Bittersweet in the Hollow · #2
Lies on the Serpent's Tongue
In this haunting companion to Bittersweet in the Hollow, a girl who can smell the lies of others uncovers the incendiary mysteries of her small Appalachian town.
Everybody lies. And in knowing their lies, I become the keeper of their secrets.
As Caball Hollow slowly recovers from a tumultuous summer, the James family must also come to terms with their own newly revealed secrets.
18-year-old Rowan James has spent her whole life harboring unpleasant truths—that’s what happens when you can smell lies on the teller’s breath—and building walls around herself to block them out. Like her younger sister, Linden, who can taste the feelings of others, Rowan has long struggled with her gift, which has taught her that everyone distorts the truth, and no one is who they seem to be. So when her old rival Hadrian Fitch shows up on her front porch—bloodied and bruised and asking for the kind of help only she can provide—her first instinct is distrust.
Except Hadrian’s attack isn’t the only strange occurrence. Now small items are disappearing, but rather than report the losses the owners act as if their missing things never existed. Rumors of a new monster prowling the Hollow begin to swirl. But how can Rowan smoke out the culprit in a town full of secrets? And worse, how can Rowan trust beautiful, solemn Hadrian when every other word he speaks has the distinct burnt smell of a lie?
The series
In Caball Hollow, the ordinary and the supernatural coexist in uneasy balance, and every corner of the misty Appalachian town seems to hold a secret. The Bittersweet in the Hollow series draws readers into a world where four sisters, each marked by a unique, unexplained gift, navigate the fragile line between family loyalty and the mysteries that lurk in the shadows. Linden James, whose ability to taste the emotions of those around her makes life both vivid and perilous, anchors the story, but it is the sisters’ intertwined destinies and hidden histories that give the narrative its heartbeat.
Read full series description
The series is steeped in atmosphere: fog-laden woods, winding hollows, and local legends that come alive with every twist and revelation. From the haunting tales of the Moth Festival to cryptic disappearances that have long haunted the town, each book layers suspense with emotional depth, blending paranormal mystery, folklore-inspired intrigue, and the quiet intensity of sisterhood tested by extraordinary circumstances.
Through Bittersweet in the Hollow, readers experience a narrative where small-town life is never simple, where magic is subtle but consequential, and where courage often comes from confronting both the external unknown and the unspoken truths within a family. Themes of identity, trust, and resilience pulse through the series, creating an immersive, haunting journey that resonates long after the last page. The books’ richly drawn world and compelling character arcs make this series a standout in YA paranormal fiction, offering suspense, mystery, and emotional resonance in equal measure.
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