Violet Dancey is a Mississippi girl trying to keep it together while she mourns her twin brother Rush, who died in the Civil War. Surrounded by new family members, and without her father, she manages to figure it all out in the end.

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She eventually comes across an injured soldier. Although he is the enemy, she is drawn to him and eventually falls in love with him. She soon starts to realize that someone has been taking care of him, which leads her to suspect voodoo. She will do whatever she can to protect the ones she loves.

“Oh, I’m not sure at all; that’s what would make it intriguing. When I see you smiling so mysteriously—”

From the summary alone, it seems this story revolves around a budding romance with a sinister background; however, the romance doesn’t even appear until halfway through the book. The story is mostly about how Violet tries to keep her family together. There is less magic than the summary implies, but this reviewer had never heard of the fairytale Tam Lin, on which this book is based. This did help keep any bias out of the reading, though. Violet’s character is open-minded and caring. Though it’s different than what one would expect, this book is recommend, especially if you are a fan of Beautiful Creatures.

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