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A Novel
by Dana Elmendorf
In a small town in Appalachia, people paint their doorways blue to keep spirits away. Black ferns grow where death will follow. And Weatherly Opal Wilder is a Death Talker.
When called upon, she can talk the death out of the dying and save their lives—only once, never twice. But this truly unique gift comes at a price, rooting Weatherly to people who only want her around when they need her and resent her backwater ways when they don't.
Weatherly's cousin Adaire also has a gift: she's a Scryer and can see the future reflected back in dark surfaces. Right before she is killed in an accident, Adaire saw something unnerving, and that's why Weatherly believes she was murdered—never thinking for a moment that it was an accident. But when Weatherly, for the first time, is unable to talk the death out of the mayor's son, the whole town suspects she is out for revenge, that she wouldn't save him.
With the help of clues Adaire left behind and her family's Granny Witch recipe box, Weatherly sets out to find the truth behind her cousin's death, whatever it takes.
Imbued with magic, witchery, and suspense, Dana Elmendorf's In the Hour of Crows is a thrilling tale of friendship, identity, and love.
"A spellbinding tale of family secrets, dark magic, and murder." —Publishers Weekly
"In the Hour of Crows enchants with its haunting plot and vivid prose, offering a compelling exploration of the human spirit against the backdrop of Appalachia's mystique."
—Booklist
"In the Hour of Crows has everything I love in a good southern gothic—family drama, earthy magic married with religion, and a sense of coiling, visceral dread. Elmendorf's small Georgia town is both stifling and sensual, filled with characters so realistic you'll swear you've met them before. Enchanting, gritty, and impossible to put down." —Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain
"In the Hour of Crows enthralls like a delicious dark spell. The story is perfectly set in 1980s Appalachia, in a tightknit town that feels ever more mysterious as gifted Weatherly Wilder unearths secrets some folks would rather keep buried. The Death Talker premise is fascinating, as are the codes that compel the magical Wilder family—an intriguing mix of Scottish lore, Appalachian superstition, and biblical doctrines. Elmendorf has written a wildly original debut, an evocative tale about self-identity and growth, the inspiring afterlife of love, and the hazards of using piety to gain power." —Glendy Vanderah, bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars
"Beautiful, dark, and vulnerable, In the Hour of Crows is a love letter to Appalachia that just might steal your soul. Elmendorf's authentic Southern voice is lyrical yet haunting, and the page-turning mystery makes this an absolute must-read." —Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Hundred Loves of Juliet
"Utterly unforgettable. In the Hour of Crows is a gorgeous feast for the senses, a Southern midnight wrapped in folk magic and stolen kisses, tenderness and grit. I savored every page, whether it was breaking my heart or taking away my breath. With this book, Dana Elmendorf offers a stunning debut that will leave readers craving more of her deliciously eerie worlds." —Heather Demetrios, author of Little Universes
This information about In the Hour of Crows was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Dana Elmendorf is a YA author making her adult debut. A native Tennessean, she lives in Southern California with her family.
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