Cinderwich

by Cherie Priest

“Who put Ellen in the blackgum tree?”

Decades after trespassing children spotted the desiccated corpse wedged in the treetop, no one knows the answer.

Kate Thrush and her former college professor, Dr. Judith Kane, travel to Cinderwich, Tennessee, in hopes that maybe it was their Ellen: Katie’s lost aunt, Judith’s long-gone lover. But they’re not the only ones to have come here looking for closure. The people of Cinderwich, a town hardly more than a skeleton itself, are staunchly resistant to the outsiders’ questions about Ellen and her killer. And the deeper the two women dig—the more rot they unearth—the closer they come to exhuming the evil that lies, hungering, at the roots of Cinderwich.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Novella, Ghosts

6 pages, Audiobook

First published May 14, 2024

About the author

Cherie Priest is the author of about thirty books and novellas, most recently the modern gothics It Was Her House First, The Drowning House, and Cinderwich. She's also the author of the Booking Agents mysteries, horror projects The Toll and The Family Plot – and the hit YA graphic novel mash-ups I Am Princess X and its follow up, The Agony House. But she is perhaps best known for the steampunk pulp adventures of the Clockwork Century, beginning with Boneshaker. She has been nominated for the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, and the Locus award – which she won with Boneshaker.

Cherie has also written a number of urban fantasy titles, and composed pieces (large and small) for George R. R. Martin’s shared world universe, the Wild Cards. Her short stories and nonfiction articles have appeared in such fine publications as Weird Tales, Publishers Weekly, and numerous anthologies – and her books have been translated into nine languages in eleven countries.

Although she was born in Florida on the day Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, for the last twenty years Cherie has largely divided her time between Chattanooga, TN, and Seattle, WA – where she presently lives with her husband and a menagerie of exceedingly photogenic pets.

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decades ago, Kate Thrush's Aunt Ellen mysteriously disappeared. Even though Kate is too young to even remember Aunt Ellen, she was actually named after her and Ellen has been the shadow looming over her entire life.

As a young adult, Kate befriended Ellen's long-time girlfriend, a college professor, Dr. Judith Kane. Judith and Ellen were partners at the time of Aunt Ellen's disappearance, and Judith has never truly been able to let go of that experience.



Eventually, Kate and Judith grew apart, so when Kate hears from Judith seemingly out of the blue, and Judith asks for her assistance, Kate is curious and takes her up on the offer.

Judith has continued searching for any evidence that may tell her what happened to Ellen all those years ago. She's recently come across something she feels could be connected.

A story, really more of a local legend, regarding a woman's body found years ago in a blackgum tree in the small town of Cinderwich, Tennessee. Children know the chant, Who put Ellen in the blackgum tree?



Many have traveled to Cinderwich over the years, trying to determine the identity of the body found in the tree. Some of these people were even searching for Ellen's of their own, others were mere trauma tourists. Either way, the people of Cinderwich are used to strangers passing through and asking questions.

Kate and Judith make a plan, and meet up in the small town, checking into an eclectic local hotel. Immediately, they being digging into the town history, looking for answers. They're ill-prepared for what they'll ultimately encounter there.



I really enjoyed this highly-readable Horror novella. I was initially attracted to it because of the eerie cover and I have to say, the cover suits the story perfectly. It's got a sweet Southern Gothic feel to it, heavy with mystery vibes.

Kate and Judith were such a fun pair. An odd couple of sorts, but I adored the dynamics of their relationship. It was a great premise as well; them meeting up in the small creepy town and looking into a decades old mystery.

The overall themes explored were well done and I found Priest's writing to be fluid, as well as engaging. This was actually the first I have read from her, and I'm definitely looking forward to picking up more. I've had The Toll sitting on my shelves for way too long now.



I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this one and absolutely recommend that format if it's available to you. We're getting this story from Kate's perspective and I felt that the narrator, Traci Odom's, voice was perfect for Kate.

My only slight critique would be that I wish it could have been longer. I feel like that way frequently with novellas that I enjoy, mainly because I just don't want them to end. For this one, I feel like it wrapped up rather quickly, I wouldn't have minded more time to really dig into this conclusion.

Overall, I feel like this is a fast, compelling, creepy read, with great vibes and characters. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Southern Gothic stories, stories that feature small town vibes with creepy local lore, or unlikely friends investigating cold cases.



Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can't wait to read more from this author!

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderwich
By Cherie Priest
This was a bizarre, in a good way, horror novel. A friend and niece of a missing woman decide to go looking for the missing person after seeing a news article decades after she was missing. The article described kids finding a woman dead in a tree. It was about the same year she went missing. They travel to this dead little town. What happens there is very creepy and bizarre. Ghosts and more creepy stuff.

[Sadie Hartmann]

Reads like a road trip to a creepy, old town with a lot of secrets with your two best friends to solve a murder-mystery. Earl grey tea, ghosts, and secrets--a perfect cozy horror/mystery to read during Halloween. No bookmark required (under 200 pages)

[Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspenseful, eerie, and humourous, Cinderwich delivered on the creepy atmosphere while keeping it light. I liked Kate and Judith and their dynamic, and was invested in learning who put Ellen in the blackgum tree. I only wish we'd learned the answer! The ending was a little rushed, and I wanted a few more hints at what happened, if not concrete answers. I felt as though the premise and what we're introduced to at the beginning was creepier than the climax, which was a bit disappointing. I had a lot of lingering questions at the end, which is not always a bad thing, but here, it resulted in a story that felt unfinished.

Overall, this was an entertaining and quick listen/read, if not a new favourite.

Thank you to Libro.fm for the influencer copy!

Representation: Multiple lesbian characters, both MCs and the character they’re looking for

Trigger/Content Warnings: death, partner loss, misuse of mental illness terminology, jokes about mental illness, suicide

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[Zana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was a huge waste of my time.

It took until 90% into the novel for the dark fantasy to actually show up.

And that last 10% with the dark fantasy portion? Jesus, I really hope that wasn't some girl power situation because it came out of nowhere and made no sense. There was absolutely zero lead up to it. It felt like the author completely forgot which genre this was supposed to be in.

Mostly, this was just a mystery with supernatural elements. Plotwise, this wasn't all that exciting.

The novel read more like a really long blog post that you clicked on because you saw a cool headline, but then the content ended up being mostly filler. The writing style was very contemporary with tense shifting all over the place. I know this is an arc, but it didn't read like a polished final draft.

The only things I liked were the relationship between the two MCs and the fact that this book was quick and easy to read.

There were so many loose ends. The Meredith Barlow ghost thing went nowhere (unless the ending Joan of Arc magic ghost situation counted). The Freemasons thing went nowhere. The goddamn gumtree was just a literal tree. Literally everything ended up being a red herring with no satisfying explanation or conclusion.

And when the Ellen mystery was finally solved, I already stopped caring by that point.

I've never been more disappointed.

Thank you to Diamond Books and Edelweiss for this arc.

[Janette Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, atmospheric, horror-lite novel. I liked it but didn’t love it. Too many questions left unexplained. And the ending details just weren’t fleshed out enough for me. I’ll try another of Priest’s novels one day and hope to like it better.

[Shu Wei Chin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this the moment I saw that surreal, creepy cover. However, the pacing stayed incredibly slow all the way up to ~80%. This is fine if not for the bland atmosphere and main characters that never caught my interest even through all of their extended conversations. In fact, the side characters, the eclectic townspeople, were the most intriguing but they were never explored beyond their two-dimensional archetypes. The last ~20% of the book also unfortunately fell flat.

I listened to this on audio, and well at least the narrator was really good.

Little personal nitpick:
The careless use of the term OCD. Like many characters trying to be funny, OCD is once again used in the "just checking my car is locked again out of my quirky OCD tendencies" context. I am tired of it, diagnosed OCD is debilitating and the character clearly did not suffer it.

Thank you Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I leave this review voluntarily.

[Translator Monkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun to read. Slight chills, spirit encounters that might (or might not) be friendly, creepy little nearly-abandoned town, two old friends trying to answer questions about a missing loved one that may (or may not) be the storied corpse stuck in the blackgum tree, southern gothic setting - this has everything for a chilling read.

In short, I loved it.

The novel can be viewed as a near-perfect allegory of women coming together to maintain their beliefs in what is right and just over the centuries, and now more than ever. Really nice to have been fortunate enough to receive a digital ARC of this book; this in no way influenced by rating or review.

Four and a half stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

A very haunting story in more ways than one. I really enjoy the authors writing style. The flow makes it seem like I was done the book in 20 minutes. I did have a few questions in the end, but I'm not upset about them. It leaves you to ponder and allows the book to linger in your memory.

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderwich by Cherie Priest is a fantasy/horror novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Apex Book Company and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Dr. Judith Kane has never gotten over the loss of her girlfriend/lover, Ellen Thrush.  She has searched for her for decades.  Judith is friends with Ellen's niece, who goes by the name Kate (although she was named for her Aunt Ellen).

When Judith sees an article about a town called Cinderwich, where an unknown woman was found many years ago in a tree, Judith asks Kate to join her on the hunt.  Apparently, now and then, graffiti is written around the town asking the question "Who put Ellen in the blackgum tree?"  Could this be "their" Ellen?

But getting answers is not so easy, as the people in Cinderwich aren't keen on visitors.  However, the girls who found the body so many years ago, agree to talk to Judith and Kate.

Kate feels something is off, and she thinks she is seeing a ghost.  The deeper they look, they start realizing that this is not an ordinary town.


My Opinions:
This was a fairly fast and enjoyable read.  A little spooky, a little mystery, and a little more supernatural. Other than one scene near the end, there was no real horror.  But that's okay.  Everything worked well.

I loved the characters.  They were all a little quirky, and I loved the banter between Judith and Kate.

I'm not sure if I missed it, but I don't think the freemason plot line was fully explained, and I'm not sure what happened to Meredith.   However, the actual plot...finding out if the Ellen in the tree was "their" Ellen was answered, so that's all that really matters.  The only other problem I had was the really abrupt ending!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  A very "atmospheric" read.  I'll be looking for more by this author!

  

For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, author information and a favorite quotation from the book), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Matthew Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this at the end, I don’t think the description really does this justice. My expectations were pointed to a MUCH darker place — what with the creepy graffiti, the disappearance, the strange townspeople… Things sound ominous. However, the book is really more about the relationship between a professor and the student named after the aunt the professor loved. Their interactions are interesting and they academically approach the mystery for some light investigation… until something scary finally does happen at the very end. So I’d say read this one if you’re interested in the characters and don’t really expect anything else from the plot. (They’re great characters)

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Who put Ellen in the black gum tree?” is the question that brings two women seeking closure to the dying town of Cinderwich, TN. It’s a return, in a way, to the state and tropes that Priest first wrote about in her Eden Moore series, years ago. It’s a Southern gothic with the requisite familial issues, slight chills, hauntings both tangible and intangible, and a presence that may not be as well-controlled as the Cinderwich residents hope.

A woman’s body was found in a black gum tree, some forty years previously, by five young girls. She was never identified, and disappeared while being transported for autopsy. She was seemingly forgotten, until messages began showing up, asking, “Who put Ellen in the black gum tree?”

A newspaper story sparks new interest in the story. Judith, Ellen’s former teacher and lover, who still seeks answers, invites Ellen’s namesake niece, known as Kate, to meet her in Cinderwich to see if this is their Ellen. Kate, who never met her aunt, and who was always compared unfavorably to Ellen by her emotionally abusive mother and grandmother, has little reason to want to go, but does out of care for Judith, who was her teacher years after Ellen disappeared.



This is a nice gothic novella with many of the usual elements – a heroine who comes from a background where she was made to feel less than, the mysterious disappearance of a woman, a dying town, characters who alternately provide backstory and cryptic warnings, someone digging random holes in the woods, and a ghost who may or may not be trying to help. There are clootie wells, coin trees, and the practical magic of Appalachia.



The gothic theme of women suffering due to the actions of men is lightly explored, as there are references to a ritual performed by Masons that may have called an entity that has killed more women than Ellen over the years.



Why you should read it: It’s a good solid story in the gothic tradition. It’s just that little bit unsettling, but not scary enough to make you read it with the lights on. I would have loved to have a full-length novel, so more of the themes could be explored, and we could get more of the freemason backstory, but it’s good as is, too. If you’re a fan of Barbara Michaels, you’ll like Cinderwich.



Why you might not want to read it: Gothics are making a comeback, but I think they may be too niche for popularity. They’re typically not intense enough for horror fans. There’s no romance for romantic suspense fans, and the paranormal elements are a bit more muted than in many paranormal mysteries.



3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded to 4. Recommended.



I received an advance copy from Apex via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Teo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

Very much Goosebumps gone adult (the only thing that really makes it so is the main characters being older women), though this is PG enough to be read by all ages.

This needed a whole cupful more of Southern and Gothic. I was on board with the story and atmosphere at the get go, but it does feel unfinished. The pacing is off in several ways, and the climax is very underwhelming to say the least. There was plenty of room for more answers and explanations, but a lot of the story elements get glossed over in hopes we'd just go along. I am also not quite sure if I get what the end line is supposed to imply. Oh well, atleast this was a fast read!

[Rebecca Laporte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers sprinkled within....


I honestly thought I was listening to a debut novel, so to find that she has multiple novels (mostly novellas was a bit shocking to me)

We follow Kate & Judith to Cinderwich TN following a decades (about 4 of them) old story about a woman's corpse found in a blackgum tree. They believe this woman to be Ellen, Kate's aunt who went missing before she was born and Judith's old partner.

When they arrive in Cinderwich it is ghost town with few locals, most of them unfriendly and very unwelcoming to the travelers.

As the story progresses Kate and Judith are unsurprisingly unable to make much progress in this old case, but that doesn't stop them from trying.

This book brings us ghost, crazy witchcraft type beliefs and evil spirits. They had entertaining moments but overall didn't do enough to justify the story.

We also have a lot of unknowns that aren't properly wrapped up. What was the point of Meredith's ghost? Her communication didn't help with the story at all.
What was all the talk of the freemasons? This story line when nowhere?

There was one part that the editors missed that really bugged me. When the car broke down and Judith went to have a smoke, Kate said that Judith would die if she knew she was smoking, but in the literal first chapter she talked about Judith smoking and drinking wine with her. This should have been caught.

All in all I enjoyed this shorter story up to the end when it didn't really wrap up these lose threads for me.

[John Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book a bit of a let down. It starts slowly, but that's fine as it feels as though it's going to build up to an awesome climax - except that it doesn't.

Kate sees what is undeniably a ghost quite early on in the book, and I felt this spoiled the tension a bit as we no longer have the "is it real? Is it not real?" tension. Then when "the evil that lies, hungering, at the roots of Cinderwich" is unveiled it turns out to be a disappointing anticlimax.

I also felt Kate was the only well fleshed out character in the book. Even Judith seemed to be there only there only to act as a foil for Kate.

I've read and enjoyed many of Cherie Priest's books but this one is not a must read.

[Patty (IheartYA311) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for offering this title in their catalog. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I really enjoyed the unique premise of this book. The story was written well and pacing was consistent. Usually I complain about how a book is too long or bogged down by unnecessary details, but this one could have actually benefited from more complexities. Overall, a quick, interesting read.

If you like making new book friends, playing games, giveaways, traveling books, and reading reviews, check out LiterALLy BOOKiSh, a book club on Facebook.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Kate as a character but at first I thought her relationship w Judith was hella weird but I came to be okay w their dynamic.

I wish this story was much longer and flushed out however w that being said I def am going to be trying this author again.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Cinderwich, by Cherie Priest, we come along for the ride as two women – Kate and Judith – head to the tiny Tennessee town of Cinderwich, where every year, fresh graffiti appears, asking ‘who put Ellen in the blackgum tree?’.

Ellen was the name of Kate’s aunt and Judith’s lover, who disappeared without a trace in the 1970s. Could the unidentified corpse discovered in the tree have been their Ellen? And how close will the strange, tired little town let them come to finding out?

I enjoyed Cinderwich for quite a few reasons. I was drawn in by the missing-person mystery and stayed for the captivating characters and spooky setting.

Right from the first chapter, I was won over by the characters. I quickly became invested in discovering what had happened to Ellen thanks to Kate’s description of her aunt (who vanished before she was born) as an independent, unconventional feminist scholar disapproved of by Kate’s strait-laced mother and grandmother.

It also helped that I very much liked Kate herself. The story is told from her first-person point of view, and she comes across as amiable, humorous, open-minded, and self-deprecating, with no airs and graces, as well as a sense of failure to reach her potential that I could relate to.

Judith is a more earnest and serious foil to Kate who I felt a great deal of sympathy for, as Ellen was clearly the love of her life and she’s spent more than 40 years not knowing what happened to her. Judith and Kate have their own history, and clearly think a lot of each other. Their interactions are generally characterised by generosity, consideration, and comfort, which is lovely.

I additionally appreciated how, even though Judith’s approaching 80 and can’t push herself too hard physically, she’s still on top form intellectually and sartorially, and very much a determined participant in the investigation and life more generally.

The great representation of older women doesn’t stop there, however. In the course of their inquiries, Kate and Ellen meet three late middle-aged Goths – two sisters and their lifelong friend – who share an amazing-sounding large, vaguely-haunted Victorian house. I would more than happily read a spin-off novel about this trio!

This house was far from the only thing in this book that appealed to me as an enthusiast of all things spooky, though. The setting of a small, quiet, economically-dead town naturally gave me the vibe of a Stephen King novel, but with a predominantly female, progressive cast and a particularly Appalachian/southern flavour of haunting.

Geographically remote and home to the ghost of a member of a prominent local family during its long-gone boom days; folk magic; an unnerving tree; and a feeling of not-quite-right-ness, the town of Cinderwich is virtually an intriguing, creepy character in itself.

And that’s before the scary denouement, which really piqued my imagination, providing possible answers to existing questions, but also posing new ones.

Cinderwich is intriguing and imaginative, with brilliant characters.

[Lisa Lynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down.

Well now. Despite having many hallmark tropes of the genre, I certainly wouldn't call this a horror story.

Cherie Priest's Cinderwich has the vibe of a small-town, buddy-cop mystery except instead of the wise, old detective and the young buck newby, we have the now old-lady girlfriend of the missing woman and her middle-aged niece on the case. It was... a little off from the start.

I couldn't really buy into the setup here. It didn't make sense to me that these characters would reconnect to investigate this way-past-it's-prime disappearance with any realistic hopes of solving the mystery or of even finding new or relevant information.

Apparently many people have come to this town thinking they will find their missing woman, none having any luck. And it's mentioned that the townspeople are annoyed by these investigative tourists, but that doesn't stop them from spilling all the tea in the laps of our protagonists when they arrive.

So most of the investigation here is through info-dumpy conversations. There's also a microfiche searching scene at a library, which is a horror trope that annoys me to no end.

Oh, and Cinderwich is the name of the town, not a person, so that's a damn shame.

Far too much of this little novella is spent on setting up the story. Far too little is spent on the atmosphere, which is why this lacks the feel of a horror story in my opinion.

And then the end. Ugh.

I don't think a single question was answered. It's one of those "let the reader decide" kind of things. And I think I resent that. Like, what was the point of all this? What was the message I was supposed to take away?

If you're not going to tell me the story, at least give me some meaningful themes to chew on.

I really liked Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century books, but everything outside of that series has been a miss for me.

[Alanna-Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 stars.

Intriguingly spooky. Well-written.

I have always been a fan of Cherie Priest's, ever since I first read *Dreadnought* from her steampunk *Clockwork Century* series. I love her attention to detail and strong female leads. So, when I saw that she had a new novella coming out, I jumped at the chance to read/review it.

I had so much fun listening to this audiobook. For some, this story may move a little too slowly, but I found it worked well in building the kind of tension essential to this "ghost story". Unlike YA books that maintain over-the-top, adrenaline-filled tension throughout in order to captivate younger minds, this story builds intrigue and mystery in the corners and almost-unseen shadows. The characters, main and auxiliary alike, are loveable, weird and unique. I loved that the main characters were two older women with history between them. This author has such a talent for bringing the exquisite details to life.

Although I avoided listening to this right before bed, it actually isn't scare-the-pants-off-you frightening (at least it wasn't for me). There were a handful of mysteries, and two women trying to make their way to the bottom of it. It felt like so much of this story could have happened to someone I could've known (granting a belief in the supernatural, ghosts and the like).

Audiobook is very well narrated.

Huge gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for a copy of this Audio ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cinderwich" by Cherie Priest is a paranormal kind of mystery with a bit of thriller and horror.

In the small town of Cinderwich, Tennessee, a woman's body was found in a Blackgum tree over 20 years ago. Somehow, they knew her name was Ellen. Kate's Aunt Ellen had gone missing near there just before that. So when her former college mentor and her aunt's former partner, Judith, contacts her to go to this town to solve the mystery, she agrees.

They arrive in the small rundown town of Cinderwich and find the hotel is in the most creepy, gothic looking house around. Even the first night, a ghost shows herself to Kate.

The atmosphere is very well done. The characters are all excellent with complex personalities.

The narrator, Traci Odom, did a great job with the voices.

I enjoyed this book and it was well written.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 35/8= 4.4, rounded down to 4

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Cherie Priest for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

[ThatBookish_deviant · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ (Rounded up for Goodreads)

Professor Dr. Judith Kane (80 years old) goes on a roadtrip with Kate, her former student, to the derelict town of Cinderwich, Tennessee. They’re hoping to find Judith’s long-lost lover, Ellen, who just so happens to be Kate’s Aunt. The duo have been lured to Cinderwich by the discovery of a desiccated female corpse, found wedged in a black gum tree. Could it be their Ellen?

Judith and Kate are engaging feminist scholars who made me chuckle with their self-deprecating humor. The duo encounters intriguing characters on their trip, including a trio of late middle-aged Goth women who live together in a haunted Victorian mansion.

Cinderwich is a spooky, slow-burn ghost story that kept me entertained throughout. With a progressive, predominantly female cast, including great representation of older women.
The pacing is relaxed but maintained my interest during its concise, 184 page duration

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Traci Odom did a wonderful job with the narration on this book! She speaks very clearly and was easy to listen to for hours! The story is about a small Tennessee town where lots of legend and stories are told about the murder of a girl named Ellen. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters and the town, while kinda creepy, had that small superstitious town feel. I liked the way it all wrapped up and will keep an eye out for other books from this author!

[Jennifer T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this creepy little novella. Excellent description and characters for such a short read, felt like I knew Kate, Judy, and Ellen and like I was in Cinderwich myself. I’d have loved more history of the town and why it is the way it is but that’s just me.

If you want a quick spooky read grab this, it would be perfect during Halloween.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Libro.FM for the early audiobook of Cinderwitch.

Cinderwitch has elements of horror, leaning more towards the cozy side with supernatural elements. We have ghosts & a small town secret, but my attention focused the heaviest on the relationship between the main characters & what brought them together. The spooky scenes felt to be very few & far between, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing! Definitely a chill book to read and relax with.

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

We really lost the plot at the end

[Kristal]

I didn't understand the ending and it annoyed me. At least it was short.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt a bit too cliched and forced, I had a hard time finishing it. This also may be due to recent events, I'm a bit cranky and sleep derived.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting snippet of a story. Less resolution than you'd expect, but also a little bit more than you expect at the climax. Is it a spoiler to say there are no explanations here? It's mostly just the mystery -- two outsiders happening to wander in to a town's story. Cinderwich and its folk could be their own novel, and our protagonists here would pop up in the middle third, naive tourists distracting the main characters before they can be convinced to get out of the way. Bold choice. Won't work for everyone. I'm a little equivocal myself....maybe an actual 3.5 star rating.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how secrets work, and how they catch, and how they keep

Ellen Thrush doesn't keep in contact with her family anymore. There's little love lost there. The closest connection she has to them is her name, that first belonged to an aunt who disappeared before she was born. Somehow, though they never knew each other, the two Ellen's lives are like a mirror, both going into academia, both dropping out, and both connected to an older professor, Judith (one as a lover, the other as a mentee). And that may have been the end of it, till Judith sends Ellen, going by Kate, a newspaper article from the little town of Cinderwich, Tennessee. Not long after the elder Ellen went missing some forty years ago, an unidentifiable body was found, and someone has been spray-painting ,"Who put Ellen in the blackgum tree?" ever since...

Cinderwich kept me on my my toes. Kate and Judith, two women trying to find some solace from a decades-old mystery, starts out as a Southern gothic. Small town, buried secrets, and at least one body. Elements of folklore ghosts abound, and when we finally meet a few witches they are more Practical Magic than anything else. The tone swings from horror to cozy, all tied together by the often strained relationship of our two protagonists. Their banter sometimes got to be too much, but Priest always managed to divert to another element of the mystery just in time.

Without saying too much, we learn that a lot more is going on in Cinderwich than the characters know, and many questions remain by the time the novella concludes. But sometimes, the best we can do is to know we have asked every question we can, and come to terms that some mysteries may never be solved - at least not by us. I have read a few books by Priest, and Cinderwich likely won't be the last.

I was provided a review copy of this book by Apex Book Company