Review: The Hanging Tree – Michael Phillip Cash

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The Hanging Tree by Michael Phillip Cash
3.5 Stars
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Seventeen year old Arielle is at a crossroads in her life. Disenchanted with her father, she is testing the boundaries of his trust by dating someone he does not approve. Under the moonlit sky in Long Island, Arielle and her boyfriend meet beneath the infamous hanging tree. The couple's destiny is rooted to the five spirits in the tree whose lives and deaths are determined by an ancient curse. Will her future be determined by the past or will Arielle's choices alter the course of her life?

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Review
Do you believe in curses?
Seventeen-year-old Arielle, is testing the boundaries with her father. Dating a guy that he does not approve of. Arielle used to be very close to her father, but things changed slowly when he started dating a new woman, that seems to be taking up his time. Arielle feels like any decisions that concerned the divorce of her parents about who and where she was to stay, she wasn’t even given a choice in the matter. So she repels in small ways to get her father’s attention since he is the one that has full custody of her.
One particular evening, Arielle has an argument with her father and leaves out to hang out with her boyfriend, even though her father deliberately told her she was not allowed to leave the house. The couple ends up under an old hanging tree. Unbeknownst to the couple there are spirits in the tree whose lives are connected to an ancient curse. Her boyfriend is determined to have Arielle give him her virginity and as she struggles with whether or not to do it. Because truth be told, Arielle really doesn’t love him, if she gives in it’s just about her finally having a choice in something.
Above in the hanging tree, each spirit tells their story of how they have become trapped within the tree. How each of them were killed. And how each of them, along with the couple below have something in common. Will Arielle and her boyfriend wind up being the next to become part of the curse?
The Hanging Tree by Michael Phillip Cash is a novella about witchcraft and what happens when a powerful but ancient curse is put upon the man who caused a horrifying murder. The story was short and had an eerie feel to it, especially near the end, because the reader feels the adrenaline course through them with the expectation of something horrifying once again to occur. The description is vivid and told with great detail. Aside from some grammatical errors and with certain parts being a little too short for my taste, this was a pretty good read.
Reviewed by: Leona

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