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A review by bookwormishme
When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain
4.0
Southern Gothic Horror! This is a crazy wicked novel about myths, legends, and murder taking place in the Ozarks off the Aux-Arc Trail.
Dovie’s mom disappeared ages ago, when Dovie was just a little one. No one talks about what happened to her mom. Mostly because Dovie’s family, the Clovers, are Hill people - or outsiders in this small community in the Ozarks. Dovie’s maternal grandmother and her mother had a gift where they could track the dead by the ‘singing of their bones.’ And Dovie has it too. When hikers go missing from the AAT, the local Sheriff relies on Dovie to locate the dead.
Then there’s Lowan, the other half of Dovie, and a descendant of another Hill family. Their grandmothers and mothers were best friends. Until Lowan’s mother died and Dovie’s disappeared. Lowan is battling demons of his own in this small town. Dovie wants to take his demons away.
When a boy from Oklahoma goes missing from the Trail, Dovie finds him. Lowan knows how he died. And the boy’s brother comes looking for answers. The three team up to try to figure out who or what is responsible for what’s happening in these hills.
This is a creepy telling of the tale of the Ozark Howler, a mythical beast in the hills of the Ozarks. But there’s more to this than just the Howler. It’s a story of outsiders in their own communities. About the power of the local preacher to turn against those who have been here longer than most. And believing in the best of people without realizing their dark sides.
It’s an immersive novel that beautifully describes this location and the people who inhabit it. I enjoyed it immensely with its themes of magic and backwoods wisdom. Dovie is one tough cookie who accepts her ‘gift’ even when it causes her such pain. Gripping and frightening, well done.
Dovie’s mom disappeared ages ago, when Dovie was just a little one. No one talks about what happened to her mom. Mostly because Dovie’s family, the Clovers, are Hill people - or outsiders in this small community in the Ozarks. Dovie’s maternal grandmother and her mother had a gift where they could track the dead by the ‘singing of their bones.’ And Dovie has it too. When hikers go missing from the AAT, the local Sheriff relies on Dovie to locate the dead.
Then there’s Lowan, the other half of Dovie, and a descendant of another Hill family. Their grandmothers and mothers were best friends. Until Lowan’s mother died and Dovie’s disappeared. Lowan is battling demons of his own in this small town. Dovie wants to take his demons away.
When a boy from Oklahoma goes missing from the Trail, Dovie finds him. Lowan knows how he died. And the boy’s brother comes looking for answers. The three team up to try to figure out who or what is responsible for what’s happening in these hills.
This is a creepy telling of the tale of the Ozark Howler, a mythical beast in the hills of the Ozarks. But there’s more to this than just the Howler. It’s a story of outsiders in their own communities. About the power of the local preacher to turn against those who have been here longer than most. And believing in the best of people without realizing their dark sides.
It’s an immersive novel that beautifully describes this location and the people who inhabit it. I enjoyed it immensely with its themes of magic and backwoods wisdom. Dovie is one tough cookie who accepts her ‘gift’ even when it causes her such pain. Gripping and frightening, well done.