Overview

The Story Keeper is set in 1857 on the Isle of Skye where Audrey Hart has come to collect folk tales from local crofters. The Highland Clearances have left hunger and fear. When the body of a young girl is found on the shore and another has recently vanished, supernatural whispers and suspicion take hold.

Writing & Voice

We found Mazzola’s voice atmospheric and evocative, blending folklore with a tense mystery. Her prose is careful and immersive, letting the landscape and its histories unfold around Audrey’s investigations without overwhelming the narrative.

Content & Perspective

The narrative follows Audrey as she navigates suspicion from wary islanders and her own uncertain sense of what might be supernatural or human malice at work. The perspective stays close to her curiosity and growing unease as the disappearances mount and her own past links to Skye emerge.

Themes

The Story Keeper explores fear, storytelling, and the power of myth in shaping how communities interpret loss and danger. It looks at how gossip, memory, and folklore can fill gaps where explanation fails, and how grief and history intertwine.

What Worked

• Evocative sense of place on a remote Skye community.
• Atmospheric blend of folklore and mystery.
• Compelling protagonist whose curiosity drives the story.

Minor Quibbles

• The pacing can feel slow at times between key reveals.
• Readers seeking a straightforward mystery may want clearer resolution to the supernatural hints.

Final Thoughts

We found The Story Keeper quietly unsettling, using folklore, landscape, and historical anxiety to blur the line between myth and violence in a community shaped by loss and fear.

Rating: ★★★★☆ / 5