The Creek, The Crone, and the Crow
- Judith D Collins
- 21 hours ago
- 5 min read
By: Leah Weiss
Narrator: Kate Forbes
Recorded Books
ISBN: 9781464250590
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: 03//24/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (ARC)
"An impressive blend of history, folklore, and imagination." -Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author
An outsider to the Carolina hills inherits a gift that could change everything for her village on the verge of dying, from the author NPR said "writes with a deep knowledge of the enduring myths of Appalachia...vividly portraying real people and sorrows."
Welcome to Baines Creek, a humble hamlet hidden deep in Appalachia, where the last one-room schoolhouse in North Carolina is on the brink of closing. It's summer 1980, and Kate Shaw the teacher has lived in Baines Creek for ten years. A skeptic at heart, she rejects superstitions and Appalachian folklore, much to the disappointment of Birdie Rocas, a powerful and reclusive witch with a trove of secrets. Yet when Birdie dies, she leaves Kate her collection of handmade books and a shocking legacy that spans centuries; Kate is thrown into a world that overwhelms her.
Enter Lydia Brown, a psychic with a curious birthmark whose visions stopped the day her parents died. Grief-stricken without her gift, and desperate for spiritual guidance, she travels to Baines Creek in search of Birdie and the answers she might provide. The third novel by acclaimed author Leah Weiss, The Creek, The Crone, and the Crow is the tale of a powerful crone, two women cut from the cloth of loss, and a secret sisterhood of empowerment that may be the key to healing them all.
My Review
THE CREEK, THE CRONE, AND THE CROW by Leah Weiss is a standalone novel that returns to the Appalachian setting of her debut, If the Creek Don't Rise. Set in the summer of 1980 in the small, remote community of Baines Creek, NC.
The magical novel is deeply rooted in Appalachian folklore and the natural world, often blurring the line between the literal and the metaphorical.
Highlights...
The town’s one-room schoolhouse is scheduled to close at the end of the summer. The teacher, Kate Shaw, who has taught there for ten years, prepares to leave the mountain as the community faces the loss of its traditions to the modern world.
Birdie Rocas, a reclusive local legend often called a witch or a healer, passes away. Though Kate is a skeptic who previously rejected Birdie’s folklore, she is unexpectedly named the heir to Birdie’s legacy.
Kate inherits Birdie's Books of Truth, a collection of handmade journals, illuminated manuscripts, and centuries-old secrets that trace back to Scotland.
Lydia Brown, a grieving librarian and psychic who lost her "visions" after her parents died, travels to Baines Creek seeking Birdie’s spiritual guidance. She bears a mysterious birthmark that connects her to Birdie’s secrets.
Kate and Lydia join forces to decode the riddles left in Birdie’s books. Their search takes them through secret rooms, underground tunnels, and backcountry graveyards as they unearth a long-buried past.
The two women discover a secret sisterhood of empowerment that helps them confront their own losses and familial wounds, ultimately finding a way to heal.
My thoughts...
THE CREEK, THE CRONE, AND THE CROW is a "quiet, yet powerful" and mysterious tale that explores the collision of modern progress and ancient mountain tradition in 1980s Appalachia.
Set in the summer of 1980 in Baines, Creek, NC, deep in the mountains, a place that feels physically and spiritually separated from the modern world.
Leah Weiss employs Southern Gothic and supernatural elements to explore the tension between mountain tradition and the encroaching modern world.
A central theme is the "secret sisterhood of empowerment" and the "strength of women".
The narrative alternates between two primary narrators who are brought together by the death of the town's local "witch".
~Kate Shaw (The Teacher/Skeptic):
~Lydia Brown (The Librarian/Seeker)
~Birdie Rocas (The Crone)
~Gus: Lydia's niece who travels with her to Baines Creek.
Core Themes...
~Female Empowerment
~The Power of Memory
~Generational trauma
~Familial wounds
~Preservation vs. Progress
With a haunting allure and an air of mystery that envelops every page, the absorbing prose draws readers into a world steeped in Southern Gothic vibes. The evocative language paints a vivid picture of a landscape filled with dark, hidden secrets—where forgotten rooms hold whispers of the past, and subterranean tunnels weave through the earth like veins, concealing untold stories.
The dense forests loom ominously, shrouded in mist, while the townspeople navigate their lives with an unsettling blend of tradition and superstition. This narrative invites a deep exploration of Appalachian folklore, intertwining magical realism with the region's rich cultural tapestry, revealing the enchanting and sometimes sinister connections between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Each turn of phrase is imbued with a sense of wonder, drawing the reader further into a labyrinth of intrigue and enchantment.
Recs...
For fans of the author and those who enjoyed previous books by the author, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele, Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harriga, The Flower Sisters, and The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins Anderson.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Mar 23, 2026
Praise
"The Creek, The Crone, and the Crow is an impressive blend of history, folklore, and imagination. Kate Shaw and Lydia Brown are memorable characters who are courageous and persevering in their fight against injustice."
― Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author
"I was captivated from the first page of this beautifully crafted story. With rich prose, an evocative setting, and intriguing characters, Leah Weiss had me completely engaged in a world where the people are mysterious and the land holds its secrets close."
― Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House on the Street
"Leah Weiss’s third novel, The Creek, the Crone and the Crow begins with an ending, the loss of a way of life which forces change. With this change is the start of an enchanting, mystical journey, where deeply held secrets lead to intrigue and self-discovery. Weiss leans into the folklore of the beloved Appalachian region, allowing those secrets to unfurl like the petals of a blooming flower. Reading The Creek, the Crone and the Crow is an immersive exploration of a distinctive setting and the alluring people who inhabit it. A divine and captivating story, it’s one I hope readers will enjoy as much as I did."
― Donna Everhart, USA Today bestselling author of When the Jessamine Grows
"Leah Weiss has masterfully captured the magic of Appalachia and the soul of her people. Through strength and sisterhood, the healing power of mountain folklore is revealed―and maybe, just maybe some secrets are meant to stay buried."
― Rose Martin, Host, Write Around The Corner, Blue Ridge PBS.
"Thanks to Leah Weiss for writing the women of Appalachia back into history. Filled with folklore, folk remedies, and mountain wisdom, The Creek, the Crone, and the Crow is a beautiful tribute to a fading piece of unique Americana. This is a novel for book clubs to savor."
― Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller
About the Author
Leah Weiss is a bestselling author born in eastern North Carolina and raised in the foothills of Virginia. At age 70, she published her debut novel, IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE in August, 2017; it has sold over 200,000 copies. ALL THE LITTLE HOPES was released in July 2021. It is a southern story of friendship forged by books and bees, when the timeless troubles of growing up meet the murky shadows of WWII. Leah is working on her third novel. She writes full time, enjoys meeting with book clubs, and speaking about writing and publishing later in life, after retirement. WEBSITE
