The year is 1644. In a small town called Black Springs Katherine van Wyler is accused of witchcraft and duly found guilty. She is cruelly punished and sentenced to death. Fast forward to present day and Katherine is still walking the streets of Black Springs; wrapped in chains, eyes and mouth stitched closed, she haunts this cursed town, from which there is no escape.
The story is told from four points of view. We have Tyler, a teenager who has had enough of the restrictions of living in a hexed community. Tyler's dad, Steve, a doctor who feels guilty for bringing his family to live in Black Springs and whose conscious doesn't allow him to agree with many of the town's ideals. Griselda, a broken woman who worships the witch out of fear. And Grim, who is in charge of surveillance, and keeping the town quarantined.
The towns people are scared of the witch, and try at all costs to keep her existence a secret from the rest of the world. They know that her eyes and mouth should never be opened, for that would bring about unimaginable peril.
Hex is a terrifying book! Katherine has stayed with me and has wandered through my nightmares, trailing horror and destruction in her wake. As we get to know the characters and the story builds, so does the dread and fear. This is a fantasy horror story, that will chill you to the bone.
However, it isn't just the supernatural aspect that gnawed away at me, that had me staring into the night with questions and fear racing through my mind. What I found more alarming were the human reactions, the mass hysteria that made people behave in an unforgivable way. When people who knew right from wrong turned a blind eye out of fear, when friends and neighbours lashed out at each other, instead of coming together against their common enemy. In out darkest hour are we all truly capable of evil?
I received a copy of Hex from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
isbn: 978144479215
Publisher: Hodder Books
Published in the UK: 28th April 2016
This is a translation, written and previously published in Dutch.
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