Andrea Churchill

Most of the people of Lerewood seem to accept their fate, that they can never leave, and that there is no other way of life out there. To venture into the woods would mean certain death, for those who have tried it have never returned. It's easy for the townspeople to believe there is nothing else out there since they are taught this from the time they are children. Legend has it that many years ago two outsiders did make their way into the village and that is what is possibly behind the curse that leaves these people trapped in poverty and despair. One man will find out the truth when he is driven out of his home by his abusive wife. The Lerewood is a dark and magical tale that I found most intriguing.

I received a complimentary copy for review.… (mehr)

Andrea Churchill does a great job setting the mood of her story. Readers feel the desperation of the town and its people as they struggle day to day to survive. Their town is cut off from any other civilization because of an ingrained belief of a creature, Ilere that lives in the forest surrounding the town. The people of the town see Ilere as an evil monster whose goal is to kill anyone who ventures into the woods.
Churchill’s main character, Uallas has lost his reason to live and journeys into the Lerewood forest with the hopes of being killed by the creature. But Uallas soon learns that the creature is not evil at all. Ilere’s reason for existence is to stop the malignancy of the town from spreading to other towns.
I particularly like the way Churchill assigns characteristics to both Ilere and the mayor of the town to demonstrate the differences. For instance, Ilere observes the town’s people to learn their language in hopes of communication while the mayor observes the people to understand how he can use them to get what he wants.
I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading something else from this author.… (mehr)