Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Yvonne Battle Felton for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 billion gazillion stars)

In the small town of Curdle Creek they have their own way of doing things. The town is governed by sinister rules and rituals practiced in the name of tradition. Mother Opal oversees all and will decides your fate if you are chosen.

This book was really good! I didn’t want to stop reading! It shot right up into my top favorite reads so far this year! This is my first book I’ve read by this author and she is amazing. Just wow!! I really liked her writing style. It was unique and captivating. Overall, the book has a very nightmarish eerie feel that gave me chills and wanting more! I highly recommend it, a must read!!!

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Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for this ARC of 'Curdle Creek' by Yvonne Battle-Felton.

I'm looking forward to reading reviews of this from professional reviewers as maybe they can explain what the themes and ideas were in this novel. If there was anything more than a warning against government by ritual and over-regulation, Nazi-like spying on your neighbors and public apology and retribution, I just didn't get it. The constant refrain of 'The Running of the Widows,' 'The Moving On' and the 'Moved On' and various ceremonies was monotonous and unengaging. It did get quite interesting at the first time jump but then the trial completely lost me again.

Not for me, I'm afraid.

Not for me as a reader. Intriguing premise, I however struggled to connect with the writing style and overall story. I would still like if the premise sounds interesting to you. It just was not my cup of tea.

Captivating. A searing challenge to the perils of groupthink and a clarion call to reconsider the standard justification “it’s the way things have always been.”