The Crocodile Bride

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Crocodile Bride by Ashleigh Bell Pedersen is a coming-of-age story set in a small town in the marshy bayous of Louisiana. It is also the author's debut novel. For some, this will not be an easy book to read because it does talk about generations of abuse, especially among those who are......more

I started listening to this audiobook because of the narrator, a former student of mine. The plot sounded interesting-- a little Southern Gothic, which I enjoy. The novel opens with Sunshine, the preteen protagonist, wondering what the "stones' under her nipples are-- some kind of treasure? So this......more

During a hot summer of June moods, grubworms, and dark storms, Sunshine discovers stones in her chest - and learns the dangers her coming-of-age will bring about in the yellow house she shares with her father. Without the vocabulary to comprehend Billy's actions or her own changing body, Sunshine tu......more

I read this book during a strange, hot summer of marauding monkeys and an assassination, which was somehow perfect. THE CROCODILE BRIDE takes place during a hot, stormy summer in Louisiana. Instead of monkeys, there is an alligator lurking in the swamp, and the threat of violence hangs over the yell......more

I was excited to read this after meeting the author at a recent BookPeople event. It did not disappoint! The writing was incredible, a perfect match for the mood and setting in the story, where I was fully immersed in that world. The way the story was wrapped up in the last few chapters was a fantas......more