Book Review: End of Day (A Hode’s Hill Novel Book 2), by Mae Clair

End of Day (A Hode’s Hill Novel Book 2), by Mae Clair

Publication: Lyrical Underground; January 15, 2019

 

About the book: The past is never truly buried…   

Generations of Jillian Cley’s family have been tasked with a strange duty—tending the burial plot of Gabriel Vane, whose body was the first to be interred in the Hode’s Hill cemetery. Jillian faithfully continues the long-standing tradition—until one October night, Vane’s body is stolen from its resting place. Is it a Halloween prank? Or something more sinister?

As the descendants of those buried in the churchyard begin to experience bizarre “accidents,” Jillian tries to uncover the cause. Deeply empathic, she does not make friends easily, or lightly. But to fend off the terror taking over her town, she must join forces with artist Dante DeLuca, whose sensitivity to the spirit world has been both a blessing and a curse. The two soon realize Jillian’s murky family history is entwined with a tragic legacy tracing back to the founding of Hode’s Hill. To set matters right, an ancient wrong must be avenged…or Jillian, Dante, and everyone in town will forever be at the mercy of a vengeful spirit.

**My Review**

I am so excited to bring you my review of Mae Clair’s upcoming novel in her Hode’s Hill series, End of Day. But first of all, check out this incredible cover! It’s as beautiful as it is creepy, and is perfect for this novel. Although there are some repeat characters from Cusp of Night, this installment in the series centers around Jillian Cley, her family history, and the troubles currently plaguing both Jillian and her sister, Madison. Jillian and her faithful therapy dog Blizzard take frequent walks together with one of the destinations being the Hode’s Hill Cemetery. Generations of her family have been tasked with watching over Gabriel Vane’s grave and ensuring that he is not forgotten. But when Jillian and the rest of the town learn that his body has been stolen, a sequence of events begins that is all at once terrifying yet motivating to Jillian and others to discover the truth about Gabriel Vane’s life and how it impacts current Hode’s Hill residents in the present.

Teaming up with Jillian to learn more about the town’s past is artist Dante DeLuca from Cusp of Night Hode’s Hill book 1) who is known for his sensitivity to the spirit world. Dante’s cousin Tessa lives next door to Jillian with her twelve-year-old son Elliott, who is a major part of this story. Elliott was truly one of my favorite characters with his intelligence, curiosity, and most of all, his desire to make friends. At one moment childlike, and then seemingly wise beyond his years, Elliott was a wonderfully complex character that enriched an already wonderful novel.

I must admit that I wasn’t crazy about Jillian for about the first half of the novel. She was unique and well-developed, but I found myself impatiently waiting for her to start coming out of her shell. As things begin to change with Madison and Jillian grew more trusting and open to friendship with both Dante and Tessa, I happily started seeing more spark to her character. But I also had to stop and remind myself that this slow revealing of characters is typical of Mae Clair, as well as, something that I love about her writing. Her writing focuses more on the events of the story, the mystery, and suspense early in the novel. As the characters learn more about their pasts and its connection to their current lives, more of their inner thoughts and feelings are slowly revealed. It’s like slowly opening a gift to build the excitement and anticipation.  

I’ve touched a little on the plot of End of Day, and unfortunately, that’s about all I can reveal without spoilers. However, I can happily say that this novel is a must-read that us the perfect blend of mystery and supernatural elements. Mae Clair is one of my favorite authors and truthfully, the one that uncovered my love for this genre of reading. Her imagery is incredible, the characters are complex, and she never disappoints with her endless twists, turns, and surprises. 

I highly recommend End of Day not only to fans of this genre but those that haven’t yet left the comfort zone of their preferred genre but are wanting something new and different to read. This novel can certainly be read as a stand-alone, but I strongly recommend reading Cusp of Night first to familiarize yourself with the current and former residents of Hode’s Hill.  Once again, Mae Clair has left me in awe of her imagination and talent for sharing it with the rest of the world!

*Many thanks to Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

*Pre-Order End of Day on Amazon!*

Haven’t read Cusp of Night yet? Order it here!

 

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