From the very first pages of Small Angels by Lauren Owen I knew this would be a book for me. A gothic ghost story, set in a haunted and magical wood, full of lore and superstition. There are sisters living in the wood and set apart from the village, and keeping secret and sacred the power there… till a strange girl from the village wanders close and one of the sisters is drawn to her. Four stars, for sure, and one that will linger with me for a while.

Some of the big criticisms of this novel are that it is slow, confusing, dense… these are all big selling points for me. I loved that it was almost painfully slow. I loved the luxurious writing. It was one of the most atmospheric books I’ve picked up this year. Yes, I agree, sometimes the way the story was told made it a little {or a lot} confusing, but by the end I wasn’t confused at all. I think the storytelling, being so layered, and at times detached, was intentional, to keep a tension and confusion IN the reading experience. The pace does pick up in the last 80-ish percent, and some people might say it makes for pacing issues, but it feels to me, again, intentional. The tension is continuously cranked up for the entirety of the novel, till it POPS and a rush of terrifying action sweeps you up. It was emotional in it’s unfurling, so satisfying after being nervous and unsettled the entire time. I loved that in the wake of this climax there is a tender and cautious closing, one that brings you back down to earth.

The woods in this novel are incredible. They are their own character, with demands and history, beauty and terrors. It’s set in late Summer/early Autumn and you can feel the chill that flows across the village from the wood. The sense of place is palpable. This is only amplified by the way the whole of the small village keeps the legends and happenings so close to their chest.

This is one of those reads that reminds you about the importance of storytelling and the ways that the stories we tell, are passed down and carry with them a power. It reminded me of growing up so far from the city and with my own wood just across the field and behind the barn. There was a magic then, one that you could feel in the stillness. So I gravitate towards stories like this, to remember what it was like to hold sacred, the soul of a forest and the secrets it keeps.

I want to pick up more from Lauren Owen in the future, her writing style really works for me. The vibes, perfection — and if your go in for an experience, as opposed to concise plot, I think you’ll get a lot out of this one. ( )

Last month, my Insta group read Small Angles by Lauren Owen for our book club. While it was a bit of a mixed bag on who did and did not enjoy the book, it was a sold 5⭐️ for me.

At its core, Small Angels is a ghost story, but it is also about the power of stories and their ability to change our lives through their telling and retelling. Told across multiple points of view and timelines, Small Angels is the story of the Gonne family, caretakers of Mockbeggar Woods and St Michael of the Angels church (known by the locals as Small Angles); the Gonne sisters themselves and the memories and ghosts of their past; and Kate, who is trying to save the present, her brother’s fiancée, and her first true love.

It is a slow burn of a story, with a sprinkling of Gothic flare to give it a little moody sparkle, and it immediately put me in mind of Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, another tale of sisters and the memories that haunt them. I loved everything about this book, from the description of Mockbeggar Woods (I would absolutely live there), to the underlying menace of the hauntings, to the layering of stories over stories. It really is quite a beautifully told ghost story. It is slow, but I felt it gave the story plenty of time to properly draw me in. I’ve not read Owen before, but I’ll definitely be searching out more of her books.

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TW/CW: Death, death of a child, haunting, fantasy violence, mild sexuality, child abuse

RATING: 4/5

REVIEW: Small Angels is the story of a wedding in a small town that stirs and awakens supernatural forces that have been in play for generations. It’s a ghost story, and the story of a family, and a creepy atmospheric look at the secrets of a small town.

I enjoyed this book. At times it seemed to move a little bit slow, but the creepy atmosphere made me still want to read it, regardless. It was scary and sad both at different points. It’s told from a bunch of different viewpoints, but thankfully they’re pretty easy to tell apart and I didn’t find myself lost or confused as it flitted from one to the other.

I wouldn’t quite call this book horror, but if you’re easily frightened by creepiness, this might not be the book for you. Nonetheless, I really liked it and I would recommend it to anyone who likes atmospheric, small-town ghost stories. ( )