Mistwalker - Saundra Mitchell

Synopsis:

When Willa Dixon’s brother dies on the family lobster boat, her father forbids Willa from stepping foot on the deck again. With her family suffering, she’ll do anything to help out—even visiting the Grey Man.

Everyone in her small Maine town knows of this legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog and the fate of any vessel within his reach. But what Willa finds in the lighthouse isn’t a spirit at all, but a young man trapped inside until he collects one thousand souls.

Desperate to escape his cursed existence, Grey tries to seduce Willa to take his place. With her life on land in shambles, will she sacrifice herself?


Review:

I won this copy from a giveaway a long time ago and I've only just gotten around to reading it. I wasn't sure on what to expect, the synopsis gave me a vague image that Grey would get his own way and Willa will take his place but i have to say I'm really happy with how it actually turned out.

Mistwalker is written with two points of view, the pattern shifts between Willa Dixon and Grey. I loved the chapters written from Grey’s POV, he has been trapped by a curse, forced to now live in the lighthouse for the last 100. The chapters written from his POV almost had a poetic quality, i guess i put this quality down to him being distinctively 100 years older than Willa and so he was portrayed that way. It is Willa’s narrative that makes the book though, her story is of sadness, grief and guilt. For the loss of her brother, for the future she thinks she no longer has. Her love for her family shines through as does her love for fishing. I absolutely loved how Willa believed in the traditional ways of their fishing community and wanted to maintain that.

I also loved how other characters her age didn't think the same way as she did, her best friend is off to college whilst handling her relationship with her partner over a long distance as her girlfriend is also attending college. That is not a future that Willa wants for herself and that's…ok. I loved that, it made her more of a unique character, she was set on a goal and would strive to reach it,

One fateful night Willa's actions results in the death of her brother and not only that but the aftermath leaves Willa’s future shattered at her feet. That’s when her mind starts to wonder and she thinks about the Grey Man.
Legends say that there's a spirit who haunts the unreachable lighthouse and controls the fog. The truth is that there is a young man who is made of mist but is still very real, who is cursed to be trapped in the lighthouse until he collects one thousand souls, or until someone takes his place.

When Willa’s thoughts come to him, he sets his sights on her being the next Grey Lady.

One of the most brilliant twists is how at first Grey hopes to seduce Willa so she can sacrifice herself for love and set him free until he realises that this approach won't work on her and so he goes with the truth instead (or at least some of truth).   

A great thing about Mistwalker is the incredible setting. Saundra clearly excels at setting a scene and really pulls you into the scenes. I loved her descriptions of the sea, the town, and the island with the lighthouse. It made me feel like I was there with Willa. When the fog rolled in, I can recall my eyes fogging over in a sense. A truly immersive description throughout really helps you hold onto the story.

I give the book an overall 5/5, the ending was nowhere close to what I was thinking was going to happen. I truly enjoyed the book and would happily re read it over and over.