Hex House

Who among us hasn't dreamt of finding a house in the woods hidden from the world where we can rest, recharge, center ourselves, maybe read (or write) a book or two?

I just listened to Hex House by Amy Jane Stewart, narrated by Lianne Walker, and this was the perfect way to read this book. Her Scottish accent and narration put me right in the story, and the inflection and quality changes between the two primary PoVs were enough that it was easy to tell whose story we were following.

Elly is pregnant and in love, and, through her, we can see her new husband is bad news. Some part of her seems to realize it, too, and when he lashes out on their wedding night, she flees into the nearby woods.

Siobhan is a filmmaker who meets Elly when she's making a documentary with her brother Theo, but we pick up her story four years later, and all we know about the documentary is that it created a rift between them.

Hex House is the common denominator - the place that took Elly in, the place that Siobhan was so intrigued by she wanted to film a documentary. Hex House can only be found by those who need it, and it's meant to be a sanctuary and refuge, a way for these women to regain their power, but there's obviously something sinister going on.

This was a fun read - the main characters are relatable (I mean, yes, both Elly and Siobhan made decisions I found questionable - but we all do), and the world built around the lore of Hex House is interesting - I could see a whole series around it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy for my unbiased review.