Book: Tallow and Bone by Rhiannon Hargadon
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 4.25/5
This is my first Rhiannon Hargadon book, and Tallow and Bone has made me so excited to dive into the rest of her catalog!
Salem, Massachusetts holds such a special place in my heart after vacationing there a few years ago around Halloween. As I read, I kept envisioning the historical reenactments, the museum exhibits, and the dark dungeons where the accused awaited their fate. Hargadon absolutely nailed the unforgiving, paranoid, and tragic reality of Salem in this dark historical fantasy.
Amity Merriweather and her family flee witchcraft accusations in Europe, hoping to escape the King’s soldiers in the New World. After being forced to relocate multiple times, her family ends up separated while fleeing Boston, agreeing to reunite in Salem. But Salem is far from a fresh start—it’s a rotten, festering town weighed down by an ancient curse, failing crops, deep religious trauma, and rampant paranoia.
Amity possesses a rare earth magic that could heal the land, but using it risks exposure in a town itching to send women to the gallows. To make matters more complicated, she finds herself caught in a love triangle between a possessive, masked witch who would happily watch Salem burn, and a soft-hearted local shoemaker whose tender soul is far too good for this ruthless village.
The tension in this book is palpable. From page one, a heavy fog of foreboding hangs over Salem, and the prose feels suffocatingly atmospheric. The imagery, from the rotting earth and corrupt pastor to Amity’s family fighting for survival, gave me absolute chills.
Don't go into this looking for anything lighthearted. This story is heavy, unrelenting, and pulls no punches with its themes of religious hysteria, family loyalty, and sacrifice. By the final chapters, I was emotionally wrung out. That ending is a bittersweet gut-punch that stays with you long after you close the book.