I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


It is true that human beings delight in the wonderful act of discovery. Uncovering new horizons and always learning more are the primary motivations of human growth. Despite discovery being a huge motivator, the true driving force that pushes human beings forward is the unknown, in other words, mystery; and it is the beauty of mystery that is explored in this work, the irresistible pull the unknown has, its gravity and its ability to drive people insane, wanting to find out the truth.

Alice Young, a tough minded and headstrong woman, visits her old estate, Evertell, with her blooming daughter Penn, after the death of Alice's father, and the subsequent realization that she still owns the home and lands at Evertell. Alice is a widow, her husband having been the victim of the second world war, still taking place during this story. His body has never been recovered, and he lies in a grave far away from his family, preventing them from getting the closure they so desperately need, especially little Penn, who has been left numb and broken ever since her father's demise.Alice hopes that this trip to their old home can help heal her daughter, giving her back the spark of life that has been snuffed out for a while now. However, Alice has her own shadows to confront at Evertell, where she witnessed her mother's tragic breakdown that led to her death years ago, profoundly scarring her. During this trip to Evertell, she attempts to find closure by digging deep into her family's past, a past that her mother was also obsessed with. the story of Eleanor Dare, their ancestor who was the first woman to birth a child in the New World. Alice's daughter Penn gets subsequently involved in this investigation of the past, which reinvigorates her previously lost drive for life.


This book is a very slow and reflective piece of work. Kimberly Brock is a lush writer, expertly bringing the Evertell estate to life.This book is definitely not a fast paced plot driven story. Instead, it is a quiet and patient and slow exploration of Evertell, full of centuries of history that is much greater than the characters who are experiencing it in the present day of the story.The land is ancient, its soul primordial, predating the present culture that dominates it, and the author does a great job infusing this ancientness into the story. The setting and the way it was written is definitely one of the essential aspects this book leans on, and by the end of the story, Evertell grows on the reader and the house, alongside its grounds, and the little island in the middle of the lake, with its ancient graveyard, begin to feel like home.

The driving theme of this story is our desire to know where our roots come from, in order to firmly establish our place in this world and solidify our identities, to have a solid footing on which we can begin paving our path towards our future. Alice and Penn feel stagnated in their lives, due to debilitating grief they can't move on from. Penn feels broken after the loss of her father, and Alice is traumatized due to believing that she was the cause of her mother's demise. The women in their family are known to have a seemingly genetic predisposition to madness, Alice's mother being the last unfortunate example. According to lore passed down throughout the generations in their family, each woman, at some point in her life, will have a vision that will reveal profound insight regarding her past and her roots, dating back to Eleanor Dare. Despite the lack of direct magic in this book, there is always that lingering feeling that the supernatural is just a step away, hidden behind the nearest bush, and all we need is belief to gain access to the magic hidden in the land, and coursing through our character's veins.This subtle implied presence of a possibly magical reality further adds to the intrigue that makes this book enjoyable.

The only aspect that sometimes felt a bit frustrating to get through in this book is the relative lack of plot. This can make the book feel quite long, since the relative slow pace and the reflective nature of the book might seem to drag on a bit if one is not in the mood for such a slow work. In order to enjoy this book, the reader should appreciate it for what it is meant to be, a cozy stay in the ancient Evertell. The characterization isn't as profound either, with most characters being relatively simple, but I hardly noticed or took issue with that, since the beautiful world building was more than enough to make this book stand on its feet.

This story is inspired by the true events relating to the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony, and Eleanor Dare is a real person who has lived during that time. The author has done impressive research and has linked that reality into this story, filling in the unknown pieces with her imagination. Even the characters themselves don't fully know what happened, and through their voices, Kimberly Brock makes it clear that it is not necessary to know the entire facts in all cases, because as long as a story is told, it has its own spirit that is worth acknowledging.

 My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse and the author Kimberly Brock for this advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.


"A story matters not because it's true, but because it's been told."