In 1998 England, at an elite boarding school connected to 17th-century witch trials, troubled 16-year-old Violet is drawn into a circle of friends dabbling in witchcraft to avenge wrongs done to them.
Dark and alluring, Katie Lowe's debut is a sensory buffet of beautifully gritty prose ... [Lowe's] lush descriptions of characters and settings give the increasingly horrifying scenes an addictive quality as Violet and her friends spiral deeper into their own sense of power and twisted morality ... a contemporary horror story that harnesses the real-world frustration and anger of generations of women who find themselves overlooked, underestimated and often abused. The most impressive part of Lowe's story, however, is not the vast spread of history she includes or the increasingly violent and destructive path of her protagonist or her vivid, imagery-rich prose. It is that even as readers will judge Violet and her friends harshly, they will also, at least at times, find them strangely, intimately relatable. With the #metoo movement headlining the news and feminist empowerment at the forefront of conversation in the United States, this story of strong, angry women is well-timed. Contemporary themes of friendship, empowerment and surviving trauma are interwoven with magic, sacred rites and vengeance, making The Furies a dark and intoxicating page turner that will speak to many.
Lowe’s dark, suspenseful debut combines the teenage sisterhood of The Craft and Emma Cline’s The Girls (2016) with the violent schoolyard vengeance of Heathers. Poetic, lurid prose captures the girls’ teenage self-possession, while a heady swirl of adolescent hormones, drugs, and alcohol adds a layer of distortion to the plot. The pacing swings between languid and rapid fire, adding to the off-balance feel of Elm Hollow. Fans of Greer Macallister, Paula Hawkins, and Janelle Brown will devour Violet’s journey.
Drugs, sex, magic, and murder infuse this quick-paced read that will entertain teen and adult readers alike, weaving multiple layers of deception. While the characters are not quite fully developed, the relationship dynamics help form a solid story.
