To Break A Covenant focuses on a group of girls in a small town that is intermittently plagued with supernatural experiences relating to a mine where a deadly explosion took place in 1964. The arrival of newcomer Piper whose father has been contracted to check the integrity of the mine sets off a whole new wave of paranormal phenomena, leading to the girls becoming desperate enough to take matters into their own hands, at great peril to themselves.
Debut author Alison Ames has crafted a superbly spooky and unsettling YA horror novel that contains the most heartwarming friendship circle and adorable sapphic romance at its core. This wonderful complexity means that the reader is put through heart-pounding scenes of terror in one moment, only to unwind in a light-hearted scene with the girls bantering with each other in the next. As the hauntings become more tangible and threatening, creating a high level of anxiety in the characters AND the reader, these breaks in tension are very welcome.
It also serves to ensure that we are heavily invested in Clem, Nina, Lisey, and Piper’s wellbeing as we bond with them along the way. These girls feel so real and three-dimensional, we would all want to be friends with them! The group dynamics between each of them are different (for instance, Nina instantly envelops Piper into the group whereas Clem is more aloof at the start), but they’re most definitely squad goals as they form a firm alliance and stand together in the face of danger. What I particularly appreciate is how the author doesn’t introduce contrived conflict for the sake of it, but she also steers away from an unrealistic ideal of ‘perfect’ friendship. There are times when one or more of the girls understandably become frustrated and lash out, however it isn’t drawn out for maximum drama while still allowing them to be angry, bitter or resentful as any of us would in their shoes.
Clem is our narrator with the story told from her first-person perspective, but there are sporadic clips of ‘unused footage’ from various ghost hunter shows that have visited Moon Basin to delve into the truth behind its haunted reputation. These clips are a fun way of expanding the folklore surrounding the mine and its impact on the nearby town residents, and make perfect sense in our society that reality tv shows would flock to cash in on a place with the reputation of Moon Basin. At the beginning, the clips are fairly innocuous and reveal more about the workings of the tv industry as we see presenters and camera men trying to drum up excitement from fairly hum-drum occurrences. But as the story progresses and the girls in our main arc face greater danger, the clips also take a turn for the grim and foreboding, increasing our fears for their safety.
On the whole, this book is lovingly polished and delivered with the confidence of a seasoned writer, whose characters stand on their own and occupy a town that feels fully lived-in, thanks to atmospheric descriptions, its background cast of quirky characters and unique folklore. There is a minor issue with pacing in the second half of the book where it feels as though the girls are going around in circles and their plan isn’t properly explained so it’s difficult to follow their thought process and understand why the plot seems to be taking a meandering detour. In addition, readers who aren’t fans of ambiguous endings may be left dissatisfied at the loose ends left unresolved by the final page.
To Break A Covenant is an eerily haunting read that’s sure to raise goosebumps and leave your heart racing in dread. Its protagonists are a fun, charismatic bunch who are easy to root for as they seek answers and struggle to save their town from the malevolent force that has festered within the mine for decades. Try and read this one after dark if you dare, but don’t be surprised if you have to turn on the light to chase away night terrors!
To Break A Covenant is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 21st 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Debut voice Alison Ames delivers with a chilling, feminist thriller, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls and Sawkill Girls.
Moon Basin has been haunted for as long as anyone can remember. It started when an explosion in the mine killed sixteen people. The disaster made it impossible to live in town, with underground fires spewing ash into the sky. But life in New Basin is just as fraught. The ex-mining town relies on its haunted reputation to bring in tourists, but there’s more truth to the rumors than most are willing to admit, and the mine still has a hold on everyone who lives there.
Clem and Nina form a perfect loop—best friends forever, and perhaps something more. Their circle opens up for a strange girl named Lisey with a knack for training crows, and Piper, whose father is fascinated with the mine in a way that’s anything but ordinary. The people of New Basin start experiencing strange phenomena—sleepwalking, night terrors, voices that only they can hear. And no matter how many vans of ghost hunters roll through, nobody can get to the bottom of what’s really going on. Which is why the girls decide to enter the mine themselves.
