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caledonia's review
5.0
The ending had me for a moment because I was like wow kind of predictable and the the last 20 pages happened? And the first sentence of the last chapter? bruh. I am in love. The writing is hands down some of the most beautiful I have ever read. There are so many sentence that i have highlighted. So many of the words used were very simple, and I think that is what made the writing so much better because she used child's language to come across how fucking heart breaking losing a best friend is. The characters were a little stretched and their town/way of life, but I didnt care because they were lovely to get to know, each bringing a unique element. I just have nothing short of love for this book. 11/10 I want to read again
crystalm17's review
3.0
This book was a decent enough mystery with the backwater setting adding to the doom and gloom and making all the superstitions work. There were certain parts of the mystery that I was able to figure out early on like who Heather was really running around with and who may have been part of what had happened with the first murder back in the day but then the author threw in someone who wasn't part of the original mystery and it kind of didn't work for me? Sure it may have been too simple to have all of the new mystery wrapped up with the old but it would've felt like better reasoning and closure than to have someone come in from left field.
courtnireads's review against another edition
2.0
Actual rating: 2.5
I was so excited going into this book. I had heard such good things. I expected to love it but, I was sadly mistaken. The idea behind this book had so much potential. Who wouldn't want to read about a killer returning after decades of living in the woods? Sarah Jude did not let this book live up to its full potential.
I mean honestly one killer sure that's believable. One person killing someone to cover up another murder that they commit? Maybe plausible...... Another killer killing two teenage girls but, blaming the murders on a "murderer" that's been dead (unknown to everyone else) for 20 years. That's a stretch. But adding YET ANOTHER KILLER ANOTHER MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER TO THE MIX????? Honestly if you don't understand what I'm trying to describe above its okay because I couldn't even keep up with it as I was reading it. I hated this book the whole time I was reading it up until the last 50 pages where I thought to myself 'oh okay this is picking up I wasn't expecting this'. But, that fucking third, fourth, maybe it was tenth for all I know killer being added into the mix ruined any sort of decency this book had. I honestly just can't.
If anyone took the time to read this long rambling of mine that probably made no sense please, just save yourself the time and skip reading this. It isn't worth it.
I was so excited going into this book. I had heard such good things. I expected to love it but, I was sadly mistaken. The idea behind this book had so much potential. Who wouldn't want to read about a killer returning after decades of living in the woods? Sarah Jude did not let this book live up to its full potential.
I mean honestly one killer sure that's believable. One person killing someone to cover up another murder that they commit? Maybe plausible...... Another killer killing two teenage girls but, blaming the murders on a "murderer" that's been dead (unknown to everyone else) for 20 years. That's a stretch. But adding YET ANOTHER KILLER ANOTHER MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER TO THE MIX????? Honestly if you don't understand what I'm trying to describe above its okay because I couldn't even keep up with it as I was reading it. I hated this book the whole time I was reading it up until the last 50 pages where I thought to myself 'oh okay this is picking up I wasn't expecting this'. But, that fucking third, fourth, maybe it was tenth for all I know killer being added into the mix ruined any sort of decency this book had. I honestly just can't.
If anyone took the time to read this long rambling of mine that probably made no sense please, just save yourself the time and skip reading this. It isn't worth it.
blackcatkai's review
2.0
I wanted to love it and it started off pretty good but theres just too much thrown together in here that it just ends up confusing and all over the place. it's a book that doesnt quite know what it's trying to be. the ending felt rushed and overall I just couldnt get into it.
ferra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
maddiestar's review
4.0
I'm not sure how to feel because the first half was kind of meh but the second half was fantastic! It's so crazy and creepy and keeps you on the edge of your seat!
I'd say give it a try and push through to the May Day festival cause once things get rolling the ride doesn't stop till the very end!
I'd say give it a try and push through to the May Day festival cause once things get rolling the ride doesn't stop till the very end!
burnourhistory's review
4.0
Ivy lives in a quiet, simple place where bloodlines run as deep as memories and superstitions breed horrific stories. So when animals begin to turn up slaughtered and secrets come to light, Ivy begins to worry about the safety of her best friend, Heather, and herself.
Beautifully written; Sarah Jude creates a world colored with simplicity and tinged with damning secrets.
Ivy's voice is real and relatable, despite Jude's departure from the typical background common to many female protagonists in Young Adult Literature.
The story's clues are subtle but keep the reader guessing at what will happen next and who will ultimately be branded as the villain. And the love story's are handled with care, especially Heather's.
Beautifully written; Sarah Jude creates a world colored with simplicity and tinged with damning secrets.
Ivy's voice is real and relatable, despite Jude's departure from the typical background common to many female protagonists in Young Adult Literature.
The story's clues are subtle but keep the reader guessing at what will happen next and who will ultimately be branded as the villain. And the love story's are handled with care, especially Heather's.
theseliterarydelights's review
4.0
3.5
This is one of those “why did I let negative goodreads reviews prevent me from picking this up for so long?” books. I’m actually quite surprised that this has a relatively low average rating. It’s far from perfect but May Queen Murders is probably one of the most gruesome YA horror novels I’ve ever read and its mystery plot kept me flipping the pages.
I’m rating this a 3.5 as the characters are all incredibly dull and the writing isn’t anything spectacular but the story definitely made up for it. I’ve seen several people say there are too many twists, which don’t all make sense. While I maybe could have done without one or two of them, I don’t feel as any of the twists were implausible. I actually had an inkling about a few of them due to the author’s clues sprinkled throughout the text, which to me marks a competent writer.
If you can handle a lot of animal death and gore, then I’d recommend picking this one up if like me, you enjoy a YA horror novel with some more bite to it.
This is one of those “why did I let negative goodreads reviews prevent me from picking this up for so long?” books. I’m actually quite surprised that this has a relatively low average rating. It’s far from perfect but May Queen Murders is probably one of the most gruesome YA horror novels I’ve ever read and its mystery plot kept me flipping the pages.
I’m rating this a 3.5 as the characters are all incredibly dull and the writing isn’t anything spectacular but the story definitely made up for it. I’ve seen several people say there are too many twists, which don’t all make sense. While I maybe could have done without one or two of them, I don’t feel as any of the twists were implausible. I actually had an inkling about a few of them due to the author’s clues sprinkled throughout the text, which to me marks a competent writer.
If you can handle a lot of animal death and gore, then I’d recommend picking this one up if like me, you enjoy a YA horror novel with some more bite to it.
travelbird's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book. It wasn't amazing but it was well written and enjoyable. One thing that really bothered me was that even though Ivy is Heather's best friend and cousin, she chooses not to tell her that she isn't dating the boy Ivy has liked for years. I understand that she didn't want to tell her who it was, but don't let your best friend suffer! If you're looking for a quick, enjoyable mystery then I recommend it!