Reviews

The River Witch by Kimberly Brock

robinobryant's review

5.0

Kimberly Brock offers a fresh new voice for Southern fiction that is so authentic it feels like it's always been around. The scenery is captivating, the prose is beautiful and her characters are engrossing. You'll be sad when it's over.

crysdale's review

5.0

I won a copy of this book from the author, and I'm so glad! It's beautiful and unforgettable.

jrobinw's review

3.0

I loved the relationship between Damascus and Rosalyn. Good story.

crafalsk264's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 Rosalyn Byrne is a well known ballerina who has come to Manny’s Island, Georgia to recover from a recent miscarriage and a serious auto accident which has ended her career as a dancer. Rosalyn was partially raised by her grandmother in a small river community. When her grandmother dies, Rosalyn seeks out a similar community and rural cabin to spend the summer healing her physical and psychological wounds. But the house also comes with gators, ghosts and one very difficult 10 year old girl named Damascus who believes Rosalyn is a witch with a special talent to “call the gators”. Damascus’  father has moved them out of the river house to help his daughter deal with the recent loss of her mother and she is feeling the loss of her home as well as her mother. These two lost souls find a solace together and their healing spreads out to those around them.

I recently read the latest book by Kimberly Brock (“The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare”) and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I went looking for her backlist to find another book. This is her debut novel and it is a formidable story for a new author. The characters are flawed but sympathetic and likable. The atmosphere is more like something in the Everglades than a river in Georgia. It was brooding, mysterious, full of Southern culture and lore, magical realism and pumpkins. This is one of the most satisfying and heartwarming endings I have read for a while. I definitely see myself reading this one again. Just the ticket to kick off a fall spooky reading list.   

chopeclark's review

5.0

Debut author Kimberly Brock has spun a magical tale of recovery and self-discovery, set in a mystical setting on the coast of Georgia. Beautiful writing. Like the river running through the island, the story meanders, turns, and silently builds, running toward the ocean to a climactic ending for each and every character, not just Roslyn Byrne. Brock does a masterful job with the secondary characters, in my opinion, in a deftly handled, layered plot that makes all come to the realization that they have more to offer life, and each other, than is on the surface. Nicely done, Ms. Brock. A wonderful piece of Southern fiction.

cyndibug's review

2.0

I had read a review about this book on s blog quite a while ago now so I was happy to pick this up when it was the Kindle Daily deal. I am glad I waited until it was on sale. The book wasn't bad and I liked the complex stories of some of the characters, but I just felt underwhelmed with the book.

askylark's review

2.0

I would have given this book more stars because the writing is very good- lyrical and fluid. But the characters rang hollow and the 10 year old girl's dialogue was totally unbelievable even in terms of magical realism. Also, call me a moron but I didn't get the ending.

writerrhiannon's review

5.0

Remember when you first read Harper Lee, Flannery O’Connor or Terry Kay? Prepare to feel that way again when you experience Kimberly Brock’s “The River Witch.” In a recipe as perfect as Granny’s biscuits, “The River Witch” provides everything you love about Southern fiction with an edge of Southern Gothic. Family, faith and resentment mix with love and loss, broken bodies and souls, and a stranger in a strange place. Add to this mix some mythology, fable and folktale and you will find a story that stays with you long after the final page.

Check out my full review on my blog:
http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-river-witch.html

bibliotay's review

2.0

This book was not for me. Obviously there are plenty of good reviews so I believe it was just me who didn't relate.

I was honestly expecting chick lit with a Happily Ever After ending but instead got The (Somewhat better than before) End.

Overall I don't hate it but was very disappointed with it.

crackercrumblife's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a gently moving book, full of lost souls, a river, and an alligator. Roslyn washes up on the shores of Manny's Island (not literally) to find it inhabited by a family with its own problems. Roslyn has chosen this place to hide from the world, and heal from the loss of her child and her career. She meets Damascus (named for the river by her mother), a little girl who is just as lost as Roslyn is. The other characters of importance are Urey, who is Damascus's father and Ivy, Damascus's aunt. Everyone in this book is searching for something more - and by the end of the book you hope they find it.

The most beautiful part of the book is the legend surrounding Roslyn when she moves in. Damascus believes Roslyn can call the alligators to her, and that the alligators feed on broken hearts. I loved this passage, with its legends and mystery, and the idea of the melancholy eating alligators.

I think this is a great summer read, when it is really hot outside and you have a breeze blowing through your windows at night. It is magical, lyrical, and lovely.