Crystal
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

In an all-new series, New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn invites readers to Whisper Hollow, where spirits walk among the living and the lake never gives up her dead…

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.

Crystal's Thoughts:
After fifteen years of denying her heritage, Kerris Fellwater must return to her home town of Whisper Hollow to take up the mantle of spirit shaman and guide the dead back to the veil. But there are malevolent forces in the town that don't want Kerris to follow in the steps of her late grandmother, and they will stop at nothing to make sure an ancient prophecy never comes to pass.

Autumn Thorns was my first read from author, Yasmine Galenorn, but it definitely won't be my last! At the start of the story there is a helpful introduction to the Spirit Shaman, The Morrigan, and their history. I always enjoy when authors include this type of clarification in fantasy or paranormal related books. Reading this beforehand helped my understanding of this Fae-like world Galenorn has brought to life, and also helped the world surrounding Kerris to build and progress steadily without dragging the plot down with a lot of boring ancient history.

Whisper Hollow was an easily imaginable and haunting town thanks to Galenorn magical story-telling. Full of mystery, shadows, and danger. Kerris must carefully navigate these perils if she hopes to keep the dead from walking and solve the disappearance and murder of her parents. Kerris is a tough, independent, and determined character who I enjoyed. As soon as Bryan stepped onto the pages, I knew he was the One for Kerris. However, it took Kerris a little bit longer to realize what was going on which was in turns frustrating and humorous.  Bryan, I loved. He was all alpha and downright hot, I really liked how protective he was but how he also didn't stand in Kerris' way when her job had to potential to be dangerous. There were many quirky secondary characters that kept me guessing their true motives and curious in learning more about them.

One question I had throughout the story that was never answered and nagged at me until the end; what does Bryan do. It was stated that he does a lot of work from home but it never expanded on what he did. Also, we were never taken inside his house. Curiouser and curiouser. All in all, Autumn Thorns held me captivated, beginning to end, and I can't wait to see what is in store next for Kerris, Bryan and the town of Whisper Hollow!