The first 70 or so pages were slow, but after that, I was engrossed in this novel. Miranda was my favorite character, and I thought she was very compelling. I wasn't particularly attached to Cocoa or George, but Naylor creates detailed and engaging portraits of each character. Naylor humorously details their quirks and how each character interacts. The locale of Willow Spring was also fascinating, secret histories hidden behind a deceptively quaint exterior. It felt like a real place and grounded the novel and connected the many perspectives in this book. I would've read this novel off the strength of its character studies, but the hoodoo was a definite bonus. The descriptions of roots put on people were detailed and disturbing. I didn't quite understand the ending, but given the amount of mysticism involved, I wasn't particularly upset about it.