Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Well everyone, here I am, back again with my reviews! I’ve actually been reading all of these books during my hiatus but I just didn’t have the time to put everything into a blog post. But it’s here now, so I hope you all enjoy!
Summary (Goodreads): Sweetness can be deceptive.
Meet Hanna.
She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.Meet Suzette.
She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.
Review:
To say that this book was creepy would be an understatement. It was INCREDIBLY creepy. I really thought that the premise of this story was intriguing (and messed up – in a good way) and I’m really glad that I got a chance to read it.
The strongest aspects of this story were the development of the characters and the way the plot developed. I thought writing the story from the perspective of both Hanna and Suzette was a clever one, as it gave us a lot of insight into what was happening in their heads. I wish the author hadn’t spent so much time describing all of the details of Suzette’s medical condition – even for me, it was a bit dull and I found that it didn’t necessarily add all that much to the story. A brief mention of the condition would have sufficed. I definitely preferred reading from Hanna’s perspective and the author captured her voice perfectly.
In terms of the plot, it was really well executed with a gradual building of tension that eventually led to the main climactic event. There was just the right amount of tautness to keep the reader on edge, wondering how the story would unfold. I think that there were moments that had the reader questioning whether everything was really as simple and clearcut as initially presented – was the mother really the victim, and was the child really evil? – but this idea wasn’t developed further. I wish it had been because it would have added more depth and nuance to take the story to that next level.
With all that being said, I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was a very interesting concept and the author definitely delivered on the tension and creepy factor. For me, this story gets a 4/5 star rating!
Happy reading ~
I am glad you loved it… I am still unsure whether to read a creepy child book
Hahahaha creepy child books aren’t everyone’s cup of tea so I can understand that! This book wasn’t the best written story in the world but the tension between the child and her mother and how everything played out had me on the edge of my seat. So if you’re looking for something like that, then give it a shot!
Man the blurb itself is so disturbing but I am glad the execution was good–in novels like this execution is really important! Great review <3
Thank you so much! The blurb is definitely disturbing but that’s what makes it so interesting! And yes, execution is so important because it can make or break a story/idea