I absolutely adored The Stone Crow by Lori Green. This story is a little on the darker side, but it is so masterfully done I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The story is about a girl named Sara who sets out on the run from her preacher father who has been stealing souls for a dark god named Mourningstar on the promise of immortality. Aided along the way by a man who becomes a second father to her, Sara travels the countryside working in garages as a mechanic to pay bills while staying ahead of her Daddy's advance. She is met by a dark stranger in black clothes and a cowboy hat who tells her he can help her.

Spoiler

When Sara's surrogate father passes away, she finds herself on her own and afraid, on the run from her father on her own again and lost without that guiding light. The god Crow comes to her aid, and although he must walk the earth, he is with her while he can stop walking. His passing entrance and exit into her life forces her to face her father and the god Mourningstar effectively on her own. Crow is set walking to correct the disturbed balances between light and dark, good and evil. While he is gone, the dark god comes looking for her and she discovers the stones her Daddy has been filling with souls break open when she suffers. Through her endless suffering, all the souls her Daddy stole had been freed to go on to the afterlife.

I can't even ruin the ending in spoilers because I want it to be a surprise, but the story is a modern retelling of a well-known story with a twist. I was sucked in from page one, reading along with Sara's story, hearing her history in flashbacks and rooting not so silently for the underdog. It is yet another book I will be buying a copy when it releases June 18th. As a matter of fact, I might just read it again while I wait for it to come out!