Neil Olson | BEFORE THE DEVIL FELL

Plot (via Goodreads):

Will Connor returns to his hometown, a village north of Boston, to care for his injured mother. He’s kept his distance from the town since high school, but once home he finds himself reexamining a horrific incident that took place during one of his mother’s “spirit circles.” His mother had embraced the hippie generation’s fascination with New Age and the arcane, but the unexpected death of a close friend put an end to the meetings of the modern-day coven.

Or did it?

As Will looks deeper into his family’s history he discovers that her practices weren’t so much a passing fad but the latest link in a long tradition of New England witchcraft, which still seems to hold a strange power over the town. Will hopes that unearthing the facts about the death will put his questions to rest, but there are those willing to resort to violence to keep those secrets buried.

Review:

Before the Devil Fell is definitely a creepy and atmospheric read with a really complex and haunting storyline that kept me invested. I loved the plot, the setting, and the characters were just so well-written that it was hard not to imagine this one as a movie the entire time I was reading it.

I felt that this one was so promising between the plot and when I was reading it, I felt as though the book was really flying by. I loved the witchcraft element and the basis of this town full of secrets that span over multiple decades and how it all tied in together. The characters were so enjoyable to read, especially Will and Samantha (loved their scenes together) and the interactions and tension were done effectively and felt very strategic, almost as if foreshadowing the devilish finale.

My only drawback with this one was at times I felt there were too many characters mentioned without enough of a backstory to really remember who was who and at times this was confusing. There were a lot of details in this one and at times it kind of left me needing to go back and re-read certain parts because while a lot of this story flowed together well, there were a lot of times when I felt myself wanting the pace to pick up a bit. Overall, it was a fun and entertaining read that definitely left me feeling satisfied at the end, I just wish we could've went more into the backstory of this town a bit more and maybe taken out a few characters.

Special thanks to Hanover Square Press for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3/5