Given Back by Wren Blackwood

Given Back

A Southern Gothic Horror Story

When her brother's body is returned by the bayou, Delphine comes home to a parish where the land itself is a hungry, patient will and her long-dead mother still speaks from the back room—offering a blood bargain to settle a debt that has waited too long. What she doesn't understand until her hands are no longer her own is that the offering was never her blood, but the child she carried barefoot down to the water believing she was keeping safe.

Reader Reviews

4.0

2 ratings

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Serena M.

Inside Story

Jul 23, 2026

I did not like this story as much as Sweet Delilah. I thought it was less coherent as a whole. Still, it was creepy, especially the ending. And I really liked the setting of the swamp.

Page P.

Inside Story

Jul 9, 2026

Wren Blackwood sets the stage as dark as the murky swamp for this southern gothic novel. The environment created pairs beautifully with lore, mystery, and dread from the FMC. Given Back feels so familiar, you’d think you’d heard this story from your grandmother.

About the Author

Wren Blackwood

Wren Blackwood grew up in Orlando, Florida, and has spent the last twenty-five years
building a life alongside her husband and their two children. In 2011, the family put
down new roots in South Carolina — a move that quietly changed everything. In the
years that followed, Luna earned her RN license, then her insurance license, moving
through the practical demands of life the way most people do, one credential, one
season at a time.
Now a homemaker, she has finally turned toward the thing she always meant to do.
Most days you'll find her at home with her three dogs —
writing, or outside somewhere in the sun.
She has notebooks full of ideas, stories that have been waiting patiently for years. At
44, she's done making them wait.

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