Curses and Other Buried Things by Caroline George: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Blood holds all kinds of curses.

Seven generations of women in Susana Prather’s family have been lost to the Georgia swamp behind her house. The morning after her eighteenth birthday, she awakens soaked with water, with no memory of sleepwalking. No matter how she tries to stop it, she’s pulled from her safe bed night after night, haunted by her own family history and legacy. Now, the truth feels unavoidable: it’s only a matter of time before she loses her mind and the swamp becomes her grave.

Unless she can figure out how to break the curse.

When she isn’t sleepwalking, she’s dreaming of her great-great-great-great-grandmother, Suzanna Yawn, who set the curse in motion in 1855. Her ancestor’s life bears such similarity to her own that it might hold the key she seeks. Or it might only foretell tragedy.

As Susana seeks solutions in the past and the present, family members hold secrets tighter to their chests, friends grow distant, and old flames threaten to sputter and die. But Susana has something no one else has been able to seize: the unflagging belief that all curses can be broken and that love can help a new future begin.

Based on her own family history, award-winning novelist Caroline George’s latest novel is a staggeringly beautiful work of hope.

Caroline George is the multi-award-winning author of Dearest Josephine, The Summer We Forgot, and other YA novels. She graduated from Belmont University with a degree in publishing and public relations and now dedicates her time to storytelling in its many forms.

From a small town in Georgia, Caroline now resides in an even smaller town in Wyoming, where she works for a ranch. When she’s not glued to her laptop or filming cowboys, she can be found hiking, sipping a lavender latte, or practicing her horsemanship. Find her on Instagram: @authorcarolinegeorge; Twitter: @CarolineGeorge_; TikTok: @authorcarolinegeorge.

Every time I read a book by Caroline George I find that they are never quite what I was expecting... but they will most certainly always leave me thinking. This is certainly another great example of that. 

First of all, being from a Christian publisher, I was a little surprised by the paranormal aspects of the story. There was definitely a spooky, magical vibe to the story and as the title and description suggests it deals with a family curse. To be honest, I thought this was going to be more in line with the style of Jaime Jo Wright, where it has that feeling throughout, but everything is explained in the end and nothing is quite what it seemed... but that was not really the case here. I didn't personally mind that aspect, but something to consider if that's not your cup of tea. It did take on the difficult topic of generational trauma in a way that was intriguing and thought provoking and I really appreciated that aspect of the story. 

While I really enjoyed the overall feel of the story, there were a few things that I think kept me from loving it as much as I could have. First, the very similar names and storylines across both timelines. At times, I struggle with keeping up with who is who in dual timelines anyway and these similarities certainly didn't help in that respect. I also found myself unable to relate to some of the decisions made by the characters, which could very well have just been because this is a YA read. Still, despite this, I did find that I enjoyed the story overall. It really was a very unique read and one worth checking out.