Wow! I absolutely LOVED this book!
I became very attached to the characters, did not see the ending coming, and the whole plot was a total thrill ride. When you mix missing persons with a cult and you think of the movie "The Village", you have this jam packed amazing tale.
Highly recommend! Thankful for this ARC!

Beautifully written and compelling. In the first part of the book a man who can find people gets lost a woman who writes disturbing fairy tales disappears. He tracks her to a commune full of secrets and the the story continues there. What is going on at this community, what is true, what is leadership and what is love and identity, all explored in this book of depth and heart

I have mixed feelings about atmospheric literary mystery A History of Wild Places, because there were so many things I really liked about the book, but there was just a lack of an 'it factor' for me. I think ultimately, what it comes down to is that CULT/COMMUNE BOOKS ARE DIFFICULT TO WRITE. I'm so interested in the subject, but every time I read (or even watch a movie) about off-the-grid communities, I'm left bored and wanting more action. Maybe what we imagine happening is far more interesting and depraved than what actually happens in these communities.
Things I liked:
-- The story is written beautifully.
-- The set up, with an author of children's fairy tales going missing.
-- The twist, 70% through the book. Usually in mysteries, when you aren't able to guess the culprit or twist, you've at least had a few suspicions of how it all would end. Here, I had *ZERO* idea what was coming.
The last third of the book is truly exceptional. I just wish the plodding first 2/3 had been as good. Definitely will be keeping an eye out for Ernshaw's next release, as I think the author is talented and shows a lot of promise.

This was one of the most intriguing books I have read in a long time. Travis Wren is hired to find missing author Maggie St James. He can see the history of a person just by touching an object of theirs, and it has helped him find countless people in the past. Maggie disappeared five years ago, simply vanished. Travis finds her trail himself and then also disappears. Fast forward two more years and we are in Pastoral, a small community of people that live in the woods alone and stay there for fear of what lurks in the woods if they try to leave. The story is now told by Theo, Calla, and Bee who live in the community. But what happened to Travis and Maggie? We find out that things are not what they seem in the idyllic community of Pastoral, and the people are not who they seem either.
I was drawn into this book from the beginning, I had to keep reading to find out what happened to Travis and Maggie. I did figure things out before the plot twist, but I was not disappointed. Highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A History of Wild Places is a cleverly crafted, suspenseful and very creepy read. A great book to read in long stretches. Ernshaw does a good job of making the switch to adult fiction here with just the right mood.

Thank you so much for the copy of A History of Wild Places. I have read The Wicked Deep and Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw and I absolutely loved them. I was super excited to get my hands on this book! This book was like jumping down a rabbit hole filled with goodies. I enjoyed the story so much!

Travis Wren has a special talent for finding those who cannot be found, but the case of Maggie St. James might just be his undoing. Maggie disappeared after writing her fifth children’s book and hasn’t been seen in five years. Desperate to find her, Maggie’s parents hire Travis as a last resort to find their daughter, but Travis goes missing too after his truck breaks down outside of Pastoral.

**

Pastoral is a back to roots community that prides itself on being self-sufficient and going back to the old ways. Those in the community enjoy the slow pace of life, but also fear leaving due to the “rot” that has plagued the forest they call home.


Things begin to unravel when Theo, a Pastoral community member, finds the truck that Travis had driven to the border of their community. Theo begins hiding his findings and thoughts from his wife Calla, but soon realizes she has secrets of her own. Calla’s sister Bee is also keeping her secrets close, while trying to work through a nagging feeling that something isn’t right within their community.

Secrets don’t stay secrets for long.

**

Shea Ernshaw is a brilliant writer who has a talent for immersing you in her story with her vivid imagery while leading you down the winding path of trying to figure out what’s going on. She has mastered the art of writing in such a way that you get lost in her books, and can’t put them down until you’ve reached the end. The twists and turns in this book kept me guessing, but I was also extremely captivated by the depth of her characters. Shea strikes the perfect balance of making her readers invested in her characters and allowing you to become a part of the worlds she constructs. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

A dark page turner full of twists and turns. This novel was hard to put down and engaging from page 1. A sinister tale that takes place on a secret retreat. Multidimensional characters, well written and atmospheric. Great read overall

Um... truly who told this author they could be this talented? Because WOW. I think this is one of the best books I have read in 2021. I thought that it truly had everything, it was sad, it was dark, it was disturbing, and at times it was everything in between. Like I am truly amazed by the authors ability to create such an intricate world that elicited such intricate feelings and emotions. I thought that Travis was such a cool character, with such cool abilities. But I can tell you that without a doubt, I am not envious of these abilities as I can tell they truly take a toll of him and his ability to sort of shut his brain and feelings off and live his own life. This becomes especially evident when it comes to his sister, which even further pushes him into this sort of spiral of guilt and emotions. The story even further complicates itself when he is asked to do one last task, and this task (no spoilers) but this task was just utterly brilliant, in the darkest possible ways. I think that the author laid out all of these clues, just to scramble them all up and show you that you really didn't know what was real or where the story was actually going. I thought that the character development was brilliant. These characters were so multifaceted and while I really enjoyed some, I also really despised others. I just think this book is GOOD. I highly recommend, especially if you are in need of something different that will get your heart racing.

What a fast-paced, read-in-one-sitting wild story! Is it a hippie commune, a secret retreat for those escaping their past, or something more sinister? Just when you think you have it all figured out, there is another revelation around the corner. Dive in and see what you make of Pastural. 3.5 stars rounded up for great suspense. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Suspenseful, solidly written and crafted. Story driven entertainment about a commune. Quite “movie-able” and maybe even “TV series-able.” Nicely done and will probably sell well. Reminded me of a lot of recent bestseller thrillers but the writing quality here is better than in those books. Good writing does not usually bode well for sales, which I know sounds counterintuitive. I’m super curious as to how well this book will do!

character is a Finder who has the unique ability of "seeing a person's past and what happened to them" just by touching an object that was theirs. Maggie St. James disappeared a few years back and hasn't been seen since. Her parents hire Wren to find her. This book is part mystery, part thriller, with a bit of dystopian added in. This is the first book I've read by Shea Earnshaw has, and I was quite impressed with her writing. I want to read more from her. I was given the chance to read this book as an early read by Net galley, the author, and I'm so glad I was. It has so many twists and turns and an ending I

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I've never read anything by this author before, because she typically writes YA and this is her first adult book. It made me want to check out her previous YA works! The story was mysterious and kept me engaged throughout. I think this will be a big hit upon publication.

This was this an adult debut by a YA author. This book is compelling and mysterious with different layers that pulls you in. Highly recommend as I was intrigued the whole time during my reading experience.

*I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Um, I don’t know quite where to start. This book was mind-blowing! I was invested from the very beginning and was captivated by this deliciously dark, and atmospheric setting. Shea Ernshaw has done it again with another hauntingly beautiful story, and I am so proud of her adult debut.

Travis Wren has an unusual gift, he can find missing people. Families hire him out of desperation to find their loved ones, and he is able to find them with only a single object. He takes on the case of Maggie St. James, who has been missing for years. She was a writer of dark fairytales for children, and simply vanished one day. On his quest to find Maggie, he finds a place that’s only been talked about as legend.

The commune called Pastoral was founded in the 1970’s by people that were searching for a quieter and simpler way of life. This place shouldn’t even exist anymore and soon after Travis finds it, he disappears, just like Maggie St. James.

After a few years have passed, a member of the community named Theo finds Travis’s truck in the woods outside of the borders of the community. No one is ever allowed outside of the borders as they don’t want to risk bringing any diseases into the community, and what Theo did was a huge danger to not only himself, but the entire commune. As Theo tries to figure out how the truck came to be abandoned, it reveals secrets that Theo, his wife Calla, and her sister Bee have all been keeping from each other. These secrets prove that things may not be as perfect as they seem in their isolated world.

I loved trying to unravel the mystery as I was reading, and there were lots of twists and turns. Some I didn’t see coming, and I found myself gasping and squealing! I’m glad I went into this one not quite knowing what to expect, and just being surprised.

I highly, highly recommend adding this one to your TBR if you enjoy thrillers, mysteries, and spooky tales! Coming in December of 2021 from Atria Books.

I honestly don't know how to categorize this book. It has elements of many genres: mystery, fantasy, horror, but what stands out most is the total sense of eeriness and foreboding with each passing chapter.
This is the author's first adult novel and I will definitely read her YA backlist.

A History of Wild Places is an alternate POV novel about a missing children's book author, communes with poisonous trees, and a detective who can read the memory of objects. With multiple points of view, sometimes I find myself drawn to one particular character more than the others. I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't have time to choose a favorite. As you get deeper into the mystery of Maggie and Travis's disappearance, the chapters become shorter and shorter, like the characters are right there with you trying to get to the end.

This book was well written and perfectly plotted, and kind of a hybrid of The Village (a movie my boyfriend hates but I enjoyed - Joaquin! Adrien!) and The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit - when I read the beginning and heard "mystery with an investigator that magically has visions from objects," I rolled my eyes. But then very quickly there were so many layers to this story. Cult, illicit relationships, confused identities. Hard to put down!

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw was an interesting and compelling adult debut from this YA author. It seems she can write it all!

Idk how Shea does it but she creates completely unique and unknown stories every time. First of all I love Shea but as a storyteller she is sneaky so I never know who to trust. A History of Wild Places is unreliable, dark, twisty, and ominous. No one, absolutely no one, does atmosphere like Shea. I want to live in the woods she’s created, even if it isn’t “safe”. Bee is my favorite character of the entire novel. I’m not going to say anything else about the story because you should go in blind….(pun intended)! I hope to one day see this work of art translated to screen.

What an intense adult debut from Ernshaw. This book had me confused but wanting more so I read it quickly because I just couldn't put it down.
It definitely gave me The Village movie vibes and I really enjoyed it.
I didn't love the ending and wanted more of a finality to it but overall the book creeped me out and kept me wanting more!