08/21/2023

An empath is thrust into a supernatural murder mystery in this sensory-rich, genre-bending series opener set in the Appalachian Mountains. Every year, the town of Caball Hollow, W.Va., hosts the Moth Festival, a long-standing tradition celebrating a local cryptid called the Moth-Winged Man. A year ago, during the festival, rising high school senior Linden James disappeared into the nearby woods and resurfaced the next morning with no memories of her experience except for flashes of running through a dark forest and feeling overwhelming terror. On the anniversary of her life-altering vanishing, she discovers her former friend Dahlia dead in the same woods; rumors begin to percolate that not only is Dahlia’s murder connected to the Moth-Winged Man, but also to both Linden’s disappearance and a decades-old case of a missing child. Determined to find answers, Linden recruits her diner-owning sisters and their special gifts to uncover the truth. Via intimate first-person narration, debut author Pearsall balances paranormal thrills and the horrors of the central mystery to craft a cottage-core-infused world replete with cozy domestic enchantments, a close-knit female cast, and a captivating romance. Characters default to white. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

Praise for Bittersweet in the Hollow

A Kirkus Best YA Book of 2023
An Indie Next Pick

★"This multifaceted book successfully manages to be many things: a satisfying paranormal mystery, a family narrative examining the damage of secrets kept and the ways in which silence allows violence to grow, and a paean to the immense Appalachian forest and the small communities nestled between the trees. Luscious prose and a compelling setting make the book hard to put down. . . . Complex, well-realized, and engrossing." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★"Pearsall pulls on elements of Appalachian lore around Mothman but makes the creature and its origin uniquely her own, setting up Faustian deals and fateful tragedies that build tension and surely break hearts (both of characters and readers alike). The pace is impeccable . . . [D]eliciously atmospheric . . . Mainstays of the supernatural genres are elevated by Linden’s poignant narration." —BCCB, starred review

★“The writing is tense and suspenseful with each new discovery bringing more questions. VERDICT: A compelling story as the James women struggle to deal with their own secrets, and in the process, reveal some the darkest ones in town. A first purchase.” —School Library Journal, starred review

"The Appalachian witch book of my dreams! I wanted to crawl inside Bittersweet In The Hollow and live with the James women. Haunted golden boys, deeply nuanced, magical girls, and the threat of something lurking in the woods kept me turning the page long after dark. Pearsall's debut is positively spellbinding." —Sasha Peyton Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven

"Bittersweet in the Hollow is a story rich in tradition and lore. Let the James sisters lead you deep into a world where beauty and evil hold hands in the shadows. Summer storms darken the skies and magic and mystery swirl like fog on the mountain." —Ginny Myers Sain, New York Times bestselling author of Secrets So Deep

"Kate Pearsall's Bittersweet in the Hollow makes the most of its setting, taking a fantastical premise full of witch girls, ghosts, and an original cryptid and peppering it with enough down-to-earth folk magic to make it feel like a comforting cup of herbal tea. The details and the lyrical yet accessible writing are what set this debut apart from other small town murder mystery YA novels." —NPR

"A captivating debut that blends a palpable atmosphere, visceral magic, and the depths of sisterly love to create a concoction even more enticing than the Harvest Moon’s famous tomato pie. . . . A spellbinding story rich with folklore and family." —Andrea Hannah, author of Where Darkness Blooms

"Debut author Pearsall balances paranormal thrills and the horrors of the central mystery to craft a cottage-core-infused world replete with cozy domestic enchantments, a close-knit female cast, and a captivating romance." —Publishers Weekly

“Pearsall’s authentic Appalachian setting is almost a character unto itself, and her subtle handling of the story’s magic will enthrall fans of A. R. Capetta and Melissa Albert. Thoughtfully blending mystery, thriller, and folk horror, Pearsall proves herself to be an author to watch.” —Booklist

★ 10/01/2023

Gr 9 Up—The James women are special; some people in Bittersweet Hollow, WV, even call them witches. The talent of Linden, the third of four sisters, is feeling and tasting people's emotions and the ability to influence people's feelings. The previous summer, she disappeared on Solstice when she and classmates gathered in the woods to call up the Moth-Winged Man, a local folk legend in their parts. She was found suffering from amnesia. A year later, Linden discovers her friend Dahlia's body in the woods and is determined to find her killer. Dahlia's case is tied to a young boy who went missing in the same area almost 20 years ago, and the Moth-Winged Man myth. The teen's investigation leads to her family being vilified, their business vandalized, and her life threatened. Throughout, she struggles with her relationship with Cole, the local golden boy, who seems to shun her since her disappearance. Aided by her three sisters and their supernatural talents, along with their Aunt Sissy's willingness to share family secrets, Linden slowly unravels where folklore meets reality and the sacrifices her family has made. The story flashes back and forth from the present to the night she went missing as she recovers more of her memories. The writing is tense and suspenseful with each new discovery bringing more questions. VERDICT A compelling story as the James women struggle to deal with their own secrets, and in the process, reveal some the darkest ones in town. A first purchase.—Tamara Saarinen

Reagan Boggs's gently accented narration deftly depicts this story's Appalachian setting. Her delivery contrasts with the high anxiety 17-year-old Linden feels a year after she went missing overnight during a community festival. Linden is still searching her memory for details of those events when she discovers that a friend has been murdered. Linden is one of four sisters who have peculiar gifts, and Boggs's narration captures the mysterious and the magical aspects of this story. Linden, for example, tastes feelings. The way Boggs presents these sections adds lyricism and eases the tension of Linden's discomfort with her community's secrets. Boggs's portrayal of Linden's romantic feelings adds sweet tension. S.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

★ 2023-08-11
Mystery and magic unfold in a West Virginian town surrounded by Appalachian forest.

The James women are insular not by choice but because they are feared as well as loved by the small-town denizens who patronize their restaurant by day and purchase their magic by night. Narrator Linden, one of “four sisters born in as many years,” can taste other people’s emotions; the women in her family each have their own small but potent powers. But no magic can repair the fallout from Linden’s disappearance last summer solstice. She went into the woods and tried to summon the local bogeyman called the Moth-Winged Man, only to vanish for a day and be found injured and with no memory of what had occurred. Her father has moved out, her nightmares won’t stop, and suspicion trails her, especially when another girl disappears a year later. This multifaceted book successfully manages to be many things: a satisfying paranormal mystery, a family narrative examining the damage of secrets kept and the ways in which silence allows violence to grow, and a paean to the immense Appalachian forest and the small communities nestled between the trees. Luscious prose and a compelling setting make the book hard to put down as the mystery slowly and steadily unfolds over the course of just a few days. Main characters read white.

Complex, well-realized, and engrossing. (Fantasy. 12-18)