Herrick's End (The Neath #1) by T.M. Blanchet

 
Herrick's End by T.M. Blanchet
My Rating: ★

I received a copy from Tiny Fox Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Ollie’s friend and crush goes missing, he’s determined to find her. Unfortunately, for him, it takes him on a journey to a world he never new existed. Along the way, he quickly learns that one can turn their abusers over to a very long hell in a world created by witches. It’s hell for abusers, but the rest of the place is a sanctuary for survivors. As an outsider, Ollie needs to listen and do his best to blend in, but he’s determined to do the exact opposite and learns a lot more than expected.

I think that this book has an interesting concept, but it’s one that I would’ve liked a lot better if it was told from a different perspective. We follow Ollie, who is supposed to be this great and nice person. The only thing he’s guilty of is standing by and doing nothing when he sees the signs of abuse on other people. It’s clear we’re supposed to be rooting for Ollie all book long, but I disliked him early on. He’s got a savior’s complex, doesn’t listen, and thinks he knows a lot more than he does. Ollie is the classic “nice” guy and he irked me all book long. This book turned out to not be a book for me, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be others who enjoy it.

I think the concept of Herrick’s end and its dual purpose as a sanctuary for survivors while being a total hellscape for abusers is very interesting. I wonder how this book would’ve gone if we followed the three witches who created it or any one of the many who have sought sanctuary. We briefly met Ollie’s crush, Nell, and it would’ve been interesting to follow the story from her perspective as well.

Instead, the story is pulled in several directions making it seem like a YA fantasy that then turned into a dark adult fantasy with a lot of blood and violence. There’s also magic because there’s three witches we see twice. All that’s clear is that Ollie is a savior that was foretold by a character we don’t really know much about. I’m left with far more questions than answers because the plot wasn’t resolved, but the idea of following Ollie for another book is far from appealing so I’m going to pass on finding out.

All in all, I won’t be continuing this series, but I do think that the overall concept is an interesting one. It just didn’t work out for me, but that’s okay. Every book has its audience, and it just turned out I’m not the audience for this series. There is also lot of talk about abuse, violence, and eating disorders in addition to the violence that takes place in the book, so if any of these are a trigger for you, this will be a pass for you.