Beautifully written story of two sisters who grow closer as they mature in their mountain home. A brutal murder compels the younger sister to action who proves to be a good detective. The mountain maintains a strong tie on the older sister and the odd drawings of the younger sister provide guidance in the strangest ways and places. Mystery and spirituality help the author weave a tale of natural beauty that communes with nature into a great read!

I found this book very readable and I enjoyed it. Living in a forest descriptions sparked my imagination of what that could really be like. The village living descriptions evoked what it's like to live in a small community where certain people take it upon themselves to judge and punish others in accordance with their personal beliefs. Yes, magic was involved but the storyline still mirrors real life. Good first novel!

I enjoyed this book for the author's excellent depiction of the central character and his family.The words came alive to create a clear family image with all the beauty, longing, secrets and wounds. This book would make a great Book Club selection because of the large number of themes & topics to explore in discussion. There is a great opportunity for the facilitator to present additional information about Hansen's Disease historical information as well as current day treatment.Themes include family relationships, secrets/ sacrifice, medical ethics, societal discrimination and group dynamics among numerous others! I longed for more information when I reached the end of this book.

It took me a couple of weeks to complete the reading of this book. It was enjoyable and I particularly liked the short chapters. The skipping around between characters was easier to follow using the short chapter approach. The writing was consistently good. I especially like the character Annie Meake, the long suffering wife of Dr. Meake. She displayed the kind of loving patience that many people display despite misbehaving spouses. What was missing for me at the end was some kind of impactful meaning behind the use of angels in the plot. Yes, angels are mysterious, heavenly creatures that most anyone would find intriguing; however, that was all the storytelling was about—mysterious, heavenly creatures that would benefit only one man. For me it cheapened the writing and narrative that was good to the point that at the end my reaction was "so what"? I did not have takeaways from this book.

"The events of tomorrow are never early. Nothing comes to pass late." The immortal main character, Anna, learns this from her beloved Vanos. He teaches her how, like the seasons, we submit to death & destruction when the seasons demand. Anna grows from her own fractured childhood to love the battered & bruised children of others as the seasons of emptying bring her through centuries of hopeless immortal living. As comes the Spring she experiences new beginnings and affirms "I'll hold what I'm given tenderly but loosely…." I agree with other reviewers who have mentioned that the book is not for everyone. As Anna learns through the ages, the reading of this book requires readers to hold this story "loosely," to put aside the moments of horror, and to think carefully about what it would be like to be immortal and about our own seasons of endings & beginnings. The author portrays loving relationships beautifully and turns a "vampire" into a believable almost- human creature. Anne Rice fans will find this author's work engaging.

I highly recommend this book for book club discussions. This was the best book I've read this year. Moderately paced writing that describes daily life for the key characters yet consistently and deftly introduces new and timely discussion topics throughout the book. Best for readers who like to think about what and how we are to be in this world as well as what the role of animals in nature is meant to be. Excellent writing and subjects!

Very early in this book a trial begins regarding an explosion in an HBOT pure oxygen chamber. Throughout the rest of the book the chapters were woven together leading to the revelation of an unknowing murderer. For me there was no avid page turning. It seemed each pick up and put down of the book revealed only more of the same descriptions of character perspectives without building depth of the character. I found no attachment to any of the characters in this book with the exception of Elizabeth who happened to mirror a family member in my life. While there was nothing wrong with the writing per se it failed to intrigue or inspire. The HBOT centering of the novel did not develop into a centering for the characters nor into a reader’s conclusion of such a treatment as beneficial or fraudulent. I continued reading based on my obligation to my Book Club. For these reasons I can only rate this an average read.

I would give this book a 4.5 rating if I was able to do so. Very enjoyable and engaging read.The necessary description of tragedy experienced by slaves seeking freedom was overcome entirely in the moment by the community scene at the central fire in Remembrance.Those most likely to enjoy the book are readers "willing to suspend their disbelief" in order to soak up and hold onto the magic of this writer's storytelling skills. Those readers can't help but become enchanted in a story that so rarely has warm, memorable outcomes. I believe there will always be havens like Remembrance as long as we close our eyes and remember our dreams.

The book definitely kept me reading. I have always enjoyed similar reads and I loved the author's first book called the Lace Reader. However, here are a few of the things I think could have been improved in this book:

1. Stronger character development so that readers could hold x,y,z facts in mind about each character.
2. Stronger historical development of the women who died that were on the 5 petals of the rose.
3. What changed Callie's mind at the end of the book?
4. Relationship between Paul and Ann -- just goes "poof"?

Does anyone else have questions or thoughts like this when they finished the book or did I just miss some things? Good read--just wasn't as good as The Lace Reader in my opinion.