Challenge Corner discussion

A mother must fight for her daughter’s life in this fierce and haunting tale of witchcraft and revenge from the author of A Haunting in the Arctic.

Clem gets a call that is every mother’s worst nightmare. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Erin is unconscious in the hospital after a hiking trip with her friends on the remote Orkney Islands that met a horrifying end, leaving her boyfriend dead and her best friend missing. When Erin wakes, she doesn’t recognize her mother. And she doesn’t answer to her name, but insists she is someone named Nyx.

Clem travels the site of her daughter’s accident, determined to find out what happened to her. The answer may lie in a dark secret in the history of the Orkneys: a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft and murder four centuries ago. Clem begins to wonder if Erin’s strange behavior is a symptom of a broken mind, or the effects of an ancient curse?

Through Part 1

I'm surprised by just how hard it is to read about how they test her to see if she's a witch - and her sham of a trial *sigh*

(view spoiler)[
What's happened to Erin is shocking. I can't figure out why the parents have decided that Erin did something - they saw her in the hospital bed. She's NOT unscathed. She's clearly injured and one girl isn't there. How can they think it was Erin and not Senna?
It's weird - I can't imagine believing it was any of them - at least to start. Why wouldn't they believe that someone followed them? they were kids - just 19 - anyone could have followed them with ill intent - to rob or rape or just hurt - I wonder why they automatically think Erin did something. . .

I'm hoping Alison's mother has an amazing plan for her right now. how is she going to save her.

Did Erin's comment mean that she needs to save Alison - through the book - to ensure Alison doesn't burn? Why did Clem see a woman burning? how can they convince them from so far away to not burn her? (hide spoiler)]

Through Part 2

this book is becoming a complete misery to pick up. It's just horrible treatment again and again and again.

I hope this last part redeems it because so far, it's just been injustice and torture and it's hard to read or want to read more of.

(view spoiler)[ So maybe Arlo is the dad?
and Senna is maybe alive? horrible that she lead them and then let them believe erin did something. I dislike Senna so much
and the parents and the police are so ridiculous! A child that is THAT HURT from a fire - why on EARTH would they think Erin did it? SENNA is the one missing! And if she's unhurt, WHY would you think Erin did it - the one damaged beyond repair and NOT the one completely okay and the one with a history. UGH

and now - Alison is just going to be tortured more. I can't believe we are this far into the book and her whole story has been nothing but misery.
If she really dies in the fire, I think I'll give this book 1 star. It's just so sad and such a horrible injustice - Is her mom even helping her? and why do these guys in power just get to kill everyone? the rebels are so useless and they are about to lose all their land to. If they let them kill Edward or kill her, then they deserve it.

If a book is going to be this sad and horrible, at least give me a secondary story with some happiness and power and justice - something. (hide spoiler)]

I'm done

(view spoiler)[ this was such a sad, depressing book. I can't believe, after all that, they still burned Alison. everyone betrayed her when she did nothing wrong.

and Erin - I can't believe how the families treated her. How even after Senna was found, they still believe it was Erin who hurt Arlo and not the one person who was uninjured. It felt like another injustice.

this one just didn't work for me. I didn't feel like there was a good ending after all the horrible torture and injustice in the book and it left me feeling sad and defeated.

I really wish I'd skipped this one and not read it. (hide spoiler)]

OH NO!!!! And I bought the hardback! 1 star?? Ugh

I bought the hardback too. I felt like this one was rage bait - a story to make you mad.

but not everyone in my book club hated this one. 2 of us were 1 star ratings, 1 was 2 star rating and 2 were 3 star ratings! So very diverse - there are lots of 5 star ratings! You just might love this one!