HEX, Thomas Olde Heuvelt

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review*

HEX, Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Author: Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 380
Format: DRC
ISBN-13: 9781444793215
Original title: HEX
Publisher: eBook | Hardcover | Audiobook
HEX

5 stars


Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth-century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Blind and silenced, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children's beds for nights on end. So accustomed to her have the townsfolk become that they often forget she's there. Or what a threat she poses. Because if the stitches are ever cut open, the story goes, the whole town will die.
The curse must not be allowed to spread. The elders of Black Spring have used high-tech surveillance to quarantine the town. Frustrated with being kept in lock down, the town's teenagers decide to break the strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiralling into a dark nightmare.
What just happened?!?
I am not sure how to review this book without spoilers. The developments in the story are so important on how to see the characters.
This book is insane and confronting humanity in every way. A town in fear of a local witch that cannot be left. Once you have moved there you are stuck. Leaving town leads to a total depression after about 4 weeks with the worst result. There is anger about this situation but also some kind of acceptance. As people try to chance faith the grip of fear becomes worse and people start to do things that are not normal but in a weird way you understand.
The story focusses on a few characters. Steve, Jocelyn and their sons Tyler and Matt. Then there is the butcher woman and her son Joydon. We got Grimm who is in charge of security en keeping the secret. I do feel that as a reader you can pick who is important. There are more characters named and given a spot that can be significant but for me Grimm and Steve were the centre of the story. Both are down to earth guys with a seemingly righteous character but put under strain able to make some shocking choices.
This book really opens up a lot of discussion possibilities. I think it would be great fun to read for a book group though they have to be strong stomached to finish this book. Questions like how far would you go to defend your family, your town, the lives of others. What is acceptable as punishment if someone breaks the rules. What is needed for me to loose my humanity as happened to a few people in the book. I guess what most shocked me while reading it was the fact I was not surprised that I could believe people would react like this.
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