Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publication: October 2nd, 2018
Genre: Fantasy Thriller
Format: Egalley
Diversity: LGBT+ & POC MC
Quick Summary:
Sawkill Rock is a seemingly perfect place, except for the girls who have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight or even acknowledge besides the whispers told in the dark. Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep. He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep. With the help of the sentient island itself the lives of three girls converges on Sawkill Rock to finally confront the insidious monster lurking in the woods.
My Thoughts:
I found all three main characters perspectives compelling. We have Marion who just moved to Sawkill Rock after losing her father in a tragic car accident. Being the glue keeping her family from falling a part has led Marion to feel increasingly alone. Thats until she meets Zoey, another lonely girl who is still grieving over the lost of her best friend. Both girls find themselves aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. While Val, the ruthless queen bee of the island isnt all she appears to be. Her family dark legacy is a difficult burden to bear when it comes at the price of ones humanity. I loved how the characters are brought together by the missing girls.
I really enjoyed the romance and all the diverse representation, but I absolutely adored the female friendships. It was just so amazing to see girls empowering each other. The feminist themes were wonderful. I even felt like the main guy character was a feminist. Despite not being one of the main points of view I felt like he was well developped. I even liked him more than Marion. Out of the three main perspectives I preferred Zoey and Vals characters because they both had more personality than Marion. Val a little twisted but she gets some beautiful character development. Zoeys strong willed and quirky rebellious nature was fantastic.
The writing did a great job of setting the mood. It was very atmospheric if a little vague and confusing at times. It requires some suspension of disbelief but somehow it worked for this type of weird story. Ive also read Furyborn by this author and I loved how her writing was able to set a different tone for each book. The pace had a slower build, but the mystery and menacing presence in the woods kept me engaged. The story didnt take me by surprise but I never felt like it was predictable. The plots doesnt move very quickly, but I liked getting to know the characters and the setting. I also thought the contrast between each girls family dynamics was really interesting.
I loved the monster and the sentient island. I dont read many contemporary books so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized this had more fantastical elements then I was expecting. I knew going in their would be some type of evil monster, but I wasn't sure how paranormal it was going to be. The creepy tone was exactly what I was looking for when I picked this up. Im so happy I decided to read this in October. It was the perfect book to put me in the Halloween mood. I really enjoyed the eerie island vibes and the sinister woods. Im pretty sure this is a standalone, but Id totally read more books in this world.
*received for review consideration*
No comments:
Post a Comment