Syndrie
Both compelling and blasphemous, “Bone of My Bone” is an ambitious mix of historical, religious, and folk horror steeped with gothic charm and impossible to put down. With her third novel, Johanna Van Veen has once again managed to give readers a unique story about a love between two women that is able to grow in the most unlikely of situations.
I really liked how this was both a story about fighting—basically literal—demons as well as one about fighting yourself and your own beliefs. This wasn’t a story about two women immediately casting away their faith at the smallest sign of hardship; it was a story about two women who went through hell while having to make some very difficult decisions that made them grapple with their ideas of right versus wrong. There’s a lot of push and pull between the girls as they clash over differences in personality as well as their differences in faith—one being a Catholic nun and the other being a Calvinist—which provides a nice balance of more relatable conflict in-between the supernatural elements going on in the story. And though the plot itself is filled with conflict, darkness, and despair, there remains a small light of hope that’s able to shine throughout the story.
As usual, Johanna’s writing flows beautifully and makes for a very easy read. Her descriptions are detailed enough to paint a clear picture without overstaying their welcome, and the language is easy to comprehend without being simplistic. My only real complaint with the story would be that the relationship between Ursula and Elsebeth developed a little too quickly for my tastes—although one could argue that they were living in a heightened state of emotion being surrounded by danger all the time, leading them to behave differently than usual.
If you’re already a fan of Johanna Van Veen, or just a fan of gothic or folk horror in general, then I think you’ll really enjoy this one! Just be aware that there are some rather graphic descriptions of gore among quite a few other trigger warnings, so readers with known triggers may want to take some caution and look up the warning list first. For me, I think I’m going to have to officially put Johanna Van Veen into my list of favorite authors after this novel because she’s three for three now.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Both compelling and blasphemous, “Bone of My Bone” is an ambitious mix of historical, religious, and folk horror steeped with gothic charm and impossible to put down. With her third novel, Johanna Van Veen has once again managed to give readers a unique story about a love between two women that is able to grow in the most unlikely of situations.
I really liked how this was both a story about fighting—basically literal—demons as well as one about fighting yourself and your own beliefs. This wasn’t a story about two women immediately casting away their faith at the smallest sign of hardship; it was a story about two women who went through hell while having to make some very difficult decisions that made them grapple with their ideas of right versus wrong. There’s a lot of push and pull between the girls as they clash over differences in personality as well as their differences in faith—one being a Catholic nun and the other being a Calvinist—which provides a nice balance of more relatable conflict in-between the supernatural elements going on in the story. And though the plot itself is filled with conflict, darkness, and despair, there remains a small light of hope that’s able to shine throughout the story.
As usual, Johanna’s writing flows beautifully and makes for a very easy read. Her descriptions are detailed enough to paint a clear picture without overstaying their welcome, and the language is easy to comprehend without being simplistic. My only real complaint with the story would be that the relationship between Ursula and Elsebeth developed a little too quickly for my tastes—although one could argue that they were living in a heightened state of emotion being surrounded by danger all the time, leading them to behave differently than usual.
If you’re already a fan of Johanna Van Veen, or just a fan of gothic or folk horror in general, then I think you’ll really enjoy this one! Just be aware that there are some rather graphic descriptions of gore among quite a few other trigger warnings, so readers with known triggers may want to take some caution and look up the warning list first. For me, I think I’m going to have to officially put Johanna Van Veen into my list of favorite authors after this novel because she’s three for three now.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This really felt like a breath of fresh air and was an absolute delight to read! I haven’t had a new series grab my attention so quickly in quite some time now, and I can see this series easily gaining a dedicated fan base. You can definitely feel the Studio Ghibli inspiration in the story in that it gives off a certain whimsicality despite it covering some heavier topics (e.g. classism, political corruption) as well as showing scenes of violence.
At its core, “The Rainshadow Orphans” seems to be a story that really puts a focus on the power of found family. Our main set of characters — Toshiko, Mei, and Jun — consider themselves siblings, but they aren’t actually blood related. Bonded after all being separately adopted into the care of a woman named Reiko, these three seek to find revenge for their dear adopted “aunt” who ended up being murdered by a member of a local gang. This novel starts off with an absolute bang where we’re thrown right into a scene of Toshiko attempting to complete a stealth mission that puts her face-to-face with the same man who murdered her Aunt Reiko years ago.
I’m usually a bit wary of stories that immediately start in the middle of the action as it tends to be a bit overwhelming, but “The Rainshadow Orphans” did not suffer from this at all. In fact, I found it extremely easy to fall into this novel right from the get-go. I was able to pick up the character names quickly and found the plot and character’s motivations easy to follow even with only minimal information. If anything the storytelling shown here just felt really natural. All of the plot progressions felt like they fit in and it never seemed like drama was being thrown in just for the sake of adding more drama — it all had a purpose. I also really liked how some rather advanced technology is in play here right alongside a magic system that is slowly revealed throughout the novel. The contrast between the two is very interesting and having both in play means there’s a lot of creative potential for the rest of the series!
Overall I would highly recommend this book to fantasy readers in general – especially those who enjoy stories with Japanese influence! And for people who might be new to fantasy stories and are looking to dip their toes in the water here, then I think this would also make a fantastic introduction to the genre.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Saga Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This really felt like a breath of fresh air and was an absolute delight to read! I haven’t had a new series grab my attention so quickly in quite some time now, and I can see this series easily gaining a dedicated fan base. You can definitely feel the Studio Ghibli inspiration in the story in that it gives off a certain whimsicality despite it covering some heavier topics (e.g. classism, political corruption) as well as showing scenes of violence.
At its core, “The Rainshadow Orphans” seems to be a story that really puts a focus on the power of found family. Our main set of characters — Toshiko, Mei, and Jun — consider themselves siblings, but they aren’t actually blood related. Bonded after all being separately adopted into the care of a woman named Reiko, these three seek to find revenge for their dear adopted “aunt” who ended up being murdered by a member of a local gang. This novel starts off with an absolute bang where we’re thrown right into a scene of Toshiko attempting to complete a stealth mission that puts her face-to-face with the same man who murdered her Aunt Reiko years ago.
I’m usually a bit wary of stories that immediately start in the middle of the action as it tends to be a bit overwhelming, but “The Rainshadow Orphans” did not suffer from this at all. In fact, I found it extremely easy to fall into this novel right from the get-go. I was able to pick up the character names quickly and found the plot and character’s motivations easy to follow even with only minimal information. If anything the storytelling shown here just felt really natural. All of the plot progressions felt like they fit in and it never seemed like drama was being thrown in just for the sake of adding more drama — it all had a purpose. I also really liked how some rather advanced technology is in play here right alongside a magic system that is slowly revealed throughout the novel. The contrast between the two is very interesting and having both in play means there’s a lot of creative potential for the rest of the series!
Overall I would highly recommend this book to fantasy readers in general – especially those who enjoy stories with Japanese influence! And for people who might be new to fantasy stories and are looking to dip their toes in the water here, then I think this would also make a fantastic introduction to the genre.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Saga Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This right here is a true southern gothic novel — filled to the brim with flawed characters, illicit themes, raw emotions, and a fair amount of gore.
Overall, it's a rough story that really focuses on dark ramifications of generational trauma. We follow the story of a woman named Jude, who runs away from her childhood home — and more importantly from her abusive mother. One thing that really hit me harder for this novel is that this wasn't a case of a young woman or teenager running away to try and start a new life. Jude is actually already 41 years old before she finally manages to escape from the house of suffering she's been stuck in for her entire life. The meat of this novel is really about how Jude grows and adapts to her new life in the abandoned, haunted home she's fled to deep in the Georgia woods. We watch as she learns some harsh truths about herself, and we also watch as she develops a deep, intimate relationship with a mysterious woman who suddenly appears at her door one day.
Written with lush and descriptive prose, you can really feel the anger, fear, lust, sorrow, and disgust absolutely dripping from the pages of this novel. But in between all the bad, there are moments of serenity that help make the story more palatable and really humanize (most of) the characters. It's also a pretty fast-paced story with frequent time skips, but the pacing feels very natural and there's an impressive amount of character development packed in along the way.
I don't want to give too many details on the plot as I went into this one mostly blind and I'm glad I did so, but here's a list of some keywords I jotted down during my reading for anybody who might want a little more of an idea of what to expect: visceral, haunting, incandescent, tranquil, frenzied, wanton, harrowing, hopeful.
If you're a reader that tends to be triggered by darker themes, you'll probably want to pay special attention to the content warning at the beginning of this book before fully committing to it. But for those who do not have any triggers, I would highly recommend this one. I'll also most definitely be keeping an eye out for future works from Yah Yah Scholfield!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Saga Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This right here is a true southern gothic novel — filled to the brim with flawed characters, illicit themes, raw emotions, and a fair amount of gore.
Overall, it's a rough story that really focuses on dark ramifications of generational trauma. We follow the story of a woman named Jude, who runs away from her childhood home — and more importantly from her abusive mother. One thing that really hit me harder for this novel is that this wasn't a case of a young woman or teenager running away to try and start a new life. Jude is actually already 41 years old before she finally manages to escape from the house of suffering she's been stuck in for her entire life. The meat of this novel is really about how Jude grows and adapts to her new life in the abandoned, haunted home she's fled to deep in the Georgia woods. We watch as she learns some harsh truths about herself, and we also watch as she develops a deep, intimate relationship with a mysterious woman who suddenly appears at her door one day.
Written with lush and descriptive prose, you can really feel the anger, fear, lust, sorrow, and disgust absolutely dripping from the pages of this novel. But in between all the bad, there are moments of serenity that help make the story more palatable and really humanize (most of) the characters. It's also a pretty fast-paced story with frequent time skips, but the pacing feels very natural and there's an impressive amount of character development packed in along the way.
I don't want to give too many details on the plot as I went into this one mostly blind and I'm glad I did so, but here's a list of some keywords I jotted down during my reading for anybody who might want a little more of an idea of what to expect: visceral, haunting, incandescent, tranquil, frenzied, wanton, harrowing, hopeful.
If you're a reader that tends to be triggered by darker themes, you'll probably want to pay special attention to the content warning at the beginning of this book before fully committing to it. But for those who do not have any triggers, I would highly recommend this one. I'll also most definitely be keeping an eye out for future works from Yah Yah Scholfield!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Saga Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
I’d say that this is one of those stories where the horror lies more in the unseen than the seen.
There’s no obvious boogeyman character to fear here, just an ever-growing sense of unease that permeates through the pages as you watch one man devolve from a kind and friendly soul into a man caught in the throes of obsession over a prehistoric ruin. This is not a story of axe murderers, it’s a story about how an even bigger horror is watching a loved one transform into somebody you no longer recognize.
I would not have guessed this was a debut novel if I didn’t already know it was before picking it up! The writing is wonderfully atmospheric and Higginson did a fantastic job at setting the scene — the story told here perfectly fits into the backdrop of an isolated sheep farm deep in the Welsh mountains. Carwyn and Rhian were also both well-developed characters that truly felt like real people. In-between the creepy stuff happening in the present day, the novel intermingles flashbacks of their story from their first meeting up through married life that really helps readers get to know each of them properly — which makes the main story hit that much harder. And although I would say this story is a little slow-paced, I’m also saying it as a compliment. Everything is given just enough time for the plot to fully develop and for all that tension to really build up to a proper climax at the end. There’s also some folklore elements that really add some extra intrigue to the story and really help flesh everything out just a bit more (if you aren’t already familiar with the Mari Lwyd, you’re about to learn).
So if you like folk horror, and don’t mind a bit of a slow burn, then I highly recommend picking this one up! (And I’ll most definitely be putting Liam Higginson on my list of authors to keep an eye out for going forward.)
I’d say that this is one of those stories where the horror lies more in the unseen than the seen.
There’s no obvious boogeyman character to fear here, just an ever-growing sense of unease that permeates through the pages as you watch one man devolve from a kind and friendly soul into a man caught in the throes of obsession over a prehistoric ruin. This is not a story of axe murderers, it’s a story about how an even bigger horror is watching a loved one transform into somebody you no longer recognize.
I would not have guessed this was a debut novel if I didn’t already know it was before picking it up! The writing is wonderfully atmospheric and Higginson did a fantastic job at setting the scene — the story told here perfectly fits into the backdrop of an isolated sheep farm deep in the Welsh mountains. Carwyn and Rhian were also both well-developed characters that truly felt like real people. In-between the creepy stuff happening in the present day, the novel intermingles flashbacks of their story from their first meeting up through married life that really helps readers get to know each of them properly — which makes the main story hit that much harder. And although I would say this story is a little slow-paced, I’m also saying it as a compliment. Everything is given just enough time for the plot to fully develop and for all that tension to really build up to a proper climax at the end. There’s also some folklore elements that really add some extra intrigue to the story and really help flesh everything out just a bit more (if you aren’t already familiar with the Mari Lwyd, you’re about to learn).
So if you like folk horror, and don’t mind a bit of a slow burn, then I highly recommend picking this one up! (And I’ll most definitely be putting Liam Higginson on my list of authors to keep an eye out for going forward.)
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I definitely enjoyed this book, but I must admit I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into proper words here. Something that I can't quite put my finger on made this novel feel unique and I think it's something readers will have to just dive in and experience themselves to really understand.
I'll start off by saying if you're a reader that likes faster paced novels or plots with a lot of action—this book is definitely not for you. But it will be perfect for the readers who are happy to sit down with a slow-burn story full of atmospheric writing and can, at times, feel a bit like a character study.
In a tale that's absolutely stuffed with longing, as well as anger, grief, classism, and a pinch of witchcraft, we follow alongside a girl named Margaret who just so happens to be a bit in love with Joanie—the girl she considers her best friend. Although coming from different walks of life—Margaret from a poor family and Joanie from wealth—due to a certain series of events, Margaret has ended up in the care of Joanie's family and lives with them instead of her father. But after the pair is discovered in a rather compromising situation by Joanie's father, Margaret is cast out of the house and has no choice but to return to her father's house of squalor. The bulk of the novel really focuses on Margaret's feelings and general state of being after she's been torn away from her love—and let's just say she doesn't exactly handle it well.
As I mentioned before, this is a rather slow-paced novel, but Evans' prose sets the tone so well that I felt as if I was being pulled into a trance while reading it. You can really feel Margaret's pain and the great amount of tension she has between herself and pretty much every other character in the story. There's also really great insight into Margaret's state of mind as well as her motivations for the actions she does (and doesn't) take. With a bit of witchiness thrown in as an extra level of intrigue, this really stood out to me as a story that I haven't quite read anything like before.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
I definitely enjoyed this book, but I must admit I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into proper words here. Something that I can't quite put my finger on made this novel feel unique and I think it's something readers will have to just dive in and experience themselves to really understand.
I'll start off by saying if you're a reader that likes faster paced novels or plots with a lot of action—this book is definitely not for you. But it will be perfect for the readers who are happy to sit down with a slow-burn story full of atmospheric writing and can, at times, feel a bit like a character study.
In a tale that's absolutely stuffed with longing, as well as anger, grief, classism, and a pinch of witchcraft, we follow alongside a girl named Margaret who just so happens to be a bit in love with Joanie—the girl she considers her best friend. Although coming from different walks of life—Margaret from a poor family and Joanie from wealth—due to a certain series of events, Margaret has ended up in the care of Joanie's family and lives with them instead of her father. But after the pair is discovered in a rather compromising situation by Joanie's father, Margaret is cast out of the house and has no choice but to return to her father's house of squalor. The bulk of the novel really focuses on Margaret's feelings and general state of being after she's been torn away from her love—and let's just say she doesn't exactly handle it well.
As I mentioned before, this is a rather slow-paced novel, but Evans' prose sets the tone so well that I felt as if I was being pulled into a trance while reading it. You can really feel Margaret's pain and the great amount of tension she has between herself and pretty much every other character in the story. There's also really great insight into Margaret's state of mind as well as her motivations for the actions she does (and doesn't) take. With a bit of witchiness thrown in as an extra level of intrigue, this really stood out to me as a story that I haven't quite read anything like before.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This was one of those books that took me a little bit to get into, but once I hit chapter 7, around 20% in, I was hooked!
I'm not sure I'd really consider this one to be much of a horror story — although that could just be due to the fact that I'm used to reading much darker novels. I'd say the horror elements are mild, the thriller elements are a bit stronger, and mystery is the strongest of them all here.
That said, Jacquie Walters did a great job weaving the two different timelines in this story together using a rather unique connection between them. I definitely wasn't able to guess ahead of time what was really going on here and it was satisfying seeing how the whole mystery unfolded throughout the story. I found the pacing to be really well done as well. It's a bit of a slow build but that just gives us plenty of time to set the scene and let tension build up naturally throughout the novel. I'd say the ending does ramp up pretty quickly, but it manages not to feel overly rushed or anything like that. The ending felt well-rounded and I'm satisfied with how it all wrapped up.
The main reason I'm knocking a star off of my rating is simply because I found the present day timeline to be noticeably weaker — and maybe a tad too dramatic — compared to the historical timeline. I also found Edith's character to be the most fascinating, so that's probably influencing my opinion a bit as well. As a woman healer back in the 1600s — a time when intelligent women were regarded with great suspicion — she proves herself to be a rather strong character. But, as I said earlier, the connection between the two timelines was so well done that I can't complain too much about the present day plot at all. Without it, this would be a completely different story and wouldn't have quite the same charm overall!
So overall, I would definitely recommend this story to readers who are interested in mysteries with some ghostly/thriller aspects weaved in!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Mulholland Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This was one of those books that took me a little bit to get into, but once I hit chapter 7, around 20% in, I was hooked!
I'm not sure I'd really consider this one to be much of a horror story — although that could just be due to the fact that I'm used to reading much darker novels. I'd say the horror elements are mild, the thriller elements are a bit stronger, and mystery is the strongest of them all here.
That said, Jacquie Walters did a great job weaving the two different timelines in this story together using a rather unique connection between them. I definitely wasn't able to guess ahead of time what was really going on here and it was satisfying seeing how the whole mystery unfolded throughout the story. I found the pacing to be really well done as well. It's a bit of a slow build but that just gives us plenty of time to set the scene and let tension build up naturally throughout the novel. I'd say the ending does ramp up pretty quickly, but it manages not to feel overly rushed or anything like that. The ending felt well-rounded and I'm satisfied with how it all wrapped up.
The main reason I'm knocking a star off of my rating is simply because I found the present day timeline to be noticeably weaker — and maybe a tad too dramatic — compared to the historical timeline. I also found Edith's character to be the most fascinating, so that's probably influencing my opinion a bit as well. As a woman healer back in the 1600s — a time when intelligent women were regarded with great suspicion — she proves herself to be a rather strong character. But, as I said earlier, the connection between the two timelines was so well done that I can't complain too much about the present day plot at all. Without it, this would be a completely different story and wouldn't have quite the same charm overall!
So overall, I would definitely recommend this story to readers who are interested in mysteries with some ghostly/thriller aspects weaved in!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Mulholland Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Both heartbreaking and beautiful, Tayari Jones has crafted a poignant story about two girls who crave maternal connections after growing up motherless. This is a story about family and friendship, love and heartbreak, and growing up as a black women in the south in the middle of the segregation era.
Referring to each other as cradle friends, Vernice and Annie have known each other their whole lives and grew up together from babies all the way to adulthood. Connected by the loss of their mothers (one by death, the other by abandonment) these two girls both understand and care for each other deeply. They are perfect foils to each other where Vernice tends to be more of a rational thinker while Annie often lets her emotions guide her. And even though they end up going on separate journeys as they enter adulthood, the girls keep their bond strong by keeping in touch via letters. It was really nice to see a friendship so strong that it couldn't be broken by either distance or differing life experiences (because they do end up living significantly different lives).
Although I'd consider the overarching tone of this novel to be more somber than anything else, it still has its bright moments and is overall a really nice read. Honestly it's just a very realistic story — after all, not everything in life goes correctly all the time. Jones did a great job with the story pacing as well as giving us fully fleshed-out characters that were easy to care about and therefore want to keep reading about.
In showing the girls at both their most fragile moments and their strongest moments, this ends up being a rather thought-provoking story that will probably sit with readers for awhile after they've finished. I would highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys character driven novels and literary fiction as a whole.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Both heartbreaking and beautiful, Tayari Jones has crafted a poignant story about two girls who crave maternal connections after growing up motherless. This is a story about family and friendship, love and heartbreak, and growing up as a black women in the south in the middle of the segregation era.
Referring to each other as cradle friends, Vernice and Annie have known each other their whole lives and grew up together from babies all the way to adulthood. Connected by the loss of their mothers (one by death, the other by abandonment) these two girls both understand and care for each other deeply. They are perfect foils to each other where Vernice tends to be more of a rational thinker while Annie often lets her emotions guide her. And even though they end up going on separate journeys as they enter adulthood, the girls keep their bond strong by keeping in touch via letters. It was really nice to see a friendship so strong that it couldn't be broken by either distance or differing life experiences (because they do end up living significantly different lives).
Although I'd consider the overarching tone of this novel to be more somber than anything else, it still has its bright moments and is overall a really nice read. Honestly it's just a very realistic story — after all, not everything in life goes correctly all the time. Jones did a great job with the story pacing as well as giving us fully fleshed-out characters that were easy to care about and therefore want to keep reading about.
In showing the girls at both their most fragile moments and their strongest moments, this ends up being a rather thought-provoking story that will probably sit with readers for awhile after they've finished. I would highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys character driven novels and literary fiction as a whole.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)