The book follows Ethan Wate, who was born and raised in Gatlin, NC. After generations of Wates living in Gatlin, Ethan is considered one of the town's sons. However, even with this long standing connection to the town, he wants nothing more than to leave for college. Aside from traveling Civil War battlefields with his mother, he has known nothing outside of the small, close-knit community. However, his world is sent into an uproar when Lena Duchannes moves in with her uncle Macon Ravenwood, the town shut-in. Not only does her now live in the mysterious haunted house and drive around his hearse, she is completely different than anyone at the school. And Ethan is about to find out how different. These differences trace back to an old family connection and are bound to change his life forever. 
 I really loved the dark mystery offered by the deep South. The addition of the folk magic along side the very strict religious beliefs really added a lot of depth to the story. I felt that Ethan was a believable and likable character. The authors did a good job adding depth to the supporting characters without them taking over the story. However, my favorite character was Macon. When he stood up for Lena in front of the disciplinary hearing, I found myself cheering for him and laughing! 
 On the whole, I really enjoyed the story. It really held my attention, and I wanted to know what was going on. Aside from the curse, I wish there was more connection between Genvieve and Ethan. Since she was watching the grave, I felt she had a little more stake int he story than she was truly given. Also, I felt the whole winter formal scene was a little too Carry-esque for my taste. Granted, I understand that it is probably typical high school, but the authors could have been more original. In addition, during the hearing, I felt it was unbelievable that Mrs. Lincoln somehow got her hands on records that I thought would be sealed because Lena is a juvenile. Although, considering how the whole Mrs. Lincoln fiasco turns out, that might explain it. 
 Once the claiming was done, I really liked how the book closed. I get tired of the canned romantic ending, and this felt like more of an end to me.