A Curse for the Homesick: A Novel
by Laura Brooke Robson

On Stenland, there comes a time known as skeld season: when a woman can wake with three black lines on her forehead, the mark of a skeld, and turn anyone she sees to stone. Skeld season comes around without warning, and while each only lasts three months, the people skelds turn to stone are very much dead.

That’s how Tess’s mother killed Soren’s parents. Maybe for this reason alone, Tess and Soren should not have fallen in love. Since the time her mother was a skeld, Tess has wanted to leave Stenland, to run from the windswept island, from her family and friends. She is unwilling to bear the responsibility of one day killing anyone, let alone someone she loves. Soren, though, has always been determined to stay, to live out his life in the only place he’s ever known as home, even if that life could be cut short. They cannot see eye to eye—and yet, they cannot stay apart. She tries to come back for him. He tries to leave for her. But can your love for one person outweigh everything else? And how do you decide how much you’re willing to risk, if it might mean destroying someone else in the process?

Laura Brooke Robson has crafted a fascinating story about the choices we make, the responsibilities we carry, and the ambiguities of regret.

5 out of 5 fairies

Full of beautiful imagery, high emotions, tight bonds, and a touch of the supernatural, this is one read you won’t soon forget. You can feel the emotions rolling off the page from the start, the reluctance, the nerves, the anticipation. Even if you’ve never lived in an isolated island community, if you’ve lived in a small town, and moved away, you’ll understand that feeling of going back, the way people there will treat you differently, and how it feels going back. I got wrapped up in Tess’s story quickly. Her friendship with Kitty and Linnea was heartwarming, and a stark contrast to the darker side of things that haunted Tess. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re looking for a gripping story that will play on your heart strings, and keep your interest piqued from start to finish while weaving in an undertone of romance, then you’ll want to read this!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

Laura Brooke Robson is the author of A CURSE FOR THE HOMESICK and two young adult novels, GIRLS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD and THE SEA KNOWS MY NAME. She grew up in the mountains of Oregon and studied creative writing at Stanford; now, she lives in New York. She does not like writing third-person bios, but she’d do anything for you.

Website