Who says you can't go home again.. After years of running from family secrets, will returning bring Lee the peace that has eluded her, or send or her family over the edge.
This was a great read. If you enjoy family secrets, witchy vibes and supernatural suspense, this is the book for you.

A book about a family of witches who live in the mountains, draw power from nature, and learn how to cope with and process their generational trauma?!
I wanted to love this so badly; but there was just too much going. Drug addiction, alcoholism, childhood trauma, divorce, pedophilia, romance(?), and murder. In trying to tackle so many topics , it came up flat.

Lee, a mother of two in the midst of a divorce, moves back to the hometown she was so desperate to escape twenty years ago; and from there proceeds to make decision after decision that doesn’t make sense. Partying, random sex in the woods with a man she hasn’t seen high school and seems to fall instantly in love with, etc. She wasn’t very likable as the main character.
The book also felt like it should have ended at the 80% mark; the other twist that came after that felt so unnecessary to the story.
The potential was there for this book; it just unfortunately didn’t reach it.

STRANGE FOLK by Alli Dyer

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and give my honest opinion<

Practical Magic in the setting of Appalachia land awhere generations of deep rooted magic lives and remembers all who lived here.

Lee left home for college after graduation and never looked back just like her Mama told her. When the life she thought she wanted in California with a husband and two wonderful kids didn’t quite work how she planned. Unhappy and separated from her husband, she has no where to go but back home. To an addict unfit mother and her eccentric grandmother who was the town healer and Oren referred as a witch who neither of her children met or even knew existed until now.

Although Lee swore off her grandmothers magic, she is tangled in a mystery and the town is pointing fingers at the old witch when someone who her grandmother may have hexed to resolve some problems turn up dead.

What did her grandmother summon to take care of issues in the town? As they deal with trying to figure out what happened, many family secrets are discovered and they all need to rally together to find and stop this darkness from hurting anyone else.

This was a story about loss, of drug and alcohol abuse and how it affects them and the people they love most. A discovery of why it happened and the unfortunate side effects of peoples actions in the past and present.

I did enjoy the book and I think the author did a wonderful job describing the setting to be able to see in your mind what they wrote. It showed the power of love and what people will do to hold on to it even if they made mistakes in the past. With a touch of old school magic.

If you enjoy authors such as Alice Hoffman, Deborah Harkness, and Paula Brackston I think you will enjoy this.

Overall I give this a 4.25 star rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙, 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙖, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧.

I’m not a big fantasy reader - as some people may know - but I really enjoyed this book. I honestly set low expectations as I’m also not the biggest fan of witches, but the family aspect in this was so interesting.

This was an atmospheric story about a family with trauma and generational magic. The writing was so beautiful and lyrical. I also loved the mystery element in this book.

The Appalachian setting in this was phenomenal, it had me so fascinated and excited to continue reading it. Most of the characters in this were likable too and I enjoyed how intense the story was. I also loved the way the ending wrapped up the book.

The prose in this was so immersive and I haven’t read a beautiful story like this in so long. I loved the way this author told this story and I’m honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

This one doesn’t come out until August, but it’s definitely worth the wait. It was a great magical story with witches and magic!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

First off, thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this e-arc.
Secondly, this book was AMAZING. I have never been so quickly sucked into a world and I couldn’t put the book down once I stopped. I love the way the characters are described as well as the world building. As someone who has never been to the Appalachian mountains, I feel like this book took me there. I loved the twist at the end, the writing was beautiful. I can’t wait to see what comes from this author next!

Solid 3. It wasn’t for me but it is a decent book.

The story of a multi-generational family with folk magic. It’s a heavy book. Drug and alcohol addiction are at the forefront as is generational family trauma. Perhaps these themes hit a little too close to home and I prefer to escape into books vs feel like I’m in a therapy session. Not to say it’s a bad book, just personal preference.

I found the characters to be very unlikable which made it hard to want to keep reading. Theres much of the story that is told through history as memories. These memories are pulled from the family members via the magic. It just didn’t work for me. It was unclear and confusing at times. The big reveal at the end is lame and also didn’t work for me.

I did like the magic system, which the characters “pull from the land”. The earthy, Appalachia vibes were a change for me and did really enjoy that part.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC copy!

Thank you Netgalley. I was so happy to be chosen to read an early copy of this one. The storyline was fantastic and very atmospheric. The characters were well done and mysterious. Overall a very good read with witchy vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Alli Dyer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars.
First, what I enjoyed:

Strange Folk is a magical, intense, and real discussion about what it means to leave where you're from in the hopes of never calling it home again but to be called back. The four generations of women in the Buck family were complicated and intense. They felt fully formed and REAL. I honestly saw a lot of my mom's side of the family in the Buck women. This book discussed generational trauma and addiction in a way that moved me and frustrated me to no end. The give and take and the urge to forgive but not want to be betrayed again made this book an intense portrayal of what it can be like to be in a family with substance abuse struggles. I also think this book was written in a way that would make it a great contender for a short series on TV. I loved how complicated and sometimes awful the Buck women were. I don't necessarily think they were "redeemed" through the course of this book and I actually appreciated that.

"She was a universe within a person....And there was a whole world out there, filled with people that each held their own fascinating universe to explore."

What I think could have improved:

This book would be a full 5 star read for me if a few of the characters were developed out a bit more, like Luann. Also, this book could have finished at about the 80% mark and it could have been an insanely good cliff hanger on a couple of the themes. The real ending however does wrap things up nicely.

Lee leaves Craw Valley with a plan to never return. She closed that chapter of her life but when her marriage is ending, Lee returns to where she vowed she would never return. Lee and her children go to live with her grandmother in Craw Valley. Craw Valley is a place of magic. When Lee returns, she worries her grandmother's magic has released something dark.
Lee and her children only plan to stay in Craw Valley for a short time. Lee is met with family members she has long forgotten.
3.75 stars
I enjoyed this book and the end of the book was really good. I did not expect the turn of events that happened. I really liked seeing Lee become herself. Meredith her daughter starts becoming a young adult. It was good to see Lee embrace her family and how well they all fit together. Lee has always been stubborn but she ends up standing up for what she believes. At first, I had a difficult time getting into this book but once I got further into the book, I enjoyed it. I was interested to see how the story would play out. I wanted to see what would happen to Lee and her family I felt confused in the beginning but once I got further I understood the characters.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in return for a honest review

Appalachia fiction is almost always a win for me so I was grateful to @netgalley for approving this book for me. The cover is what drew me to the title. It’s got such a mysterious vibe to it. The story started off slow for me, but I started getting sucked in around the 20%. I will say, I’m not sure if it was the beginning or the format on NetGalley that slowed my start. The black background and white print hurt my eyes, but once I switched to my kindle…the whole reading experience drastically improved. The book did a great job of putting into the small town scene, very atmospheric. The ending did give a nice twist, I wasn’t expecting the individual responsible. Overall, I enjoyed the read and will recommend to all my witchy, folklore loving friends 🖤✨

Magic and Mystery? Who could ask for more!!! This book had me at the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down.

2.5 rounded down to 2.

I was really excited about this one, which makes it a major disappointment.

Lee is leaving her toxic marriage and she's taking the kids and herself to the refuge of her grandmother in the Craw Valley, which is somewhere in Appalachia. When she arrives tension starts between her and her daughter, she had told her kids that her family was dead. However, the kids settle in nicely making the move from their comfortable life in California to impoverished and rural living seamlessly. Lee is the one struggling and her alcoholism isn't helping. She spirals further into her addiction discovering a weird link between the local moonshine and a couple of murders.

A lot of the events in this book seemed really forced. Dyer focused on the strain between Lee and her daughter for what seemed like the sole purpose of continuing the mother-daughter generational trauma link. Lee herself has a strained relationship with her mother, Redbud, due to Redbud's addiction that started with prescription pills (likely oxy based on the timeline). Redbud and her mother, Belva, have a strained relationship due to Redbud blaming Belva's magic use for the death of Redbud's husband. All of this leads to Lee banning her own daughter, Merideth, from learning about her link to magic and how to use it, which causes even more strain. However, both children have literally no issue leaving their entire life behind. Merideth is around 15 (in high school at least) and you would think that she would be somewhat upset about leaving behind friends, her own room, her school etc. But she really just gets upset about never having been told about the family and immediately falls in love with the rural setting. Cliff, Lee's son, is in middle school - though he is constantly treated and referred to as if he is around 8 - also falls in love with the place and is super happy sharing a room with his sister. Neither kid once mentions their friends or missing home or any of the luxuries they had. Merideth even comments later on her privileged and soft her father is, but like she grew up being raised by his trust fund and living his wealthy privileged life, she'd been in the rural world like a month.

The intergenerational trauma could be a decent set up and could make for a good story all in it's own, but we had to add in the murder mystery aspect. The murders get pinned on Belva and Lee starts to think she might have done them. This results in Lee doing a bunch of investigation and basically ignoring her children. All Lee can figure is that they're linked through the moonshine that she's now drinking constantly. Her form of investigating though is just to accuse a person she doesn't like and force the weaker in personality characters to help her prove it was that person. Honestly, super contrived that at least one of them would have helped her, the other seems to just do what she asks whenever she asks.

Lee is very unlikeable and not just because of the alcoholism. She has an air of superiority, while simultaneously sticking to her "I was born and raised here" roots. She gets called out by a couple of characters for this, them saying she never wanted to be here and asking her why she even came back. Something she reflects on very minimally and we are never shown an answer to. She treats other characters as if they are solely there to serve her, which makes it difficult to really get invested in anything that happens to anyone. Even the love interest just feels like a paper cut out and I had zero feelings about their relationship that weren't "well, this doesn't make any sense." She judges everyone for their situation and culture while benefiting from it. She feels entitled to a place in Belva's home so much that she fails to see the generosity of her family and is only annoyed that they behave the way they do.

My smallest qualm is that this book could have been set nearly anywhere in rural America. The Appalachian setting wasn't hardly used at all, only the mountains for background for characters to stare off toward. The story of corporations moving in and making everything part of the big box world, pushing out small business, and resulting in new people moving in is a story widespread. Moonshine makers exist everywhere that is rural, pharmaceutical addictions, alcoholism, poverty are everywhere. I really would have liked to have had the location built in more if we were really focusing on where the story was set.

There was also a small throwaway paragraph at the end about how Lee's family can trace themselves back to the Cherokee and how the African slaves were brought over against their will and "had babies with" the "Scotch-Irish" and how all of these beliefs formed the magical rituals of Lee's family. It just felt very ignorant at best to be included the way it was, because it was completely unnecessary to the story. There were some other lines that struck me as weird such as "a woman with the energy of an unmarried aunt" what does that even mean? I really hope some of these are removed before publication.

Lastly, I was really bothered by how much trauma for the sake of trauma was included. Everyone's backstory is littered with murder and abuse and assault and it is just half-heartedly mentioned.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and publishers for allowing me to read an eARC version of this book.

Another great debut novel coming out in 2024. One of the reasons why I loved this book was the cultural spin it took on witchcraft. This is not your traditional witchcraft and I enjoyed the connection to life, land, and nature. The author put in some intense moments where I could not put the book down. I connected with the main character, Lee, and enjoyed reading a book with many strong female leads. I will most definitely read another one by Alli Dyer!

First, I want to thank Alli Dyer for writing such a beautiful debut. Also thanks to Atria Books & NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Quick synopsis: we open with Lee (formerly Opaline) and her children, Meredith and Cliff, heading back to her hometown in the Appalachian Mountains. Lee hasn't been back since she left for college (with the intent to never return). Going through a divorce set her on a path to reconnect with her past, her traumas, her family, and herself. *Go read the blurb for the book - it gives a great summary*

NOW, for the book itself: I loved it. It was a slow read for me, but I found the characters relatable and interesting. I think Lee was hard to like at certain times but it was more because I felt as if I'd met versions of her before in some of my own relatives as well as in myself. She's a woman determined to protect herself and her children, but often that can come off as cold, distant, and a bit self-serving. I could write an entire review just based on the characters. Belva was the matron of my dreams with her bluntness, connection to the earth, and desire to pass on the family legacy. I understood the anger certain characters held for her, but I think I would have forgiven her without qualms. I could go on - Uncle Billy, Cliff, Meredith, TJ, Kimmie, Otis, Redbud.. I didn't LIKE them all, but they worked well how they were written.

My favorite part of the story was the magic. It was tied explicitly to the land which rings true for Appalachian lore - I also really enjoyed that (for the most part) magic was cooperative further pushing the broken/traumatized family to reunite. I loved the verbalization of what was desired, followed by the humming, the magic growing in intensity with the power and emotion, then the collapse at the end after the magic released.

There was this weird moment (that I will not describe further because main plot point) - I 100% thought the books was about to be over..but I was only about 3/4 of the way done. It felt weird, but honestly, I was mad to have a little more time with the characters although the secondary plot point was jarring and felt more rushed. I would have like to see more development there.

I could really go on - I truly enjoyed this read and look forward to what Alli Dyer will write next.

Strange Folk by Alli Dyer follows a woman returning to her home in the Appalachian mountains after a long absence in which went to college, got married, and started a family. Overall I think this is a really strong debut novel, however some aspects of the book felt a bit lacking, or half baked. The magic system was just added in at surface level but I don’t think enough detail went into it to make the reader invest in that aspect of the book. The characters were decent enough but I didn’t feel particularly attached to any of them. On Goodreads it said this is set to be an adult fantasy but the writing felt more young adult to me. At one point in the book, the author used an acronym that you would see on social media which completely took me out of the story. Many aspects of the story and conversations between the characters felt a bit half baked, and surface level. Overall, I would recommend this book to some people as I do believe there is an audience for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this ARC. Although this book was provided to me, all opinions are my own.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

This book is a weird one to review. I enjoyed the story a great deal, but I agree with the multitude of reviewers who said there were very few likeable characters, an ill-explained magic system, and problematic content. I would also add that there are parts where it gets downright preachy about substance use disorder.
Strange Folk tries to be a lot of things, and because of that isn't really any of them. While it's seemingly fantasy, the magic system is never fleshed out. It has elements of a steamy romance, but that fizzles pretty quickly. It's almost women's lit with themes of forgiveness and healing generational trauma...until you get to the end. Even the mystery is not difficult to solve, although there are still some facets that are unexplained.

In the end, I'm giving this book 3.5 because, for all it's flaws, I still enjoyed the ride.

Thank you for the ARC provided by Atria & All Dyer provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lee returns to her estranged magical family in Appalachia, but is determined to maintain her distance from her family’s magic. When a conjuring that was meant for protection turns sinister, Lee must learn running from her past doesn’t change it. She must embrace it to protect her family.

I went in to this book with an open mind, not knowing much about Appalachian magic. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and intrigued by the Practical Magic comparisons.
The writing itself is beautiful. Dyer does a good job with atmosphere and drawing you into this dark, moody landscape. Unfortunately, that was the high point for me.

Most elements of the book felt underdeveloped. With first hand experience with generational trauma and family members with addiction, the book fails to explore this with any true depth. There was also no relationship building, the relationships that Lee had throughout the book seemed to have been built when she was younger and she just happened to pick up exactly where she left off when she left, with every single character. It just felt like no effort was put in to develop these relationships properly.

The magic system was interesting at first, but honestly lost me as I continued further into the book. I feel like it’s an after thought put in to lengthen a murder mystery.

The pacing of the book was also extremely slow, I spent the first half of the book wondering if anything significant was truly going to happen, while also simultaneously being underwhelmed when something did happen. I was also unimpressed by the flat dialogue. I found myself dreading reading any conversation throughout the entire book.

If Dyer had put more focus onto a single element, such as the magic, the potential for this to be an amazing book would be there.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Gorgeous fantasy witch focused tale to do heavily with generational residue and trauma. Not super explained but gorgeous. Thanks for the arc

Special thanks for this Advanced Reader Copy! I really enjoyed the story of growth and character development In this story. This is a family you want to know! I developed such a strong attachment to Lee, Belva, and Meredith to name a few. You wanted to see them succeed and find happiness. This was a great story and I’d love to see more from this author.