by Erin A. Craig
Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: September 2, 2025
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Horror
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads Bookshop Amazon
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The
Thirteenth Child comes an irresistible blend of dark fairytale and
romantic fantasy.
The town of Mistaken has a secret…and it’s up to one woman to uncover the
truth, confront her past, and save the man she loves.
Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped.
Founded by an ambitious lumber merchant, the village is blessed with rich
natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same
woods that have lined the townsfolks’ pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves,
bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter
destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal
with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will
keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night
within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.
Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world
outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will
never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their
lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the
Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Determined to rescue Ellis,
she figures out a way to defy Mistaken’s curse and begins a trek through the
cold and pitiless wilderness. But there, Greer is hunted, not only by the
ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding and
her own origins.
Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craig’s adult debut is
both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus
security: a stunning celebration of one woman's relentless bravery on a quest
to reclaim her lost love—and seize her own future.
My Review: Erm…. No.
I’ve given her Sisters of
the Salt series a try and while the first was meh the second was better and I
thought maybe this book was going to be the one to get me hooked.
Uh…nope, not at all.
This book was hard to
enjoy. It was boring to the point it was a struggle to get into never mind
enjoy it. The characters were both lacking in depth and ranged from annoying to
dull. The retelling just wasn’t there for me either.
NOW, there were some
chapters where it felt like it was finally picking up and I could get into it,
but it was unfortunately short lived. As soon as I thought finally, it would
fall back to painfully boring again.
It ended up being one of those books that you just skim through to the end to be done with it. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough to outweigh the fact that I may not consider any of her books in the future.
