Where do I even begin? I am sitting here, staring at the screen, tears of fear and sadness and joy drying on my cheeks, wondering how I can possibly capture the words to properly describe how I feel about this book.

The Wicker Woods surrounding Fir Haven are said to be magical, even haunted, and only the witches of the Walker family are able to venture forth and return unharmed. Two weeks after a snow storm that strands those that live around the lake and the woods, Nora Walker goes into these woods and comes back with a boy that had gone missing from a camp across the lake. His name is Oliver and he had been missing ever since the storm.

But there is a shift in the woods with Oliver's return. Nora must get to the bottom of the mystery of this boy and the events that occurred on the night he disappeared. But Oliver has other secrets of his own. And he wasn't the only one to go missing that night.

I could not put this book down. And I cannot sing enough praises. The writing was utterly atmospheric. It was spooky and creepy, full of suspense and poetry. The longer I read, the further I felt myself sinking into the mossy, wet earth of the Wicker Wood and dreading what was around the corner. Shea Ernshaw is an absolute artist and painted sprawling scenes and landscapes across the page.

Not only was the writing fantastic, but I loved the characters. Nora and Oliver were wonderfully developed. Their chemistry was subtle, natural, and I found myself eagerly awaiting each of their interactions.

The plot itself was one that was exciting. My mind was flinging itself every which way, trying to figure out the twist. There were expertly placed bread crumbs that, in hind sight, I should have caught on to, but perhaps I was so caught up in the atmosphere and the mystery, I just completely overlooked them.

All I can say is, wow. I highly recommend you pick up this book. Beautiful writing, compelling characters, and a fun and mysterious plot make this a story you will not regret diving into.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this e-arc to review.