Small Angels: 'A twisting gothic tale of darkness, intrigue, heartbreak and revenge' Jennifer Saint

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Small Angels" is steeped in magical realism and hauntings, vivid imagery and foreboding darkness, beautiful prose and deep mystery. This story of bewitchment and revenge weaves a spell over you, and won’t quite let go’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of PANDORA I think I saw this classified as a horror book somewhere, but I didn't get that. Is it a little eerie in parts? Sure, but horror seems a bit extra. This was well written and the story was decent but it never really grabbed me. By the end I was sort of skimming along. This beautifully written modern ghost story is an enchanting place to get lost.”—Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Book Review Small Angels is everything a good Gothic novel should be - peopled with slightly larger than life characters, containing a love story robed in the borrowed trappings of horror, set in a place that's just not quite like the world we know but could very well exist in a hidden corner of it, and showing flashes of folk horror too as an added bonus.

Stunning. Perfect for lovers of folklore and gothic fiction’ Elizabeth Lee, author of CUNNING WOMEN As Chloe and Sam’s wedding approaches and the church is now thoroughly cleaned and aired, something bad is awakening in the woods; something which is gaining strength.This book was an unexpected burst of joy for me. It was a perfectly chilling and spooky (yet somehow cozy) fall read. It made me want to light a candle and make something warm to drink while reading it. While the story itself is compelling, the way it’s told is not. I just couldn’t sink myself into it like I have other ghost stories and horror tales that have been released this year. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Small Angels simmers with menace and ancient fury, shot through with sorrow, compassion, and hope. Gorgeously atmospheric and gripping!” —Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

The forest holds onto its memories and the families that grew up on the edges are bound to its foreboding requirements, for thou shalt not fail to uphold thier promises. Its love runs so deeply, it does not ever let go. It keeps its stories and it remembers. In terms of comparisons, this novel’s narration recalls Donna Tartt's 'The Little Friend', where all we witness is coloured through the psyche of a young female protagonist. I’d also recommend this to fans of Jeanette Winterson’s style (especially ‘The Daylight Gate’). ‘Small Angels’ gave me the same reading pleasure as Sarah Waters’s ‘The Little Stranger’ or 'The Paying Guests', particularly the tantalising section after Frances and Lilian have murdered Leonard and are awaiting the consequences. Surprisingly, I found myself also recalling the mood of Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’: there's something reminiscent of the scene during the inquest, where the second Mrs de Winter (and the reader) is full of the knowledge of what Maxim has done, and is humming with fright and dashing through consequences and alternative courses of action in her mind, to save him, before she faints. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This beautifully written modern ghost story is an enchanting place to get lost.” —Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Review

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The trees in the woods remembered; they could whisper to one another of things past and days long gone. They were hungry for human dramas, and they loved to hear stories from the village below."

Not bad. You always were a dab at a story. You should tell it to the trees, see what they make of it. One of the great pleasures of Gothic fiction lies in its insistence that the past (to quote Faulkner) isn’t dead, it isn’t even past. In a Gothic novel, dark histories linger in gloomy castles, musty antiquarian bookshops, crumbling graveyards and dusty attics, just waiting to attach themselves to the living. Small Angels is a gothic horror that tells the story of love, betrayal, sacrifice and loss through an essence that is otherworldly yet starkly human.I absolutely loved this book. What would you call it? Folk horror, I guess. Or not quite horror - though there is some gruesome stuff and a fine evocation of dread. Dark folk fantasy? green on green for miles. Some nights, it was said, you might find yourself walking amongst trees that had fallen centuries before. Tell it to the trees. This was once high praise in the village below the woods. It was what you might say at the close of a lively tale—told at dusk in late December, with a good fire snapping at the coals. A twisting gothic tale of darkness, intrigue, heartbreak and revenge’ Jennifer Saint, author of ARIADNE The reason I say this is because there’s just so much going on in this book: non-linear timelines, shifting POVs, shifting of characters at the wheel, shifting of POVs within the same character’s section, and more. And yet, this book has very uneven pacing and I have a feeling that which character you like reading about most will be different for different readers (I liked reading Chloe’s POV the most, but someone else might like reading Kate the most). Usually, uneven pacing is a sign the book is either too long or that it’s too busy giving attention to some sections while not giving enough attention to others. Either way, it’s an editing issue.