Review Detail

THE BITTERWINE OATH is a YA fantasy and light horror read. Nat is the descendent of the girl who put their town on the map, Malachi, who was blamed for the murder of 12 men 100 years ago. Her role could not be proven and was suggested to be witchcraft. They were awful men, but the crime was copied 50 years later, though the details were changed and 12 young men died. Now, at the 100 year anniversary, Nat finds herself and the town a little on edge.
Aside from the town's inability to forget these unsolved crimes, she is also having nightmares and knows her best friend is keeping something from her. As she begins to learn about what it is, she learns about the dark and deadly things that exist in their town and her connection to it all.

The dark premise was really intriguing, and I appreciated the smattering inclusion of passages from Lillian's book, one of Malachi's friends. However, once we begin learning about the secret society, the tone of the book definitely changes. I was intrigued about the past with Malachi and the present, as we slowly gain information. I felt like it was hard to pin down information about Malachi, what really happened, and the full answers as to how it has carried forward. I tend to like a faster-paced and more intense read of this genre.

Overall, I found this to be an intriguing dark book with magic, mystery, and murder (past) that kept me reading. Would recommend for people who like books with inherited missions and secret societies.