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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
What I love about St James is that she knows how to write books that just suck you in.
Told via multiple perspectives; Fiona in 2014 a journalist still coming to terms with her sister's murder 20 years previously who was found on the grounds of Idlewild Hall and Roberta, Katie, Cece, and Sonia in 1949-1950 who were girls sent to Idlewild Hall, a school for unruly girls.
This is one of those books where it's hard to just say "one more chapter " because you'll be saying it until you finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed each girls perspective of living in Idlewild Hall and can only image how soul crushing and desparing the place was on them. I also rooted for Fiona, for never giving up and always looking for more answers.
Read this book!
Told via multiple perspectives; Fiona in 2014 a journalist still coming to terms with her sister's murder 20 years previously who was found on the grounds of Idlewild Hall and Roberta, Katie, Cece, and Sonia in 1949-1950 who were girls sent to Idlewild Hall, a school for unruly girls.
This is one of those books where it's hard to just say "one more chapter " because you'll be saying it until you finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed each girls perspective of living in Idlewild Hall and can only image how soul crushing and desparing the place was on them. I also rooted for Fiona, for never giving up and always looking for more answers.
Read this book!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Sometimes women win!!
I have loved the two previous books I have read by Simone St James. They are the perfect mix of horror and mystery. I struggle with thrillers and mystery St James achieve the impossible of making me love this genre! Turns out you just need to add some ghosts and I love it.
It took me a while to get into both timelines but I fall in love with them both. I love a 1950s bordering school setting with women stuck in a patriarchal society, but it was surprisingly Fiona's narrative that drew me in first. Like all her protagonists, she was a great messy character. Lots of narratives focus on a reporter trying to solve a family members death but somehow St James writes this in a unique way. She makes it seem fresh.
The best part of this book was the ending. If you want a book with a satisfying ending that is not horrific for the women involved this is it!
I have loved the two previous books I have read by Simone St James. They are the perfect mix of horror and mystery. I struggle with thrillers and mystery St James achieve the impossible of making me love this genre! Turns out you just need to add some ghosts and I love it.
It took me a while to get into both timelines but I fall in love with them both. I love a 1950s bordering school setting with women stuck in a patriarchal society, but it was surprisingly Fiona's narrative that drew me in first. Like all her protagonists, she was a great messy character. Lots of narratives focus on a reporter trying to solve a family members death but somehow St James writes this in a unique way. She makes it seem fresh.
The best part of this book was the ending. If you want a book with a satisfying ending that is not horrific for the women involved this is it!
Mary knows.
Remember back in the day when you'd stay in your pajamas and hunker down with a Mary Higgins Clark thriller and forget how many cookies you'd suspense-binged? That's EXACTLY the experience I had with this book! Simone St. James provides just the right pace to the dual timelines in this entertaining thriller, complete with a Gothic ghost that lends a spooky rush to the narrative. You'll probably stay up too late reading this. And then you'll probably hide under the covers and hope you don't catch a glimpse of Mary Hand out of the corner of your eye.
Remember back in the day when you'd stay in your pajamas and hunker down with a Mary Higgins Clark thriller and forget how many cookies you'd suspense-binged? That's EXACTLY the experience I had with this book! Simone St. James provides just the right pace to the dual timelines in this entertaining thriller, complete with a Gothic ghost that lends a spooky rush to the narrative. You'll probably stay up too late reading this. And then you'll probably hide under the covers and hope you don't catch a glimpse of Mary Hand out of the corner of your eye.