Eventide

Eventide, with its eye-catching and eerie cover, is a mix of genres - Historical Fiction and Fantasy geared towards Teen readers. The story begins with a strong Historical Fiction vibe that is very reminiscent of The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline and The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham as we witness two sisters being sent by train from New York City to a small town in Arkansas in 1907 to find a new family to take them in. 

I thought the Historical Fiction aspect was the strongest part of the book - the descriptions of the era and small-town America - but overall, this was a case of great concept/poor execution. When the Fantasy layer was added, the story felt disjointed, leaving readers without enough background about the forest's supernatural elements (which weren't all that eerie for a Teen read, to be honest). I also would have preferred experiencing the big reveals with the main character instead of having other characters slide in to explain plot points towards the end.

While Eventide is touted as a Teen read, for the most part, it had a Middle School feel to the writing and dialogue (and a case of Insta-Love. Argh.). I wanted more atmosphere and conflict, but it was so slowly paced that tension-building seemed to be a struggle. Even the sisters' transitions from big city living to small-town Arkansas seemed to go off without a hitch and as their connections to the town come to light (in a bit of a convoluted way), the reasons required this reader to suspend disbelief. 

Overall, this debut had a good premise surrounding small-town secrets and scandals, but it may have been trying to do too much and it lost its magic for this reader. 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Sarah Goodman

Genre: Teen, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Type and Source: eBook from NetGalley

Publisher: Tor Teen

First Published: October 6, 2020

Opening Lines: June 1907 - Our passenger car felt cramped as a 

brand-new boot and roughly the temperature of Hell's sixth circle.

Book Description from GoodReads: MADNESS, SECRETS, AND LIES

Wheeler, Arkansas, 1907

When their father descends into madness after the death of their mother, Verity Pruitt and her little sister Lilah find themselves on an orphan train to rural Arkansas.

In Wheeler, eleven-year-old Lilah is quickly adopted, but seventeen-year-old Verity is not. Desperate to stay close to her sister, Verity indentures herself as a farmhand. But even charming farm boy Abel Atchley can’t completely distract her from the sense that something is not quite right in this little town. Strange local superstitions abound, especially about the eerie old well at the center of the forest. The woods play tricks, unleashing heavy fog and bone-chilling cold…and sometimes visions of things that aren’t there.

But for Verity, perhaps most unsettling of all is the revelation that her own parents have a scandalous history in this very town. And as she tries to unearth the past, sinister secrets come with it—secrets that someone will go to violent lengths to protect….

A haunting tale of long-buried secrets, small-town scandal, and single-minded vengeance by talented debut novelist Sarah Goodman.