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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
3 ⭐️ I was prepared for a supernatural read with this but really it is more of a thriller. Great pacing, liked the multiple POVs but the plot itself wasn’t really my cup of tea. Final twist was a good one but I wish that less of the mystery was revealed…overall if you like dark thrillers set in England, this might be up your alley
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure at the beginning but the twists were great and was clearly a well thought out gripping book!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I genuinely enjoyed it, seemed like the author had church related, maybe even childhood trauma that I related to... The twist was not set up very well, because I didn't expect it AT ALL, didn't see it coming till it was blowing up in my face, and it didn't make sense with the little context clues and story hints.... Jack Brook's emotional responses weren't right, the brother thing didn't make ANY sense till the very end and that was kind of cool, I liked Jacob in the end ... Seemed this novel was going to many places and could've gone somewhere awesome but in the end it just made me feel melancholy and a little lost s arching. My mind for any hints and all I found was stuff that didn't connect too well.
4.5 rounded down
I don’t enjoy any type of graphic commentary, personal preference ofc.
I don’t enjoy any type of graphic commentary, personal preference ofc.
1
Hmmmm difficult to rate, the plot was fairly interesting, I liked the twist at the end and the unreliability of the narrator. This might just be because I haven’t read enough mystery/thriller.
What I didn’t like:
Racist —literally why?
Don’t understand the motivation for villains
Not enough depth as to the significance of the two burning girls despite being the title
Hmmmm difficult to rate, the plot was fairly interesting, I liked the twist at the end and the unreliability of the narrator. This might just be because I haven’t read enough mystery/thriller.
What I didn’t like:
Racist —literally why?
Don’t understand the motivation for villains
Not enough depth as to the significance of the two burning girls despite being the title
“What tangled webs we weave. Except we don’t, not really. We’re more like unfortunate flies than spiders, never seeing the sticky trap we’ve wandered into until it’s too late”. p287
I had absolutely no idea that there was such a thing as the Sussex Martyrs, men and women who were horrifically burnt at the stake between 1553 and 1557 during the reign of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII. This dark period of English history sets the scene for C.J. Tudor’s most recent book, ‘The Burning Girls’. In the town of Lewes, 17 martyrs were burned and every year on 5 November, the Lewes bonfire night remembers these martyrs.
The Burning Girls is set in the fictional town of Chapel Croft, in Sussex not far from Lewes. In C.J. Tudor’s unique story-telling style that has both horror and paranormal elements to it, the book has a number of threads and stories that weave together to produce a climactic and satisfying ending. The reader is transported between voices and time frames, piecing together a story that is ultimately that is almost like a Salem witch trials meets Blair Witch Project.
The story centres around Rev Jack Brooks (I took a while to work out that Jack was a woman... and I found it hard to get the vicar of Dibley out of my mind... go figure) who is sent to Chapel Croft to take on parish ministry following the previous priest’s death. On arrival with her daughter Flo, she immediately encounters the ‘burning girls’, miniature dolls made from twigs to commemorate the martyrs. Wrapped around Jack and Flo are the stories of what happened in their previous town and how they came to be moved to Sussex, along with the disappearance of two girls, Merry and Joy, 30 years earlier. Coupled with encounters occurring with the community of Chapel Croft, Jack and Flo ricochet from one event to another as the story literally heats up.
I found it interesting how much ‘religious’ thoughts were woven through the story as Tudor allows us to get inside Jack’s own evolving relationship to the church and God. Aspects of belief and faith became a seamless part of the tale and allowed for reflective thought and seemed really authentic and a natural element to the unfolding story, albeit, perhaps the views that Tudor wanted to reinforce about belief and faith....even tho she says in final acknowledgements she’s not a religious person. Quite interesting but nevertheless felt right in the context of this story.
“....Belief should be a conscious choice, not something you’re brainwashed into when you’re too young to understand or question it. Faith isn’t something you pass down like an heirloom. It’s not tangible or absolute. Not even for a priest. It’s something you have to keep working at, like marriage or children....”
I had absolutely no idea that there was such a thing as the Sussex Martyrs, men and women who were horrifically burnt at the stake between 1553 and 1557 during the reign of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII. This dark period of English history sets the scene for C.J. Tudor’s most recent book, ‘The Burning Girls’. In the town of Lewes, 17 martyrs were burned and every year on 5 November, the Lewes bonfire night remembers these martyrs.
The Burning Girls is set in the fictional town of Chapel Croft, in Sussex not far from Lewes. In C.J. Tudor’s unique story-telling style that has both horror and paranormal elements to it, the book has a number of threads and stories that weave together to produce a climactic and satisfying ending. The reader is transported between voices and time frames, piecing together a story that is ultimately that is almost like a Salem witch trials meets Blair Witch Project.
The story centres around Rev Jack Brooks (I took a while to work out that Jack was a woman... and I found it hard to get the vicar of Dibley out of my mind... go figure) who is sent to Chapel Croft to take on parish ministry following the previous priest’s death. On arrival with her daughter Flo, she immediately encounters the ‘burning girls’, miniature dolls made from twigs to commemorate the martyrs. Wrapped around Jack and Flo are the stories of what happened in their previous town and how they came to be moved to Sussex, along with the disappearance of two girls, Merry and Joy, 30 years earlier. Coupled with encounters occurring with the community of Chapel Croft, Jack and Flo ricochet from one event to another as the story literally heats up.
I found it interesting how much ‘religious’ thoughts were woven through the story as Tudor allows us to get inside Jack’s own evolving relationship to the church and God. Aspects of belief and faith became a seamless part of the tale and allowed for reflective thought and seemed really authentic and a natural element to the unfolding story, albeit, perhaps the views that Tudor wanted to reinforce about belief and faith....even tho she says in final acknowledgements she’s not a religious person. Quite interesting but nevertheless felt right in the context of this story.
“....Belief should be a conscious choice, not something you’re brainwashed into when you’re too young to understand or question it. Faith isn’t something you pass down like an heirloom. It’s not tangible or absolute. Not even for a priest. It’s something you have to keep working at, like marriage or children....”
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this read. A great mixture of scary, mysterious, and who dun it. Kept me guessing right to the end. Well worth the read and the end did not disappoint. It was brilliant.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Child death
