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snugglesandpages's reviews
246 reviews
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor
dark
mysterious
tense
4.0
This book was exactly what I needed to pull me out of a reading slump. The creepy and sinister atmosphere lept from the pages, infiltrating my reality and my dreams. 😱 I mean, seriously!!! 👻👻
After a high profile incident, Jack and her daughter Flo are suddenly moved to the small remote town of Chapel Croft by the church. Jack isn't your average Vicar. She smokes, drinks and much like Chaple Coft, has dark secrets of her own, and someone is willing to kill to keep them buried.
I love when an author shatters society's preconceptions and Jack's laid back and modern approach to religion certainly does that, making for a more layered and relatable character.
The mix of religion and thriller is always an intriguing one, and if done right, (like C.J. has done with The Burning Girls) it will have your spine-tingling. The added elements of the town's dark ritualistic history, the unsolved disappearance to two teenage girls, paranormal activity and exorcisms will be sure to have you on edge the entire time.
"𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮 𝙞𝙩. 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙙, '𝙉𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚'. 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙙𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜. 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨."
The Burning Girls is currently being made into a TV series and I can't wait to see how this translates from the page to the screen! I anticipate it will be a thrilling experience.
After a high profile incident, Jack and her daughter Flo are suddenly moved to the small remote town of Chapel Croft by the church. Jack isn't your average Vicar. She smokes, drinks and much like Chaple Coft, has dark secrets of her own, and someone is willing to kill to keep them buried.
I love when an author shatters society's preconceptions and Jack's laid back and modern approach to religion certainly does that, making for a more layered and relatable character.
The mix of religion and thriller is always an intriguing one, and if done right, (like C.J. has done with The Burning Girls) it will have your spine-tingling. The added elements of the town's dark ritualistic history, the unsolved disappearance to two teenage girls, paranormal activity and exorcisms will be sure to have you on edge the entire time.
"𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮 𝙞𝙩. 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙙, '𝙉𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚'. 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙙𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜. 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨."
The Burning Girls is currently being made into a TV series and I can't wait to see how this translates from the page to the screen! I anticipate it will be a thrilling experience.
Maame by Jessica George
3.5
The author touches on a lot of heavy topics but it also felt like Maddie just went through it all. At 25 and the primary carer for her frail father, it was hard to believe she could be so naive. With her Mother partly living in Ghana, Maddie turns to Google for absolutely every question in her life. I understand a reason for this could be that Maddie was conditioned by her Mother to never talk to others about personal matters, so this was Maddie's way of seeking that connection. It was funny at first but then got a bit silly when she would rely on it for the most mundane questions and things a 25 yr old woman living in a modern world should know.
I can't go without saying how much I despised her mother The nagging and unrelenting pressure she put on Maddie to "find a husband" is archaic and came across as a means of securing financial support for herself rather than for her daughter's well being and happiness. Though, I connected with Maddie being the youngest & left to support everyone else, I must say the light shone on Ghanaian culture depicted by mostly Maddie's mother, didn't seem like a positive one.
I do think Maame is a great coming-of-age story that would suit the YA genre a bit more. Overall, I was touched and pulled in different directions with this book. The struggles of a young woman giving up her life to aid her ailing father while processing the reality of a "part-time mother was beautifully written and truly felt.
But, what confused me the most was how Maddie seemed to have evolved rather quickly the moment she moved out of home. It just felt a bit disingenuous.
In saying that though, I know a few of the ladies in my bookclub have rated Maame 5 stars, so not only will there be a lot to talk about when we catch up, but there is every chance you will love and experience this book differently to me.
*Thank you to the team at @hachetteaus for this #gifted copy
I can't go without saying how much I despised her mother The nagging and unrelenting pressure she put on Maddie to "find a husband" is archaic and came across as a means of securing financial support for herself rather than for her daughter's well being and happiness. Though, I connected with Maddie being the youngest & left to support everyone else, I must say the light shone on Ghanaian culture depicted by mostly Maddie's mother, didn't seem like a positive one.
I do think Maame is a great coming-of-age story that would suit the YA genre a bit more. Overall, I was touched and pulled in different directions with this book. The struggles of a young woman giving up her life to aid her ailing father while processing the reality of a "part-time mother was beautifully written and truly felt.
But, what confused me the most was how Maddie seemed to have evolved rather quickly the moment she moved out of home. It just felt a bit disingenuous.
In saying that though, I know a few of the ladies in my bookclub have rated Maame 5 stars, so not only will there be a lot to talk about when we catch up, but there is every chance you will love and experience this book differently to me.
*Thank you to the team at @hachetteaus for this #gifted copy
The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson
4.0
The Kind Worth Killing is one of my all time favourite books (pre-bookstagram). With its clever plot and a killer FMC (literally) you can't help but root for, it's no surprise that the follow-up, The Kind Worth Saving is one of my most anticipated reads of the year!
The Kind Worth Saving mirrors a similar format to its predecessor. We are reunited with Henry Kimball, former teacher/police detective and now PI, who has been hired by a woman who suspects her husband is having an affair with a co-worker. Suddenly Henry is pulled into a dark web of deadly coincidences that all lead back to the women who hired him, and there is only one person he can think of who can help him make sense of it.. queue everyone's favourite sociopath, Lily Kintner. 🤗
I'm just going to come right out and say it, Lily is my comfort character. Yes, I am aware she is a 🔪 but I'm telling you, you will find it hard not to like her. Much like Ruby in @sascharothchild Blood Sugar.
There were aspects of this book that really took me by surprise, but I can't go into them without spoiling the impact it will have on you when you read it, so you will just have the trust me that there are some definite 💣 coming your way 😉
What I will say is, if you like your psychological thrillers with complex and cunning characters, multiple POVs mixed with perfectly plotted misdirection, then this duology is for you.
The Kind Worth Saving mirrors a similar format to its predecessor. We are reunited with Henry Kimball, former teacher/police detective and now PI, who has been hired by a woman who suspects her husband is having an affair with a co-worker. Suddenly Henry is pulled into a dark web of deadly coincidences that all lead back to the women who hired him, and there is only one person he can think of who can help him make sense of it.. queue everyone's favourite sociopath, Lily Kintner. 🤗
I'm just going to come right out and say it, Lily is my comfort character. Yes, I am aware she is a 🔪 but I'm telling you, you will find it hard not to like her. Much like Ruby in @sascharothchild Blood Sugar.
There were aspects of this book that really took me by surprise, but I can't go into them without spoiling the impact it will have on you when you read it, so you will just have the trust me that there are some definite 💣 coming your way 😉
What I will say is, if you like your psychological thrillers with complex and cunning characters, multiple POVs mixed with perfectly plotted misdirection, then this duology is for you.