Author: Alison Ames
Publication Date: 21 September 2021
Publisher: Page Street
Page Count: 320
Reading Method: Physical ARC [thank you to the publisher!]
Dates Read: September 12 – 15
Synopsis:
Moon Basin has been haunted for as long as anyone can remember. It started when an explosion in the mine killed sixteen people. The disaster made it impossible to live in town, with underground fires spewing ash into the sky. But life in New Basin is just as fraught. The ex-mining town relies on its haunted reputation to bring in tourists, but there’s more truth to the rumors than most are willing to admit, and the mine still has a hold on everyone who lives there.
Clem and Nina form a perfect loop―best friends forever, and perhaps something more. Their circle opens up for a strange girl named Lisey with a knack for training crows, and Piper, whose father is fascinated with the mine in a way that’s anything but ordinary. The people of New Basin start experiencing strange phenomena―sleepwalking, night terrors, voices that only they can hear. And no matter how many vans of ghost hunters roll through, nobody can get to the bottom of what’s really going on. Which is why the girls decide to enter the mine themselves.
Review:
I went into To Break a Covenant completely blind. While that may be great for some readers, I would highly recommend checking out content warnings before reading it. That said – I absolutely loved this book and think that if you can stomach it, it’s a fantastic read for spooky season!
In a creepy little town on the edge of the abandoned, haunted mines, four friends must enter the mines on a rescue mission. When Piper and her father show up in town, the mines are woken up by Piper’s father’s exploration of the tunnels. The girls start having nightmares, sleepwalking, and hearing voices. The story is told through Clem’s perspective, as well as the transcripts of old ghost hunter shows. I really enjoyed the addition of the ghost shows. In some places it provided a necessary break in tension, and other times it was used to build suspense.
As a narrator, Clem was enjoyable to follow. Clem and crew set out to enter the mines and from there everything starts to go massively downhill. The writing in this story is absolutely fantastic. I was in a constant state of suspense and the imagery – omg! It was so difficult to read sometimes because the author does such a great job of creating incredibly disturbing visuals. I’m not typically a super visual reader (I don’t picture what’s happening as I read), but Ames brought so many scenes to life for me. The parts where they are in the mines are some of my favorites. I could actually see myself down there with them. The mines play games with the girls’ heads and it was difficult to separate what was real from what was imagined.
If you are looking for the perfect read for October/spooky season, you NEED to check this one out. It isn’t for the faint of heart. For ultimate creep factor, read during a thunderstorm. I legit threw the book across the room at one particularly creepy part when a loud thunderclap startled me.
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