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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Holy moly, this is a twisty book. It's all about the way people can manipulate others and I think it does an excellent job of manipulating the reader too. It makes us believe things, and then it goes in a completely different direction and has us scrambling to keep up (in a good way). I did predict one of the twists before it happened, but even so it was still a super satisfying reveal. The very end, I did not see coming at all. Once again I was made to believe one thing and then suddenly a new twist was thrown in. Brilliant! This had me hooked all the way through. It was slow, taking its time to lead us down a winding path but I enjoyed following Imogen from start to finish.
This book is my first book of Jenny Blackhurst and i have some mixed feelings about this book. This story is creepy and intriguing but somewhere i felt a bit confused also. The last revelations clashed with some mentions in the first half of the book. And the ending is , though shocking but a bit vague.
I just didn’t get this book.
It sold itself as a spooky mystery surrounding a girl Ellie who, after the death of her parents and baby brother in a fire, comes to live with a foster family in a small town Gaunt.
Child Psychologist Imogen comes back to her family home to restart her career and her paths cross with the mysterious child Ellie.
Gaunt is cold, dreary and very typical of its name. And its full of the small town fear of strangers mentality.
As an example of dysfunctional people and families, and how some people are just horrible to children it is a good one. However, it is not a supernatural spooky tale, even if it hints that it might go down this road.
Ellie is no Carrie White (Stephen King), with Imogen’s husband even saying this, which did make me chuckle.
I came away from this seriously underwhelmed, and strong desire to re-read Carrie again; after 25 years her tale still sits in my memory. I suspect Imogen and Ellie are not going to stay in my memory that long.
It sold itself as a spooky mystery surrounding a girl Ellie who, after the death of her parents and baby brother in a fire, comes to live with a foster family in a small town Gaunt.
Child Psychologist Imogen comes back to her family home to restart her career and her paths cross with the mysterious child Ellie.
Gaunt is cold, dreary and very typical of its name. And its full of the small town fear of strangers mentality.
As an example of dysfunctional people and families, and how some people are just horrible to children it is a good one. However, it is not a supernatural spooky tale, even if it hints that it might go down this road.
Ellie is no Carrie White (Stephen King), with Imogen’s husband even saying this, which did make me chuckle.
I came away from this seriously underwhelmed, and strong desire to re-read Carrie again; after 25 years her tale still sits in my memory. I suspect Imogen and Ellie are not going to stay in my memory that long.
Imogen Reid is a psychologist who returns to Gaunt after an incident in her previous job. She is called in by the school to help Ellie, an eleven year old child who was the sole survivor of a fire which killed her whole family, she is with a foster family but is constantly bullied at school because bad things seem to happen around her when she gets upset.
A creepy story with a good plot line, a few twists and turns along the way, I did work out one of the twists along the way but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. However, On the last page I did have to re-read it to make sure wheat is read was correct.
A creepy story with a good plot line, a few twists and turns along the way, I did work out one of the twists along the way but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. However, On the last page I did have to re-read it to make sure wheat is read was correct.
Another great book by Jenny Blackhurst! True to form, she had me reading when I needed to be doing other things :-). At one point, I thought I had the plot twist figured out. While I was right about that one, at the last second, Blackhurst threw in another one and it was marvelous!
As always, I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!
As always, I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!
Jenny Blackhurst is back with another captivating thriller that grasps the reader’s attention from the opening pages and does not let go until the final sentence. Imogen Reid has been put through the professional wringer. As a psychologist, she was a hard-working thirtysomething toiling away in London. However, an event with one of her patients has forced her and husband, Dan, to flee to Imogen’s grandmother’s home back in the rural English town of Gaunt. Imogen is still not sure how she will be able to reinvent herself, or if there will be work to keep her occupied. Little does she know, but Gaunt is also home to young Ellie Atkinson, an eleven-year-old foster child, whose entire family died in a horrific house fire. Ellie has been vilified by the locals for reasons that Imogen cannot understand, but witnesses first-hand during her first day back. When Imogen is hired to work as a counsellor-liaison with the local school, she is asked to tend specifically to Ellie. The previous counsellor left town under a mysterious shroud of controversy (the party line being “she left to get married) and the notes related to Ellie are both scattered and incomplete. As time progresses, other strange happenings occur in town and Ellie seems loosely tied to them, though there is nothing to put her at the scene. Imogen holds out hope and a soft spot for Ellie, wishing she could understand why everyone has created a monster out of this sweet girl. That said, Ellie has begun to notice that her own thoughts and dreams are not as innocent as she might have hoped. While Imogen harbours a secret of her own, can she keep her suspicions about Ellie’s antics to herself, thereby placing the entire community of Gaunt in more danger? Blackhurst has created a wonderfully dark and captivating story here, sure to leave chills up the spines of those who venture to read it. Those who enjoy a good thriller, full of twists, will surely flock to this one, likely offering much praise for the effort.
This is my first experience with Blackhurst and her writing, leaving me unsure what I ought to expect. My current position in Child Protection left me drawn to this book, wondering how the story might depict foster children and the entire social services industry. Choosing to develop the narrative through the eyes of both Imogen and Ellie proved to be a wonderful idea. Their characters differ greatly, but are able to complement one another in ways that pull the reader deeper into the narrative. Turning first to Imogen, the reader is left with numerous threads dangling during the early portions of the story. Her unspoken childhood in Gaunt and the events in London that left her without a job are keys to keeping the thrill aspect high and the mystery sustained. Imogen’s naïveté as it relates to Ellie and her ongoing harbouring of the great secret in her life help keep the reader wondering how innocent and positive she might be. This contrasts nicely with the Ellie character, who appears innocent on the surface but whose apparent anger-fuelled antics leave the reader to wonder how she could have caused such havoc without lifting a finger. The reader must follow these two protagonists throughout to hash through the many layers of the narrative. There is a strong supporting cast who shape the flow of the story and give the reader much to consider. From a protective foster sister to the girl who vows revenge for being caught in Ellie’s crosshairs, through to the school teacher who begins to stir up trouble, there are a handful of individuals who seek to portray both Ellie and Imogen in various lights. The story itself is strong and develops at a wonderful pace. The reader can form their own opinions in regards to the events around Gaunt. The abuse that Ellie suffers throughout and the vilification for being different flows through the story, balanced only by Imogen’s attempt to justify the need to accept and understand the already difficult life of a foster child. There are many twists throughout that may leave the reader curious about where Blackhurst is taking things, but this only adds to the strength of the novel. The story’s delivery is decent and short chapters keep the reader pushing forward to reach the ultimate reveal, a shocker in an of itself. Blackhurst certainly as a wonderful handle on the story and keeps the reader enthralled through to the end.
Kudos, Madam Blackhurst, for such a great piece of writing. I am intrigued to see what else you’ve penned, hoping it is as captivating as this story.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
This is my first experience with Blackhurst and her writing, leaving me unsure what I ought to expect. My current position in Child Protection left me drawn to this book, wondering how the story might depict foster children and the entire social services industry. Choosing to develop the narrative through the eyes of both Imogen and Ellie proved to be a wonderful idea. Their characters differ greatly, but are able to complement one another in ways that pull the reader deeper into the narrative. Turning first to Imogen, the reader is left with numerous threads dangling during the early portions of the story. Her unspoken childhood in Gaunt and the events in London that left her without a job are keys to keeping the thrill aspect high and the mystery sustained. Imogen’s naïveté as it relates to Ellie and her ongoing harbouring of the great secret in her life help keep the reader wondering how innocent and positive she might be. This contrasts nicely with the Ellie character, who appears innocent on the surface but whose apparent anger-fuelled antics leave the reader to wonder how she could have caused such havoc without lifting a finger. The reader must follow these two protagonists throughout to hash through the many layers of the narrative. There is a strong supporting cast who shape the flow of the story and give the reader much to consider. From a protective foster sister to the girl who vows revenge for being caught in Ellie’s crosshairs, through to the school teacher who begins to stir up trouble, there are a handful of individuals who seek to portray both Ellie and Imogen in various lights. The story itself is strong and develops at a wonderful pace. The reader can form their own opinions in regards to the events around Gaunt. The abuse that Ellie suffers throughout and the vilification for being different flows through the story, balanced only by Imogen’s attempt to justify the need to accept and understand the already difficult life of a foster child. There are many twists throughout that may leave the reader curious about where Blackhurst is taking things, but this only adds to the strength of the novel. The story’s delivery is decent and short chapters keep the reader pushing forward to reach the ultimate reveal, a shocker in an of itself. Blackhurst certainly as a wonderful handle on the story and keeps the reader enthralled through to the end.
Kudos, Madam Blackhurst, for such a great piece of writing. I am intrigued to see what else you’ve penned, hoping it is as captivating as this story.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
4.5 stars - Ms Gilbert should be fired instantly! That was my first overpowering thought I had reading this novel. I won’t elaborate on the plot but for my first thought to make any sense, you need to know, Ms Gilbert is one of the teachers at Ellie’s school. My second over powering thought was – wow, kids can be so cruel. Early on in my read, I felt immense empathy for Ellie, this poor girl, who lost her family in a fire is being shunned by adults and children alike – the victim of awful bullying. The short chapters in this novel had me turning the pages furiously because I had to know if I was right to feel empathy for Ellie or if everyone was just in their fear of her.
Interestingly, I didn’t really like Imogen and never took to her throughout the entire novel, but this didn’t dampen my read at all – I just couldn’t abide by how drastically she broke the boundaries of her role in Ellie’s life. But seeing her get closer to Ellie, I just knew it wasn’t going to end well and this excited me. The further into this novel I got, the stronger the emotional elements became and when emotions are running high, anything is possible – and that kept me guessing right up until Blackhurst was ready to reveal her master plan.
The Foster Child has this almost, but not quite, paranormal atmosphere to it – Blackhurst’s writing, combined with the plot, created this creepy aura that gave me a real sense of unease. Not in a horror-novel kind of way, but initially I felt there’s no way bad things could happen just because Ellie got upset, but then I wasn’t so sure. This unease, the notion that something is not quite right but I can’t put my finger on quite what was one of the things I found so captivating about this novel. This is an intense read; the characters believe what they believe so strongly that you get caught up in their emotions and it skews your own beliefs to the point where you’re not even sure what you believe any more.
I’m a lover of novels set in a small-town, everything is intensified ten-fold and that just served to heighten my reading experience. I have to say, I really enjoyed this novel, much more than I anticipated I would, and I’m so glad I didn’t overlook it. I absolutely recommend The Foster Child, it’s subtly disturbing in a way that only child protagonists can deliver – no one wants to believe a child is evil, but sometimes you just can’t shake that unsettling feeling…
*My thanks to the publisher (Headline) for providing me with a copy of this book via Book Bridgr*
Interestingly, I didn’t really like Imogen and never took to her throughout the entire novel, but this didn’t dampen my read at all – I just couldn’t abide by how drastically she broke the boundaries of her role in Ellie’s life. But seeing her get closer to Ellie, I just knew it wasn’t going to end well and this excited me. The further into this novel I got, the stronger the emotional elements became and when emotions are running high, anything is possible – and that kept me guessing right up until Blackhurst was ready to reveal her master plan.
The Foster Child has this almost, but not quite, paranormal atmosphere to it – Blackhurst’s writing, combined with the plot, created this creepy aura that gave me a real sense of unease. Not in a horror-novel kind of way, but initially I felt there’s no way bad things could happen just because Ellie got upset, but then I wasn’t so sure. This unease, the notion that something is not quite right but I can’t put my finger on quite what was one of the things I found so captivating about this novel. This is an intense read; the characters believe what they believe so strongly that you get caught up in their emotions and it skews your own beliefs to the point where you’re not even sure what you believe any more.
I’m a lover of novels set in a small-town, everything is intensified ten-fold and that just served to heighten my reading experience. I have to say, I really enjoyed this novel, much more than I anticipated I would, and I’m so glad I didn’t overlook it. I absolutely recommend The Foster Child, it’s subtly disturbing in a way that only child protagonists can deliver – no one wants to believe a child is evil, but sometimes you just can’t shake that unsettling feeling…
*My thanks to the publisher (Headline) for providing me with a copy of this book via Book Bridgr*