The Pecan Children is a book that walks a trail I’ve been loving the last year or two: a mix of folklore, romance, low fantasy or magical realism (take your pick), and a generous splash of darkness. Does it walk the trail as well as other books in this vein I’ve read and reviewed? Maybe not. It’s not an entirely wasteful read, either. 

At times this book can feel like part of it is magical realism and part of it verges on fairy tale, almost like there are two disparate books happening within the same book (there would be spoilers here if I said much more about that aspect), and I was honestly more intrigued by the book within the book than I was with the book I was reading; however, the inclusion of that interesting fairy-tale aspect is what kept me invested enough in The Pecan Children to keep reading until the end. 

Quinn Connor (which is a pen name for two separate authors writing together) has an interesting story to tell, I simply felt it was told in a very predictable and rote way for the most part. The more fantastical aspects of this book is what saved it from becoming too familiar, but there was still so much of this book that felt like deja vu. 

I still say you should check it out if you like unique folklore added to your fiction, if you like sapphic love stories, if you like ancestral mysteries, and if you love that eerie feeling of, “something’s not right in this town”. 

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Folk Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/LGBTQ Romance/Magical Realism