SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS
By Kailee Pedersen

Nick Morrow, son of a strict man, Carlyle Morrow, and younger brother to Joshua Morrow, has lived a sad and lonesome life. Losing his mother and youngest brother in the violence of childbirth, Nick struggles in the Morrow household, a place known as Stags Crossing, with passing fancies of suicidal ideation.

When Joshua marries Emilia, a mysterious femme fatale woman of Chinese heritage, his father goes into a racist rage. But when illness strikes Carlyle many years later, he asks his sons to once again return to Stags Crossing.

This gothic folktale was an incredibly slow burn. I’m glad I kept reading until the end, as there was a pay off with Emilia’s character, but in the experience of reading this novel I often felt burdened by boredom, so much so that I considered not finishing it. Though well-written, the pacing of this novel is at times punishingly slow.

Get the Book Here