AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: Curdle Creek By Yvonne Battle-Felton

REVIEW: 

I am still haunted by the story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and this story had that feel. It's not completely clear what is happening at first but you soon figure it out. This is a creepy town with characters that aren't all that likable with the exception of Osira. Osira's sisters freaked me out and something about them reminded me of the creepy twins in The Shining. However I really had a hard time realizing that Osira and her sisters were not children. Osira is in her 40's and widowed 3 times, her sisters are in their late 20's. 

I didn't quite catch on to what was happening in the world. This is an all black town and Osira alludes to other Black Communities failing because they didn't adhere to the same rituals. There are people living in Curdle Creek that have come there from the outside and stay because it's safe. But you really don't understand why. 

I really like the first 2/3rds of this book even though I do feel it was dragged out a bit and really should have been shorter. I kept thinking I was near the end only to see I still had hours left. 

The last 1/3 of the book completely lost me. It was hard to follow, and hard to stay focused. I don't want to give too much away but it was really confusing and I didn't understand the ending at all. I really wanted to love this book but I have to say it was only an okay read for me. 

Publication Date: October 15, 2024 Format: Audio Genre:  Mystery  Narrator: Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Publisher: Macmillan Audio  Length:  9 Hours 8 minutes Buy: Kindle | Audio

SYNOPSIS:

 

Welcome to Curdle Creek, a place just dying to make you feel at home. Osira, a forty-five-year-old widow, is an obedient follower of the strict conventions of Curdle Creek, an all-Black town in rural America stuck in the past and governed by a tradition of ominous rituals. Osira is considered blessed, but her luck changes when her children flee, she comes second to last in the Running of the Widows and her father flees when his name is called in the annual Moving On ceremony.

Forced into a test of allegiance, Osira finds herself transported back in time, then into another realm where she must answer for crimes committed by Curdle Creek. Exile forces her to jump realms again, landing Osira even farther away from home, in rural England. Safe as long as she sticks to the rules, she quickly learns there are consequences for every kindness. Each jump could lead Osira anywhere but back home.