The Story Collector

This was a sweet book. Switching between the past with Anna (via her journal found by Sarah hidden in a tree hollow) and the present with Sarah when she makes a spur of the moment decision to fly to Ireland instead of home to where her heart was broken by the loss of her child. Ireland for her is a place of magic and healing as she reads the journal Anna left. This book will have you believing in the Good Folk who can be friendly like Milly or awful like those who may or may not have lived in the manor that was built in the place of a hawthorn tree (super bad luck to chop down one of those).

This book teaches that sometimes things don't turn out and there will be heartbreak but you can still forge a new path to a happy ending which is what happens with both Anna and Sarah. And sometimes you will be changed with a little magic and maybe see the truth about the hidden mysteries of Ireland.

I was so excited to read another book by Evie Woods, having just finished The Lost Bookshop. First, I love the magical realism and the folklore about fairies. Having been to Ireland, it is a magical place so this story was just waiting to be told. This story is rich in character development and has such beautiful language that I paused often just to write a phrase or two down to remember later. "His face was well used like an old leather shoe that had seen many roads," Isn't that a wonderful way to describe an older person, wise in what they've experienced in the world? Told in a dual timeline with present day Sarah, an artist seeking to find herself and lost in her grief so she flees to Ireland, and that of the past with Anna, a young Irish maiden helping Harold collect stories about the fairy world, both in the small village of Thornwood at the Butler cottage. It seems as if both storylines are connected somehow. Fast paced, this story engages you and will keep you reading. A bit of romance, a bit of mysticism, along with redemption, renewal, and hope for second chances. A most enjoyable book. Another 5/5 for Evie Woods. Many thanks to #netgalley #eviewoods #thestorycollector for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Once again Evie took me into a mystical, magical world. I’m left wondering whether events in our lives are mere coincidences or if they are governed by forces beyond our realm of understanding. Embrace thus book dear reader and decide for yourself