Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

Reviewed by Jeanne

The first James woman walked alone out of the Forest in Cabal Hollow, West Virginia generations ago.  Since then, all the James women have had certain gifts. The current James family has them too.  They are somewhat small gifts as magic goes; for example Rowan James knows when someone is lying and Sorrel James can charm bees.  Linden James can taste emotions: she knows exactly what people are feeling, whether or not she wants to.

What Linden can’t do is remember what happened last summer when she went missing in the woods during the festival.  She was found with a head injury and no memory of what happened or how she ended up where she was.  Some people seem dubious about her claim of amnesia, but then the James women have always been the object of suspicion even as people come to them for tonics and creams.

Now the summer solstice is here which means festival time:  the Moth Festival, celebrating the legend of the Moth-Winged Man, a folkloric figure who may bring death or at least warn of death. Linden’s friend Dahlia Calhoun has come home from college for the festival.  Dahlia is the reigning Moth Queen, and it’s time for her to relinquish her crown.

But Dahlia goes missing the night of the festival, only to be found dead. Linden knows that she is going to have to discover what happened to her the year before if she is going to be able to solve Dahlia’s murder. She’s also going to have to uncover a lot of secrets—including some about her own family.

Sometimes a novel just has you by the opening paragraph.  That’s what Bittersweet in the Hollow did for me.  I liked the writing and the imagery from the start, and the story just drew me in. This is a beautifully written YA novel set in West Virginia. Appalachian traditions are represented without condescension or judgment.  The book is a wonderful blend of mystery with some supernatural elements, romance, coming of age, and family.  Characters were well developed, and the setting was very vivid.  I liked that Pearsall took the Point Pleasant’s Mothman legend and reshaped it into something else, drawing more on traditional lore. I was drawn to all the characters and the book left me wanting more.  I liked all the sensory descriptions Pearsall employed.  In some ways, the book reminded me of those written by one of my favorite authors, Sarah Addison Allen. 

I understand there is going to be another book in the series, and I’m already looking forward to it.