This follows the story of Essa who lives an isolated and secluded life until her brother is accused of arson. She gets involved to help clear his name and is forced to integrate into the world again. Alongside this is the church that uses snakes as part of their services and the new Pastor who works there.

I enjoyed Essa as a narrator, a no fuss character who has lost her way in the world. I wish we could have delved more into her past which hugely influenced how she presented in the book.

Overall I felt the pace was a little slow and never reached a peak until the very last few pages. There wasn't much tension to make it feel mysterious enough for me but I did like that the points of view were mostly centered on the women's voices. Some of the characters could have been fleshed out more, especially the Pastor and Juliet. I enjoyed the added animal elements but they also did not feature very strongly in the book.

Welcome to small town Vintera, which has a complicated past that continues to haunt its present. No one knows that better than Essa and Clyd Montgomery, who loves the parents in a tragic incident years ago involving serpent handling at their fundamentalist church.

Now, after a new pastor at the church has shown support for the continuance of the bizarre practice, Essa is initially relieved when the church burns down. Until it turns out two people perished in the blaze.

To make the situation worse, to the dismay of both Essa and Juliet, Clyde's partner, they discover that he is a suspect in the incident.

So what is the real story behind the arson? An ambitious reporter is determined to find out, at any cost...

This novel brings the perils and politics of a small town in Appalachia vividly to life. Compelling storytelling makes the book a worthwhile read, and earns it 3.5 stars.

When I was sixteen, we studied the poem 'Mariana' by Alfred Tennyson at school. My teacher provided the background to this character by giving us a quick summary of Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure'. I fell in love. It immediately became my favourite Shakespeare play and I fondly remember going to the bookshop to pick up a copy, choosing between a few different covers. I still haven't had the chance to see it on stage, but I live in hope that a revival will come to London in the near future.

A novel inspired by 'Measure for Measure'? I couldn't believe my luck!

Oh, Essa. What a beautiful version of Isabella from the play. Essa is not a nun like Isabella was, but she is a young woman who has never had a sexual or romantic partner, so she is chaste in the way which works for the plot. Oh, Micah. He is a truly awful man, just like Angelo. It works pretty perfectly to make this version of the character into a preacher, given the religious justification behind Angelo's initial actions in the play.

The initial scene between them in the novel was such a gorgeous companion to their first scene together in the original play. How incredibly charged and what a fantastic dynamic - it genuinely sent chills down my spine. As I write this review, I have my copy of 'Measure for Measure' beside me on the desk. I just had to go back and read that scene after finishing this novel.

I had an absolute blast trying to match up the characters in 'Hollow Bones' with the characters from 'Measure for Measure'. The only character who retains their name is Juliet. Claudio becomes Clive. There are two different women who could be incarnations of Madame Overdone - it makes the most sense for it to be Charlene who owns a bar named after her, but there is also a Madame Clarita. The famous Mariana is recreated in Kimberly. After that, it becomes pretty murky. Is Doctor Kester a strange version of Vincentio? Who on earth is Meritt? Of course, this is not a straight retelling of 'Measure for Measure' so the characters don't need to all align in this way, but it was fun to ponder.

Despite my nerdy ramblings, you absolutely don't need to know anything about 'Measure for Measure' to enjoy this gorgeously written and twisty little novel. The eerie setting, well-drawn characters and clever plotline will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Severn House for the ARC!

Full to the brim with atmosphere. I could imagine every scene in this book.
I love a book that has a pastor/preacher/holy man that is slap bang on the line of being charismatic, and creepy as hell.
This guy is exactly that.
An excellent read, with interesting characters, a few of which I won't be forgetting too soon.
The pace picked up perfectly as we went into the final few chapters.
Very very enjoyable.

I loved this.
This was such a unique crime thriller where (in the best way) the crime/thriller aspect to second seat to the exploration of the character's personality, loves and betrayals.
This peak into life in an Appalachian town held together / destroyed by unusual religious practices was fascinating. The stark realities of the opoid epidemic alongside the mysticalness of the magic was a gorgeous reflection. Erica Wright managed to get so much across in such few pages and whilst I'm sure you could fly through this book I really wanted to savour the enjoyment I was getting from it.
I loved the three points of view that we followed in this story, Erica Wright was able to give each woman such a distinct voice. The way they interacted with, but also supported, each other was so good and really allowed the women to be the heros of the story.
I know that I will be thinking about this book and its characters for a long time.

A different kind of read for me, but I enjoyed it. The plot twists weren't break-neck and I had mixed feelings about the paranormal elements, but I'd definitely recommend giving it a go!

After a bit of a slow start, the pace and suspense of this book picked up to a comfortable level. The plot twists weren't enough to give the good kind of whiplash one would expect from a mystery read, but were solid nevertheless. The occult/supernatural elements, unfortunately, seemed like more of an afterthought and didn't play a significant enough role in the story, in my opinion. The characters were somewhat developed and compassion and empathy for the main protagonist was definitely there, but other characters, given their pivotal roles, could have done with more fleshing out. Overall, it was a decent read that attempted to stand out within its genre, and for other readers, may be successful in doing so.

Hollow Bones is a haunting retelling of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, and I loved every minute of it! While Merritt, a reporter on the rise, sets out to expose the shady but charismatic pastor of New Hope church, Essa, the former pastor's orphaned daughter, struggles to keep her quiet life from shattering when her brother, Clyde, is suspected of burning the church down. Clyde's pregnant girlfriend, Juliet, is determined to keep her new family together.

I'm a fan of the dark and gritty female-centric storytelling, and this hit just the right note for me! The characters are well-developed, the setting starkly beautiful and at times creepy, and the suspense engrossing. This book will fit nicely on the shelf with my favorite Appalachian mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for ARC.

This book was right up my alley. I really enjoyed the characters and each of their relationships with their immediate surroundings.