Review: The Crows of Beara by Julie Christine Johnson

Title: The Crows of Beara
Author: Julie Christine Johnson 
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Ashland Creek Press
Publish Date: September 1, 2017 (Tomorrow!)
Source: Author

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "When Annie Crowe travels from Seattle to a small Irish village to promote a new copper mine, her public relations career is hanging in the balance. Struggling to overcome her troubled past and a failing marriage, Annie is eager for a chance to rebuild her life.

Yet when she arrives on the remote Beara Peninsula, Annie learns that the mine would encroach on the nesting ground of an endangered bird, the Red-billed Chough, and many in the community are fiercely protective of this wild place. Among them is Daniel Savage, a local artist battling demons of his own, who has been recruited to help block the mine.

Despite their differences, Annie and Daniel find themselves drawn toward each other, and, inexplicably, they begin to hear the same voice--a strange, distant whisper of Gaelic, like sorrow blowing in the wind.

Guided by ancient mythology and challenged by modern problems, Annie must confront the half-truths she has been sent to spread and the lies she has been telling herself. Most of all, she must open her heart to the healing power of this rugged land and its people."

My Two Cents:

"The Crows of Beara" is the story of Annie and Daniel, two damaged souls brought together in Ireland on the Beara Peninsula, a gorgeous wilderness. They will be thrown together in ways that they cannot begin to imagine in the beginning and each of them will be called to define what recovery looks like to each of them. This book had great characters and a fantastic setting and made for a great read.

I am drawn to imperfect characters. They feel more real and they are certainly more interesting. In this book, we have two characters who are incredibly damaged. Both are addicts. Both have hurt their families and friends through their addictions. Both of them are seeking redemption and seeking how to make new lives for themselves. Even with having these issues in common, they deal with things very differently, which is part of the interest of this book.

I loved these characters! Annie is an alcoholic and is seeking to get back on her feet again. She knows recovery is important but she thinks there may be something to getting herself into a new environment and throwing herself into a huge work project: making a mining company look good in the beautiful setting of Beara. Daniel has spent time in jail for a crime he deeply regrets and he wrestles with the idea that he will never be able to make up for what he has done yet he still must go on and find a way to make a life with a major black mark on his name.

The other story in the book about Annie's project to improve the PR for a business who will majorly disrupt the ecosystem and beauty of the Beara Peninsula. This added a really interesting factor to the story. It's war between the business and the people of the small Irish village. Both feel strongly about what should be done with the land and what prospects their actions will have for the villagers. I loved seeing how this played out and the drama that this added to the book!

This is the kind of book that you get lost in. It's also the kind of book where you wonder about what became of the characters after the book is over, always a good sign!