One of the great pleasures of Gothic fiction lies in its insistence that the past (to quote Faulkner) isn’t dead, it isn’t even past. In a Gothic novel, dark histories linger in gloomy castles, musty antiquarian bookshops, crumbling graveyards and dusty attics, just waiting to attach themselves to the living. The trees in the woods remembered; they could whisper to one another of things past and days long gone. They were hungry for human dramas, and they loved to hear stories from the village below." My grandma, when she first met the man who would become my husband, said, “This one’s still too green,” meaning that he wasn’t quite finished ripening yet. Hadn’t quite grown all the way up yet. She was right. That’s how I feel about this book. It has the feeling of not quite being done. It still needs some time in the oven.

Not bad. You always were a dab at a story. You should tell it to the trees, see what they make of it. Small Angels is a gothic horror that tells the story of love, betrayal, sacrifice and loss through an essence that is otherworldly yet starkly human. A twisting gothic tale of darkness, intrigue, heartbreak, and revenge.”—Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

Customer reviews

This book was an unexpected burst of joy for me. It was a perfectly chilling and spooky (yet somehow cozy) fall read. It made me want to light a candle and make something warm to drink while reading it. If the mood was right—if there was a clear moon and no call to retire early, maybe you’d go further: I think I saw this classified as a horror book somewhere, but I didn't get that. Is it a little eerie in parts? Sure, but horror seems a bit extra. This was well written and the story was decent but it never really grabbed me. By the end I was sort of skimming along. Where Owen exceeds Emily Tesh’s achievement, is in the LGBT representation in ‘Small Angels’, which is rarefied and pitch-perfect. It’s impossible to overestimate the significance of the positive portrayal of lesbian relationships. Chloe and Sam’s wedding might supply the critical plot drive, but the heart of the novel is Kate and Lucia's story. Small Angels is beautiful in every way—atmospheric, eerie, elegantly written. An intricately woven tale of characters haunted by love and pain, revenge and courage . . . It is a stunning book, perfect for lovers of folklore and gothic fiction.” —Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

Every family has its strange, painful place, Chloe had thought, just as every house has one drawer full of chaos, crammed with nails and knotted string, orphaned keys and half-burned candles."While the story itself is compelling, the way it’s told is not. I just couldn’t sink myself into it like I have other ghost stories and horror tales that have been released this year. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Stunning. Perfect for lovers of folklore and gothic fiction’ Elizabeth Lee, author of CUNNING WOMEN

I absolutely loved this book. What would you call it? Folk horror, I guess. Or not quite horror - though there is some gruesome stuff and a fine evocation of dread. Dark folk fantasy? In a hypnotic tale of sisterhood, first love, and hauntings, a wedding in a small English village stirs up unsettling magic and forces a troubled family’s secrets out into the open. This beautifully written modern ghost story is an enchanting place to get lost.” —Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Review

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I initially rated this as 4 stars but it's played on my mind a lot since I finished, and I decided I was being parsimonious.