Traveling down a dark road one night, Ivy and her boyfriend are confronted by a naked woman, standing where she should not.  Avoiding the woman meant hitting the tree and getting a bit bruised and battered.  It also starts a mystery that has been playing out longer than Ivy knows.  

 

Ivy and her mom are not the closest.  Ivy often fells like a third wheel between her mom and her mom’s best friend, and this recent accident and other things just expands that gap more.  However, this is a dual story, told in the now time from Ivy’s perspective in suburban America. The other side of the story is from mom’s perspective at the same age as her daughter in 1990’s Chicago.  

 

This story is a thrilling mystery with a magical streak.  Magic dark and light are the thread that sews together this story of family connections, family togetherness and family safety.  If one is a fan of Practical Magic or other Alice Hoffman magic books, they are sure to enjoy this tale.  It is dark, atmospheric, and completely engrossing.  Once started this book will be hard to put down as the reader not only needs to know what happens next but also have their “who done it” theories slashed into pieces.  

 

While not a tale of horror, this book is a witchy treasure perfect for long cozy nights.  It has intrigue, it has heart, it has small bouts of scariness.  So beware, dead animals are present, and so is underage drinking and crashes associated with that action.