Book Review: A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
Get ready to feel shook!! This story has been haunting me since I finished it! I can't get it out of my head. Ernshaw truly knows the art of storytelling. The way her stories unfold are just flawless and utterly gripping. And her latest book, A History of Wild Places, is no exception. Let’s review!!
“There is no history in a place until we make it, until you live a life worth remembering.”
About The Book
Ultimately, A History of Wild Places is about discovering #whathappenedtomaggiestjames. Filled with secrets and deception and strange happenings, A History of Wild Places is a poignant tale that will definitely leave you feeling shook... and yet somehow also... bittersweetly whole and nostalgically content. Definitely for fans of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village”.
Book Details
Title: A History of Wild Places
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller, Magical Realism
Purchase a copy: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
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Synopsis
Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—he’s led to a place many believed to be only a legend.
Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it… he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.
Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.
Hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic, and bewitching, A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind.
“We all have something we’d like to forget, some broken piece of ourselves we’d like to bury in the grave of our minds...”
The Story
spoiler-free
When the story begins, Travis Wren, a man with an unusual knack and preternatural way of finding people, is closing in on Maggie's last steps and what seems like on the brink of finding her... he also disappears. Years later, in a remote community called Pastoral, Theo finds evidence of Travis' investigation into Maggie's disappearance, and he, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, begin uncovering a mystery that's both shocking and sinister plaguing their once believed peaceful community.
The Characters
Maggie, author of the children’s book series: ELOISE & THE FOXTAIL 🦊 who disappeared some time ago.
Travis, a PI with a haunted past and preternatural way of finding people, gets lost on his way to finding Maggie.
Theo, a longtime resident of Pastoral, finds evidence of Travis’ investigation into Maggie years later.
Calla, Theo’s wife and also a longtime resident of Pastoral with secrets of her own, there’s more to her than meets the eye.
Bee, sister to Calla, also with her own mysteries, quickly begins uncovering a sinister plot plaguing the community of Pastoral.
There’s also Levi, the leader of Pastoral, and the Community of Pastoral itself, and that something sinister underlying its peaceful borders…
Steamometer
❤️ - NICE AND SWEET
There is definitely a love story, but it’s not at the forefront of this tale by Shea. It’s more underlying and essentially a subplot. Expect sweet, heartwarming, and also bittersweet moments.
For those who are unfamiliar with my Steamometer, check it out below (it’s ever-evolving lol)!
❤️ NICE AND SWEET
💃🏼 SASSY SPICE
🔥 STEAMYYYY GOODNESS
🥵 MY OVARIES ARE BURSTING
🌋 my whole body is on fire and I’m melting
🖤 SMUTASTIC
Book Playlist
YES. There’s a playlist!!! I love these things so much. They really help bring a story to life. It’s essentially a soundtrack for the book and I love it.
I’m actually currently listening to this playlist as I write this blog!!
Possible Content Warnings
Substance Abuse
Suicide
Death/Murder
Overall Thoughts
I am shook 😧 This story was so haunting and mysterious that I really couldn’t put it down. Shea’s writing is, as always, lyrical and poetic, haunting, bewitching, and hypnotizing. You will be enchanted and enraptured by this tale. You’ll HAVE to uncover its secrets and strange happenings. While I did guess the overall plot twist gradually, along the way (I am historically and incredibly good at connecting plot lines and dots in tales that I am intuitively connected to, so don’t let that be a deterrent for you!), the mechanics of said twist had me at a loss… so that part was absolutely shocking! I’d honestly love to see this story written from a different perspective as well - which I won’t go into too much detail here because SPOILERS! But, seriously, if you’ve seen The Village and were kind of obsessed with it like me, you are going TO. LOVE. A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw. It’s a cozy mystery with atmospheric storytelling and multiple POVs that will grip you from the get-go. This tale is also a book about a book and includes tropes related to the past, memories, and the mind. And honestly, if you just like feeling shook and a story that haunts you weeks after reading it, this is a book for you!
“No matter where you go, there are cracks in the plaster, nails coming loose, you just have to decide where you want to piece yourself back together.”
About The Author
About Shea Ernshaw:
Shea Ernshaw is a NYT bestselling author and winner of the Oregon Book Award. Her books have been published in over twelve countries/languages, and her novels The Wicked Deep and Winterwood were Indie Next Picks. Her debut adult fiction novel A History of Wild Places will release in December of 2021. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon, and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel. Read more here.
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*Pic and bio Courtesy of author’s website
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I’m Leah. Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Yoga pants, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a homebody at heart with a knack for content creation, flatlays & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
I love this feeling when I’m reading a book. Nothing compares! This sense of being completely immersed and lost inside the pages of the story — like you could live there endlessly, never get enough of the plot and characters and yearn to get more of the story once you’re finished. Here are the last 3 books that made me forget I was reading.