Book Review: Vervain Hollow by Catriona Silvey

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Vervain Hollow by Catriona Silvey

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Union Square & Co. (June 16, 2026)

Length: 320 pages

Author Information: Website

Cults make for some of the best horror premises. They’re inherently psychological, often dealing with creepy but charismatic leaders, isolated communities, and average people losing themselves completely to calculated manipulation and brainwashing. Naturally, I figured this made Vervain Hollow right up my alley. Add in a gothic touch and a little bit of the supernatural, I was expecting something that would really sink its hooks into me. But while I really admired many of the ideas at work here, the execution just didn’t quite click.

The story follows Laura, who is two years removed from her rescue from the mysterious Vervain Hollow cult after a devastating fire consumed the sprawling mansion where its members lived. But the fire not only destroyed the cult’s home, it also seemingly claimed the life of its leader, Vervain. Or at least, that’s what everyone believed. After years of struggling to heal and rebuild her life, Laura is finally beginning to move forward when she receives unexpected news. Vervain might not be gone. A member of their old circle has apparently gone missing after receiving what appears to be a message from their former leader.

Despite everything that happened to her, Laura has not completely escaped the past. Part of her still clings to the hope that what Vervain promised her is still within her grasp. And so, with reluctance, she travels back to the old site of the mansion in search of answers. But stepping back onto the estate forces her to confront memories she has spent so long trying to bury. Told across alternating timelines, the novel gradually reveals the events that took place before the cult’s downfall, jumping between flashbacks of Laura’s time at Vervain Hollow and the ongoing investigation unfolding in the present.

Catriona Silvey is a new author for me, so it was a joy discovering her talents for mood setting. Vervain Hollow itself was easily the novel’s strongest aspect, a vast gothic mansion that serves as the perfect backdrop with its dark history and secrets. The atmosphere is excellent throughout, giving off discordant and uncomfortable vibes. The supernatural elements were relatively light, but I appreciated how they remained closely tied to the psychological hold Vervain had over his followers.

That said, this book also turned out to be much slower and broodier than I was hoping for. Laura spends an infuriating amount of time waffling over her feelings and decisions, which often weighed down the story. While it’s understandable, and even realistic, for her to be conflicted after everything she’d experienced, living inside her unreliable mind was one quick way to get a headache. The pacing doesn’t help matters, with long stretches where it felt like things ran out of steam.

Finally, the writing itself took some getting used to. Silvey tells portions of the novel using second-person narration, which isn’t easy to begin with. The best writers can make it sound completely natural, but here it often felt jarring and never quite faded into the background, constantly reminding you it’s there. Rather than drawing me deeper into Laura’s perspective and fixation with Vervain, it actually created a distance, making it harder to settle into the rhythm of the story.

In the end, Vervain Hollow is one of those books I found more fascinating than outright enjoyed. I loved the way it approached its cult themes, finding fresh angles on familiar ideas while asking thoughtful questions about memory and manipulation, exploring the lasting harm caused by blind devotion. I just wish the pacing had been tighter and more balanced towards pushing things forward. If you don’t mind a slow-burning, character-driven story, there’s plenty here to appreciate. But for me, the atmosphere ultimately carried the book further than the story itself.