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Book Blurb
As Spitfires roar overhead and a dark figure stalks the village of Woodville, a young woman will discover her destiny...
Faye Bright always felt a little bit different. And today she's found out why. She's just stumbled across her late mother's diary which includes not only a spiffing recipe for jam roly-poly, but spells, incantations, tunes and recitations...a witch's notebook.
And Faye has inherited her mother's abilities.
Just in time too. The Crow Folk are coming. Led by the charismatic Pumpkinhead, their strange magic threatens Faye and the villagers. Armed with little more than her mum's words, her trusty bicycle, the grudging help of two bickering old ladies, and some aggressive church bellringing, Faye will find herself on the front lines of a war nobody expected.
Review
THE CROW FOLK by Mark Stay was such an amazingly fun book to read, so much so that if I could read it again immediately I would. My TBR will not allow it at this time but I most certainly plan to in the near future. Perhaps Halloween season would be perfect for a reread since this story definitely contains some creepy elements as well as shadowy woodland magic and sentient scarecrows. Yes, I said sentient scarecrows.
One thing that made this a unique read is the time period where all of these magical happenings are taking place - right in the midst of the German bombings of Britain during WWII. And as if the small village of Woodville didn't have enough to worry about with the nightly cries of "Put that light out!" a common refrain to help defend against the bomber pilots, something darkly terrifying is also on the loose within the tiny village. There have been sightings of a pumpkin-headed scarecrow and its minions stalking around the area, but most of the town folk believe it only to be a ridiculous rumor at best.
17 year-old Faye Bright however, believes in this "Pumpkinhead" and she may be the only one who can stand against what is possibly coming. Her inherited witchcraft is still raw at best, but it just might be that the only way to fight the dark magic looming over Woodville is the magic that is still blossoming within her. Oh, and there is still that whole war thing going on which complicates matters considerably.
THE CROW FOLK gave me so many cool feels of books that I loved as a teenager and younger adult. It has all of the best instances of humor of say Terry Pratchett, the creepy small village horror moments of a Phil Rickman, and an infusion of wondrous folklore a la Susan Cooper. And yet this is entirely a Mark Stay story, which made it an incredibly refreshing read that didn't seem derivative for even one minute.
What was so terrific about this book is that there is an uneasy type of humor to it throughout where I wanted to just let my guard down and laugh, yet there was an undercurrent of something being a bit off, as if at any moment something entirely horrible was about to take place. That's what kept me on edge the entire time and also what makes THE CROW FOLK such a rewarding read. You want to get comfortable but aren't entirely sure if you can.
I really can't say enough about how drawn to this book I became as I progressed through each chapter. At a little over 300 pages I tore through it in just under a week. If you are looking for a story that grips you right from the start and is a fantasy that takes place in a real historical setting, then THE CROW FOLK should be at the top of your TBR. The characters are so relatable and vibrant, the writing is supremely witty, and the setting is one that will enchant and mesmerize you. Come for the sinister scarecrows, stay for one truly fantastic story. I loved every second of it.
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