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beckylej's review
3.0
The history of Rowan's Glen is not a pretty one. Legend has it a murderer stalks its woods, screaming out in the night. Pets have begun to disappear and mutilated remains have been discovered in the fields. Some folks are starting to worry that the long unseen Birch Markle has returned.
Ivy wasn't even born when Birch Markle began his reign of terror. But she's heard all the stories and knows about the death of the Glen's May Queen, their last - until now. And even with the tremor of fear currently running through their community, some believe it's time to bring the tradition back.
There were a lot of things to love about Sarah Jude's debut. The atmosphere, the pacing, the superstition and folklore base...
Ivy and her cousin are part of a small community that lives outside of town. They attend school with the regular kids, but otherwise don't socialize outside of Rowan's Glen. And Ivy is fine with that. She's happy in the Glen. Her cousin, Heather, wants more. And though they share everything, Ivy soon discovers that Heather is keeping secrets after all.
The book begins with a missing animal. Another in a long string of missing animals considering they've been disappearing for some time. Which of course brings to mind the stories of Birch Markle - the Glen's most infamous resident. Ivy's grandmother shared the tales with both Ivy and Heather as they were growing up. But their grandmother doesn't talk these days.
All of these little details (ok, some not so little) give readers a fabulous understanding of Ivy, her home life, and the community she's part of. They also set the tone for an ominous read. It reminded me in part of The Village, obviously. But the superstitions - both Ivy's mother's and her grandmother's - added a great layer of intrigue to the tale.
It was the end where I felt The May Queen Murders faltered a bit. There's some misdirection that, unfortunately, feels a bit like an afterthought. Honestly, up until that stage I was all on board but I did kind of wish that the book had ended without that little extra bit thrown in.
All things considered, I quite enjoyed The May Queen Murders. It's an overall satisfying and chilling read and Sarah Jude is definitely one I'll be looking forward to reading more from.
Ivy wasn't even born when Birch Markle began his reign of terror. But she's heard all the stories and knows about the death of the Glen's May Queen, their last - until now. And even with the tremor of fear currently running through their community, some believe it's time to bring the tradition back.
There were a lot of things to love about Sarah Jude's debut. The atmosphere, the pacing, the superstition and folklore base...
Ivy and her cousin are part of a small community that lives outside of town. They attend school with the regular kids, but otherwise don't socialize outside of Rowan's Glen. And Ivy is fine with that. She's happy in the Glen. Her cousin, Heather, wants more. And though they share everything, Ivy soon discovers that Heather is keeping secrets after all.
The book begins with a missing animal. Another in a long string of missing animals considering they've been disappearing for some time. Which of course brings to mind the stories of Birch Markle - the Glen's most infamous resident. Ivy's grandmother shared the tales with both Ivy and Heather as they were growing up. But their grandmother doesn't talk these days.
All of these little details (ok, some not so little) give readers a fabulous understanding of Ivy, her home life, and the community she's part of. They also set the tone for an ominous read. It reminded me in part of The Village, obviously. But the superstitions - both Ivy's mother's and her grandmother's - added a great layer of intrigue to the tale.
It was the end where I felt The May Queen Murders faltered a bit. There's some misdirection that, unfortunately, feels a bit like an afterthought. Honestly, up until that stage I was all on board but I did kind of wish that the book had ended without that little extra bit thrown in.
All things considered, I quite enjoyed The May Queen Murders. It's an overall satisfying and chilling read and Sarah Jude is definitely one I'll be looking forward to reading more from.
melbsreads's review
3.0
Trigger warnings: murder, mutilation, animal cruelty, assault, mental health, .
The whole time I was reading this, it reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. It's about a teenage girl who lives in a community that keeps itself separate from the world, that embraces the ways of the past, that is kept out of the woods that surround it by a monster (although in this case, it's a man who murdered a girl 20ish years earlier), that finds itself dealing with animal mutilations. And much like in The Village, she's in love with the boy next door, and the relationship between them feels very similar.
Aaaaaaaaanyway.
This took a really long time to get going. And then once it DID get going, I found the story kind of...basic? IDK, it's dealing with horrific crimes and disturbing content. But at the same time, I didn't find the writing particularly compelling and I was kind of bored by the characters. It should have been creepy and spooky and mostly it was just...kind of mediocre. Womp.
Spoiler
death of an LGBTQIA+ characterThe whole time I was reading this, it reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. It's about a teenage girl who lives in a community that keeps itself separate from the world, that embraces the ways of the past, that is kept out of the woods that surround it by a monster (although in this case, it's a man who murdered a girl 20ish years earlier), that finds itself dealing with animal mutilations. And much like in The Village, she's in love with the boy next door, and the relationship between them feels very similar.
Aaaaaaaaanyway.
This took a really long time to get going. And then once it DID get going, I found the story kind of...basic? IDK, it's dealing with horrific crimes and disturbing content. But at the same time, I didn't find the writing particularly compelling and I was kind of bored by the characters. It should have been creepy and spooky and mostly it was just...kind of mediocre. Womp.
nej's review
3.0
The setting/atompshere for this was amazing. Every page dripped with this creepy, dark, ancient sort of feeling. I felt like I was right there in the Glen.
I'm not as sure I loved the ending, but this was such a cool book just for the writing and the feelings it gave me.
I'm not as sure I loved the ending, but this was such a cool book just for the writing and the feelings it gave me.
caitlinsn's review
3.0
2 1/2 stars. This didn't grip me like I hoped it would. I thought the premise was interesting but the entire book was just a little watery for me. It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but I did become interested in the happenings. Unfortunately, as the book wound down the plot kept getting thinner until by the end I almost didn't care what actually was happening. Too many twists can be a bad thing.
It will definitely bring a creep factor for some, although I never got there which is a shame. It wasn't awful, it wasn't great. *shrug*
It will definitely bring a creep factor for some, although I never got there which is a shame. It wasn't awful, it wasn't great. *shrug*
_rhyleigh_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amphyreads's review
4.0
I did enjoy this. Review at my blog people! https://bookranting.wordpress.com/
sincerelynabilah's review against another edition
DNF at page 110.
It’s not a bad book; in fact, it was quite eerie and would be a great book to read in October for that creepy vibe!
I’ve been very preoccupied by other personal matters that when I returned to this book, it didn’t continue to draw me in as it did before.
It’s not a bad book; in fact, it was quite eerie and would be a great book to read in October for that creepy vibe!
I’ve been very preoccupied by other personal matters that when I returned to this book, it didn’t continue to draw me in as it did before.