This story did not click for me at all. I found the writing clunky and strange. Momentum was an incredible challenge for me in this book. Fade was a hard narrator to feel attached to. The dialogue between characters felt of another time. I found the story having separate “books” confusing because they were separated not at natural breaks in the story. The fracturing of chapters and books gave the story a stilted feel that made it hard to want to continue. I enjoyed the setting and the gothic feel but there was too much going on to enjoy it.

Even before I opened this book, just from the description, I was captivated. I keep finding myself saying in my reviews lately that I’m not really a horror reader—and that’s still true—but apparently that’s starting to change, because I’ve been picking up more and more books from the genre. And honestly, if there’s only one horror novel you choose to read this spooky season, this year, even this decade, The Witch of Willow Sound should be the one.

Now, let me be honest: if you’re a horror lightweight like I am, you might need to pace yourself. Read it during the day. Read it a paragraph at a time if you have to. But don’t let that stop you from picking it up, because this isn’t just a scary story.

Yes, it’s about superstition, but it’s also deeply rooted in history. It’s a story that feels uncomfortably familiar if you’ve been paying attention to the world in recent years. It’s a tribute to countless women across centuries—women accused, silenced, erased—and to marginalized people who have endured persecution and injustice in every corner of the world. What happened in one small village or one dark time isn’t isolated; it echoes everywhere.

The writing is gripping, and I found myself engrossed in every page. The only times I set it down were when the tension ratcheted so high that I needed a breather. But when I reached the end, I devoured the last sections in one sitting. That’s because this isn’t just a horror novel—it’s layered, emotional, and resonant in a way that lingers long after you close the cover.

It made me shiver, yes. But it also made me cry. And it left me thinking about how stories like this are not only entertainment but also remembrance.

So, you need to read this book. And when you do, make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A vivid and atmospheric folk horror with a great protagonist, The Witch of Willow Sound is a compelling read featuring an interesting mystery.

As a Canadian, I love books set in Canada, and especially books set on our coasts. I’ve only been to Nova Scotia once but this book made me want to go back soon!

I really enjoyed this on so many levels.

First of all, it has a great setting. Not only is it a small town, but a small town with an interesting feature (the hanging rock) that creates its own lore in the town, but we have an impending storm and an abandoned house in the woods that is both creepy and homey. <spoiler>and I loved how it wasn't the storm that caused the rock to fall, but the people themselves!</spoiler>

In this way, because there is so much focus on the town and what happened to Aunt Madeline, the story is more of a mystery than a horror. There are horror elements, but it’s definitely more about the WHY than the WHAT. I’m not super into horror where the reason for the creature or ghosts or whatever is not explained; I love a good supernatural mystery. This one is not the most shocking in the world, but it’s also hard-hitting due to being based on reality. That is really sobering and gives the story extra depth.

But you also need to have characters driving the story who you root for, and Fade is great. A unique character, she’s a very tall and strong woman, something she is somewhat proud about but which also can bring out some self-deprecativeness. She's homeless. We rarely see an unhoused person as a main character where that isn’t the focus of their story. And her reason for being such is so reasonable and tragic, yet it doesn’t take over the plot. She’s also skilled and resourceful.

And then we have her friend, Nish, a British historian, whom she clicks with instantly and with whom they have a wonderful relationship that is cozy and sweet and adds a few instances of comic relief. I loved their friendship.

The prose, I’m a little torn on. Sometimes the sentences feel a bit too short, relying too much on the effect of sentence fragments, so it reads a bit choppy. Sentence fragments have their place, but that place is few and far between. And while I enjoyed the dialogue between Nish and Fade, some of the other dialogue was a bit stilted and the use of “frig” all the time was sort of annoying (though it reminded me of Trailer Park Boys, haha).

Yet, the prose is also lovely at times, very descriptive, and adds to the atmosphere. There are wonderful lines, like, and this is an ARC, so it could be altered or removed in the final: “a black pick-up truck splits the horizon like a chainsaw.”

The book also has a large focus on memory, family, and identity, though in ways that are subtle but powerful. It also brings in tons of interesting folklore, but explains it as the plot goes along, so you learn about it when you need to, and it never feels overwhelming. Yet, there were a few loose threads that didn’t feel wrapped up - one to do with Fade and her mother and another related to a wolf - it seems both aspects were sort of forgotten by the end.

Yet, a very strong debut and a wonderful folk horror from Canada that somehow also retains a bit of a cozy feel despite the circumstances. I very much enjoyed this one - it’s a great fall read!

***TO HEAR MORE OF MY OPINIONS ABOUT THIS BOOK, PLEASE LISTEN TO THE UPCOMING FEMINIST BOOK CLUB PODCAST FEATURING MOTHER HORROR***

This book will make you feel it all. Before I start I do need to say that the author's note at the end is a perfect finale to this story and you definitely should not skip it.

We follow Fade, an unmoored, unhoused, giant of a woman who has been sent by her semi-estranged mother to find her missing estranged aunt. She rocks up to the creepy woods of Willow Sound, a home from her to her as a child, and is met with a rundown cottage, a smell of burning and more questions than answers.

Fade is a shut off, deliberately homeless, angry, lonely, fierce woman. She has run ins with most of the local town, who frankly derserve it. And whom are no better than her- choosing to live under the threat of the fall of a giant teacup shaped rock on the edge of a cliff, and then be kinda angry about.
Things get creepy, the atmosphere is helped by the awful weather and impending sense of doom it brings with it (I ADORE this trope- comps for weather gothic would be Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce, The Salvage by Anbara Salam and The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis).

I did tag this as a little cosy, I want to mention this is not cosy like Lattes and Legends but more in the vein of The Emily Wilde series, then creepier and more melancholy. There is a big found family element to this story and the way that is handled is the cosy element, though I would not say this is a cosy book.

Willow Sound has a fair amount of character development, Fade starts off unlikable, she is flawed but I found her relatable and I was rooting for her despite her attitude. Through the book you learn why she is the way she is and it makes her thawing that much richer.

This book is for anyone who likes C.J. Cooke, Isabel Canas (Although there is no romance in this) or who likes their horror lite with an side of hope and an undertone of sadness and regret. Vanessa F. Penney was inpired and guided by several long-term historical atrocities and societal mkistreatment of minorities and the weaker members of society. Please read the trigger warnings and the authors note. This book will make you cry.
.25 stars removed because the main character doesn't swear, and it really was apparent that was deliberate and it annoyed me personally. YMMV.
4.75*

I found this book to be transporting, especially the description of the storm but I think the ending could have been more thoroughly explained.

Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the ARC!

Upon reading the summary for The Witch of Willow Sound, I knew I needed to read it immediately; I was not disappointed.

The Witch of Willow Sound follows Fade, a woman called back to a remote village in Nova Scotia after receiving the news that her estranged Aunt Madeline has been reported missing. Fade is disturbed to find her aunt’s cottage, a place she fondly remembers from childhood, in a completely unrecognizable state: abandoned, overgrown, and rotting.

When it is clear that local authorities do not have her Aunt’s best interests at heart, Fade takes it upon herself to find her Aunt Madeline, and to discover the truth behind her disappearance. Along the way, Fade also discovers that the disparaging treatment bestowed upon her aunt by the locals, may have only been started in an attempt to distract from the dark truths lurking beneath the town’s surface.

I enjoyed how atmospheric this book was. I truly felt transported to the coast of Nova Scotia despite never having travelled there before. The incorporation of local folk traditions really helped in achieving this. There were also moments in the writing that had such vivid imagery.

I overall really enjoyed this book, but my favorite part was Fade’s relationship with her aunt. Despite not having seen her since Fade was a child, Fade was determined to figure out the truth behind her aunt’s disappearance and to protect her reputation against the local townspeople insistent on turning her aunt into a villain. I have fond childhood memories of my aunt, and this all really touched me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys realistic depictions of witches, atmospheric settings, and stories that don’t shy away from being honest about the ways that history has not been kind to certain types of people.

The cover is what drew me to this book to begin with but the imagery in the beginning chapter is what really hooked me. The first chapter of this book was a wonderful introduction to this story.

From there the book started to lose me. I very much enjoyed the mystery surrounding Aunt Madeline and her reputation as witch. There was some truly haunting scenes when Phaedra first arrives at her aunt abandoned cottage that had me on the edge of my seat.

Sadly, a lot of the side characters felt more like caricatures then fleshed out townsfolk and many of their interactions pulled me out of the story. As for the main character herself, she was a little bit insufferable though she did have some really great moments. Nish was a lovely character and was truly charming but he often felt like he was only there to be a vessel for the author to resolve the plot quickly.

The overall vibe of this book was so wonderfully witchy and spooky which was truly it's greatest asset. I much preferred the witchy mystery to the actual resolution of the book and wish that it had stayed a witchy folk horror until the end. Speaking of the ending, it was a bit overly dramatic for me and felt like a complete tonal shift from the rest of the book which is saying a lot considering how the book opens.

I feel really conflicted on this one because there were so many things I truly loved about this book but where it missed the mark it really missed the mark.

Part of me wants to give it a 3.5 star just for the vibes alone but I have to stick with my 3 star rating for this one. It's a good book and worth the read especially during spooky season even with it's pitfalls.

Thank you to Netgalley, Vanessa F. Penny, and the Publisher for allowing me to read this eArc and provide my honest review.

Madeline, the eccentric old lady who lives in the woods, has gone missing. Her estranged niece, Fade returns to Willow Sound, Nova Scotia, determined to find her. While there, Fade clashes with the residents of the nearest town, Grand Tea, which sits under a giant rock that could fall at any minute and end the town. The towns people have shunned Madeline, calling her a witch and blaming her for the negative things in the town. She finds a friend in an archivist who wants to help her find her aunt, and during their search a hurricane is on the way.

I loved this slow burn book. It’s horror adjacent, but is more a mystery with elements of folklore and traditions of magic. There are also themes of being an outsider and isolation, which I appreciated, and I loved the friendship between Fade and the archivist she befriends in the town. The pacing was on point, and the characterizations were strong. The mystery and history of Madeline’s story kept me guessing, and it would be a great fall read to bring in the vibes of the season.

Thank you to ECW Press and Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

I loved this story. Besides the magic the author wove in -and can I shout out, did a great job researching- but also because the themes of love, loss, pain, belonging, and grief. The story woven around the FMC and her life leading to this current trajectory, her learning to trust and find friends, and dealing with actual human issues was incredible. I cried so hard reading this, it was exactly what I needed.

The atmosphere of this book is strong: isolated forest, a looming rock threatening a whole village, strange lore about Madeline being a witch. Fade is a character with real emotional depth, and her relationship with Nish adds warmth and humour that contrast nicely with the darker and creepier parts. It is mostly the slow uncovering of secrets that kept me hooked. I'd recommend for anyone that needs a quick and addictive read.

I genuinely hate when a story has good bones, but bad execution, and that's what we get with Vanessa F. Penney's "The Witch of Willow Sound". There's an interesting story here, following someone who gets a call that their aunt is missing, and find a town of people who believe that she is a witch. There's an interesting story there, and it's a shame that this particular one didn't work for me.

Now, don't get me wrong, this was an easy and quick read that still had some good moments. It's the kind of cozy story that you want to read during the fall, something quick that you can finish in one sitting while sipping on your hot apple cider while cozy under a blanket. It has the vibes of fall, which I think would be the best time to give this story a read. But, despite it having a good vibe, the story itself just didn't work for me.

Characterization, I've come to find out, is really important for me to be able to get transported into a story. And, with this novel, we get very little, only given small bits and pieces to get us through. The main character, Fade, feels like a caricature of sorts - the ex-cop who has authority issues, but acts like a child when something remotely doesn't go their way. I found this main character to be grating and irritating, which also was due, in part, to the pretty cringy dialogue. It was rough to sit through conversations, which made for a read that I found took me longer than it should have, only because I couldn't bear to sit through the dialogue.

For a conclusion, it's satisfying, but nothing that I didn't see coming. The overall story could have been so much more interesting, but the effort was spent on making Fade as annoying as humanly possible. The rest of the cast of characters are pretty forgettable, even if some have a bit of charm. I guess I was hoping that this would be a bit more gothic inspired, something just a little darker than the light novel we got.

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this book, but I see it being a hit with younger readers, since it's point of view is one that I think they would be able to associate themselves with. It wasn't for me, but hey, not everything you read is going to be your cup of tea, but I'm really glad that I had the chance to give this one a chance.

And after reading this, I truly hope that I never see or hear the word "frig" ever again.

I love the small, isolated town vibes. The opening scene was especially compelling and visceral—but I felt the pace slowed once the burning scene ended and we were returned to a state of normalcy. Here, witches are less conduits for magic, and more a patriarchal metaphor. That said, I am glad the author seemed to not abide the whole “we’re the witches that you didn’t burn” stuff that white feminists usually espouse when dealing into a take such as this. So, while this didn’t totally hold me attention the whole way through, I do think this is a good, well written, well thought out book.

A thriller where quirky women are being subjected to a modern witch-hunt, making you rage over how society still fears women to this day.

Fade gets a call that her aunt is missing and goes out to her isolated home to investigate. Turns out apparently all villagers in the nearby town of Big Tea think her aunt is a witch and are now happy to be rid of her.

I unfortunately had a hard time connecting with Fade, who I read as quite juvenile for being in her 30s. Tetchy, aggressive and suspicious of everyone, she is hard to root for, and I wonder if she didn’t exacerbate the situation by being so damn unpleasant. Her overuse of the word “Frig” was annoying to say the least. I’d think someone who reckons herself to be such a badass to be able to cuss properly.

The “witches” were interesting characters, and I would have loved to see more about that side. I also think the plot and story would’ve benefited from some more exploring into the old time injustices that are pretty prominent. Now it felt like a “oh, this is so bad, shame on all the oldies, we are so much better” type of storyline, which didn’t really do it all justice. Sorry for the cryptic lines here but I don’t want to spoil.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for this book, and would like to thank ECW publishers and the author for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for an eARC of The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney.

I love a book with a strong female lead, especially when it comes to gothic horror or just horror in general. The description of the book drew me in and I just had to know why and how Aunt Madeline had gone missing. Love a good mystery in a strange place, the town is under a rock after all. It certainly had potential to be a great book, especially since it started off so well. But, the writing was a bit choppy, making parts hard to understand or maybe they were edited to be choppy, not one hundred percent sure and it really through off the pacing for me. I think there should have been more time fleshing out characters that seemed to be apart, but there was no depth. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed.

This book was dark, atmospheric and so well written! Very intriguing from the start and made me cry with the discoveries made at the end, it speaks about historical happenings that were atrocious and that need to be remembered and talked about.

The found family between the MC and our lovely historian is so so cute

Fade's Aunt Madeline has been missing from her cottage in the Nova Scotian woods for an indeterminate amount of time, and when Fade comes searching for her she finds things in the house that she can't explain, and learns that the local town has long feared Madeline, "The Witch of Willow Sound." Full of history, family secrets, small town hysteria, and a bit of magic, this book follows through on twists and turns.

This book still has me questioning whether I loved it or just liked it alright. I enjoyed the premise of this book, the dark gothic atmosphere had me intriuged for most of the first part of the book. The author lost me in the second half, everything kind of felt rushed and flat. Fade was also a hit or miss with me too. For the most part I enjoyed her banter and the relationship she had with the other characters, but she felt a little unlikeable and not in the good way. Overall, I enjoyed myself but still wonder will I remember this book in 1 year? Probably not.

The prologue of this book was so great that I’m afraid it sets up the rest of the book for disappointment. The atmosphere, tension, and intrigue in those first pages promised something dark and compelling, but unfortunately, the vibes of the prologue don’t carry through into the rest of the story.

The dialogue often felt choppy, pulling me out of the narrative instead of pulling me in. On top of that, the main character didn’t read like someone in her 30s. Her thoughts and actions felt far more like a teenager’s, which made it hard to connect with her or take her decisions seriously.

The premise, cover, and prologue are an easy 5 stars. But the actual execution left me frustrated. Ultimately, this one fell flat for me, and I’m so disappointed because it had all the ingredients to be a standout read.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and ECW press for the gifted copies.

I loved this!! It’s creepy, consuming, mysterious. I loved that this was based on real-life history and folklore. It made it witchy in a dark, cryptic way. This book is perfect for curling up with a cuppa during the “ber” months!!

The short chapters and fast pacing kept me glued to the page and propelled me through the story. The main mystery of where Madeline Luck disappeared to was intriguing and the Nova Scotian setting was captivating. Fade is tough as nails and certainly has her flaws but I found it easy to root for her. The unexpected friendship between Fade and Nish was really sweet and heartwarming as well. I felt like the ending wrapped up everything in a satisfying way, which is always a huge plus!

This was truly a wow book for me and I can’t wait to read whatever the author writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and ECW Press for the ARC!

DNF @ 5%

Wow, I just cannot get into this. The writing is choppy, amateurish, and confusing in a way that's immediately off-putting. I put down my Kindle after almost every page, telling myself I wasn't vibing, but convinced myself to just read one more page because sometimes it takes a while to sink into a book and get used to the author's style. Nope, not in this case. And, based on other reviews, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this even if I managed to stick it out any longer. Oh well, on to the next.