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Then Came the Thunder by Rachael Huszar
The fantasy book Then Came The Thunder by Rachael Huszar is set in the nineteenth century. Jessalyn Joy, a teacher, is lamenting the loss of her war-dead husband. She resides in Three Willows, a tiny, charming town in the middle of a desert. A stranger with a secret named Samuel Brooks travels to Three Willows in an effort to start over.
However, something is causing the livestock to die there, and it soon becomes obvious that the village also has a secret. I adored how the author so masterfully combined a little village with endearing characters and a satisfying mystery. The plot moved along at the ideal speed. Not too quick that it would overshadow the characters or be too slow that I would lose interest.
Even though the fantastical portion begins in the second half, I fell in love with the characters throughout the first half. It appears that the author drew inspiration for the characters from real people. I wanted the best for them all since they appeared so grounded and like they were really struggling with their emotions.
It would be difficult for me to pick a favourite character because I believe each one contributed to the story’s eventual sense of completion. I felt cosy and comfortable because of the atmosphere of Three Willows and the connections that everyone had with one another. I would dearly love to reside there.
I would have loved to read about how the characters spend their days because the author executes every scenario so masterfully and describes the lives of the characters in such a vivid way. The fantasy portion is the one thing I think could have been done better. I wished that more pages had been devoted to it.
I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to give away the ending to other readers. However, there will be additional novels in this series, so perhaps we will learn more about it at that point. Overall, it was an amazing read. If you’re looking for a feel-good story, go for it. Highly recommended!
About The Book
To its residents, the little town of Three Willows might seem as close to Heaven as it’s possible to get here on Earth. The community is abundant and peaceful, despite being surrounded by the unforgiving deserts of New Mexico and with the frontlines of the War Between the States raging just a few hundred miles further north.
But the impact of the war hasn’t escaped everyone. Jessalyn Joy, the town’s school teacher, watched her husband leave for the war, but return in a box – and ever since, she’s been struggling to find her place and purpose in a town that reminds her constantly of what she lost.
That changes when a stranger stumbles into town. Samuel Brooks, a deserter from the Union Army, is making a pilgrimage to Three Willows to fulfill a promise to a fallen comrade. Reluctantly taking him in, Jessalyn finds herself infuriatingly drawn to the sharp-witted stranger.
Their bond grows when a mysterious creature begins brutally slaughtering the town’s livestock. Determined to investigate, Jessalyn leads Sam and her friends in following a trail of clues that soon threatens to uncover the dark, unremembered history of Three Willows – and a terrible secret that some will kill to protect.
The Review
Then Came the Thunder
10 Score
Then Came the Thunder is a highly entertaining Western Fantasy set in a picturesque ole’ west town of Three Willows in the New Mexican Territory in 1862. We follow our fierce and whip-smart female protagonist Jessalyn Joy as she navigates the recent loss of her husband and begins to investigate the strange livestock attacks that are threatening her small town. Not to mention that the mayor has forced Samuel, an annoying (but also kinda maybe charismatic and ruggedly handsome?) boarder, into her home. What is a tough, stubborn schoolteacher to do except rope him, the new reverend, and one of her students into her sleuthing shenanigans?
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