by Helen Dent
publisher’s synopsis
There’s a secret growing in the woods.
In Ellie Caster’s town of Bishop’s Gap, the Casters and the powerful Levy family have been feuding for generations. The families share just one thing in common—they both dread the mark, a scorch that appears at random on their doors, bringing a curse from the Burning Tree.
When the mark hits Ellie’s door, her sister Jean falls into a coma. Ellie knows the Burning Tree is to blame, and desperate to save her sister, she braves the forbidden woods to confront it. But this choice ignites a chain of unintended consequences, forcing her to work with her nemesis, Charlotte Levy.
Together, they must complete an impossible task, uncover the ancient secret of Bishop’s Gap, and end the curse before time runs out for their entire town.
The Burning Tree is a story about roots, skillfully balancing secrets, history, and a little bit of magic.
Dent nailed the small-town-with-a-secret vibes. There really aren’t any specific things in the setting to put the story in a certain time period, which I love. The almost-timeless feeling works perfectly with the story.
Ellie is an easy character to connect with. As someone with close relationships with my family, Ellie’s determination to save her sister and grandfather resonated with me.
The plot is reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys, but don’t assume you’ll be able to predict everything that’s going to happen.
With wonderfully woven themes of family and forgiveness, The Burning Tree is a solid debut by Helen Dent, and I look forward to more novels from her in the future.
Cautions: brief, moderate violence; light romance
(I was gifted an ARC by the publisher. All thoughts are my own. The Burning Tree releases September 10, 2024.)
Hailey Huntington 
Leave a comment