THE HANGING GIRL
Author: Eileen Cook
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Description:
Skye
Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic
visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl. It’s
no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has
some insider knowledge. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one
would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life.
But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the
people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want and
she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.
I'm a huge fan of thrillers and mysteries, so I was immediately intrigued by the description of this book. I've read the author before and really enjoyed her work, so I had pretty high hopes going in. I have to say that it lived up to any expectations I may have had and actually turned out to be a real roller coaster ride. Even though I really liked this book and all of the aspects involved, there's just something about it that didn't blow me away. It's why I'm not giving it a five star rating - but I can't put my finger on what was missing or why. I know it sounds weird - I really liked everything about the story, but that extra something was missing for me. This is completely my own opinion and has nothing to do with the book itself. I just wanted to make a note of it early on, in case anyone wonders why I write a glowing review and then not give a higher rating.
The most notable things for me about the novel were the plot and the writing style. The story line was full of twists and turns that you didn't see coming and the author keeps you on your toes the entire time. I've read a ton of thrillers, and it's not easy to surprise me anymore, but there were some parts in this book that threw me for a loop. The plot itself was easy to follow along once you got the general idea of what was happening - but then things start to go wrong and ravel out of control, and it all goes to hell. I think the writing style complemented the plot perfectly - the majority of the story is told from Skye's point of view, with a few chapters from Paige's perspective thrown in. This only made things more curious and fascinating for me - especially Paige's part. You'll understand if you read the book. I loved getting to know Skye throughout the novel. She's easy to identify with and I connected with her early on. The author made it seem so natural for things to happen the way they did with Skye - things just keep snowballing and she doesn't quite know what to do, and then it's all gone too far and she's in way too deep. The secondary characters seemed pretty two dimensional and kind of stereotypical, but that didn't really bother me since the main part of the story wasn't about them at all. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it for fans of YA mysteries, thrillers, suspense, and contemporary fiction.
The most notable things for me about the novel were the plot and the writing style. The story line was full of twists and turns that you didn't see coming and the author keeps you on your toes the entire time. I've read a ton of thrillers, and it's not easy to surprise me anymore, but there were some parts in this book that threw me for a loop. The plot itself was easy to follow along once you got the general idea of what was happening - but then things start to go wrong and ravel out of control, and it all goes to hell. I think the writing style complemented the plot perfectly - the majority of the story is told from Skye's point of view, with a few chapters from Paige's perspective thrown in. This only made things more curious and fascinating for me - especially Paige's part. You'll understand if you read the book. I loved getting to know Skye throughout the novel. She's easy to identify with and I connected with her early on. The author made it seem so natural for things to happen the way they did with Skye - things just keep snowballing and she doesn't quite know what to do, and then it's all gone too far and she's in way too deep. The secondary characters seemed pretty two dimensional and kind of stereotypical, but that didn't really bother me since the main part of the story wasn't about them at all. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it for fans of YA mysteries, thrillers, suspense, and contemporary fiction.
Eileen
Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in eight
different languages. Her books have been optioned for film and TV. She
spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere
else, which is great training for a writer. Her newest book, WITH
MALICE, will be out in June 2016. She’s an instructor/mentor with the
Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio Program. You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny atwww.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two very naughty dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.
(3) winners will receive a finished copy of THE HANGING GIRL, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
9/25/2017- Falling For YA- Interview
9/26/2017- My Thoughts Literally- Review
9/27/2017- Novel Novice- Guest Post
9/28/2017- A Dream Within A Dream- Review
9/29/2017- BookHounds YA- Interview
Week Two:
10/2/2017- books and photographs- Review
10/3/2017- Wandering Bark Books- Guest Post
10/4/2017- JustAddaWord- Review
10/5/2017- a GREAT read- Review
10/6/2017- Jump Into Books- Review
Thanks for the review. Mysteries are my favorite, especially with twists that I don't see coming.
ReplyDeleteSounds very different and intriguing. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteLove the review. This is another one of those books that just has THE vibe, you know what I mean? The vibe that makes you intrigued and do a double take. Definitely adding to my TBR pile.
ReplyDelete