Ratings8
Average rating3.9
'It's both eerie and thrilling at once, and had me under its spell until the end.' Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure They are driving home from the search party when they see her. The trees are coarse and tall in the winter light, standing like men. Lauren and her father Niall live alone in the Highlands, in a small village surrounded by pine forest. When a woman stumbles out onto the road one Halloween night, Niall drives her back to their house in his pickup. In the morning, she's gone. In a community where daughters rebel, men quietly rage, and drinking is a means of forgetting, mysteries like these are not out of the ordinary. The trapper found hanging with the dead animals for two weeks. Locked doors and stone circles. The disappearance of Lauren's mother a decade ago. Lauren looks for answers in her tarot cards, hoping she might one day be able to read her father's turbulent mind. Neighbours know more than they let on, but when local teenager Ann-Marie goes missing it's no longer clear who she can trust. In the shadow of the Highland forest, Francine Toon captures the wildness of rural childhood and the intensity of small-town claustrophobia. In a place that can feel like the edge of the word, she unites the chill of the modern gothic with the pulse of a thriller. It is the perfect novel for our haunted times.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was an enjoyable read, although quite creepy at times. The descriptive writing was very good, making it a very atmospheric read! A perfect read for this time of year.
I felt really sorry for Lauren, not just because of her lonely home life what with her father having his issues, but her school life too.
I did feel like the ending was a little rushed, leaving a few questions unanswered.
Thank you to Pigeonhole and Francine Toon for the chance to read this book.
2.5 stars
This was.....fine.
As a atmospheric, moody, autumn read this hits the mark - the writing and setting really give a dark, cold and sparse feeling, however it really lacked in the pacing and plot.
The setup of the story was so slow and long that it felt like it took up over half the book, then there's a disappearance as a plot point then all of a sudden it's all wrapped up and ends. The ending is very rushed so felt unsatisfying.
I will say I absolutely love the cover!