What happens when a "weird girl" grows up?
A Penance of Crows by Shannon Morgan explores that, giving readers an engrossing gothic-esque thriller set in an insular community - creating almost a locked room mystery- where the room is not a physical space, but the insular community where our story takes place.
The unique cover was designed by Layla Anderson - I'm not so sure I love it, but I love that
it isn't AI.
Set on an island at the tip of the Beara Peninsula, in a highly suspicious and religious community, we meet Grizela, an "outsider" who's lived on the island for almost 40 years.
Grizela is odd, unmarried and working as an artist. She's not one to socialize and she doesn't suffer fools. She's got a soft spot for a group of teen-aged girls who have few options within the community. She is a working artist, and provides lessons for the girls on the Island.
Oh. The island is populated with crows. And while much of the community is firmly attached to the church, they also remain firmly attached to the crows, and the fae.
It that set up doesn't give you some chills, I'm not sure what will!
Our story opens with Grizelda noting some odd Crow behavior and coming upon a dead body on the shore. She's quite shocked, but does her duty, calling it in and getting people involved, even moving the body so the tide doesn't take it away. It's lovely that Grizelda is the main character, she's well past 30, but the author doesn't constantly discuss how much the character's body has changed. She's a perfectly imperfect human, living a life that is so interesting, we all are wanting to know about it!
All sorts of creepy shenanigans start to occur. Are these occurrences pranks, or is something else happening? Island secrets are brought to life, and suspicions run high. Grizelda finds that in order to protect those that she cares deeply for, she must confront some uncomfortable truths about her past.
A Penance of Crows is well plotted, and kept drawing me in for more and more. It is an excellent blend of Supernatural terror, thriller, and mystery. (And Crows!, we have Crows!)
Super Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. I loved this one more than I expected to!
STATS
First Published 07/28/2026
Pages: 336
Available as an Audio Book : ~ 10 hrs
Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, death, hyper-religiousity, mention of abortion, alcohol use/ abuse.
(this is not a full list, read responsibly)
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