SYNOPSIS

Violet is just starting school at Elm Hollow Academy, an all-girl’s boarding school located in a rundown, east coast town known for its high suicide rate. Having just experienced tragedy in her own life, Violet is hoping for a fresh start. She immediately befriends three other girls, all of them considered “outsiders” at school and all with secrets of their own. The four girls become very close, and soon Violet finds herself caught up in the group’s intense fascination with the town’s history of witchcraft. She’s especially enamored with the group’s leader, Robin, and desperately wants her approval—even though she doesn’t always approve of the ethically-questionable choices that Robin makes. But as Violet’s disenchantment with the group grows, it’s clear that she’s in too deep and knows too much to just walk away. Can Violet find a way to break free from the mess she’s created for herself? And more importantly, does she genuinely even want to?

MY THOUGHTS

Well, this book was a lot darker than I was expecting, yowza. I was surprised by where the story ended up, but I still enjoyed reading it. I liked author Katie’ Lowe’s writing style, and, for the most part, the book zipped along. My only complaint is that the historical background (given mostly through one of the boarding school teacher’s lectures) became tedious and boring over time. I wanted to focus on the girls now and not so much on the history they were fascinated by.

But I was fascinated by the weird relationship between Violet and Robin. Being a young teenage girl is tough, and I remember all too well the somewhat dysfunctional friendships from that time in my life. It’s strange how you can be bffs with someone you’re enamored with…but also kinda disgusted by at the same time. Sometimes we gravitate toward people who intimidate us, mistaking the excitement of fear for connection. And we do that, probably, because we haven’t yet learned that relationships are supposed to feel good and comforting. They aren’t supposed to make us feel like we’re lesser than. These are the lessons we all must learn, sigh…

The Furies ended up being a whole lot more exciting and complicated than I was expecting. It’s not the type of book I would usually read, but it was thoroughly entertaining.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

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