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A review by misha_ali
The Tell Tale by Clare Ashton
5.0
One day I'll meet a Clare Ashton book I don't enjoy, but it's not today.
I'll admit I was having a hard time getting into this book to start with. The chapters shift from one person's POV to another and I didn't know enough about any of them to really get a hold on anyone and get invested before we switch perspectives again. It's also a deeply uncomfortable read because we have to set the scene and the scene is a village with a great deal of toxicity and manipulation. Essentially anything and everything bad about small-town life is in this book. It's important to persevere, however, because after about 20%, you'll have a stronger hold on the characters, who are complex and deeply flawed, and see some excellent representation, which I won't spoil.
I don't normally care for mysteries but this one was engaging and while I could see some twists coming, others did manage to surprise me.
As with most of Ashton's books that I've read so far, would recommend.
I'll admit I was having a hard time getting into this book to start with. The chapters shift from one person's POV to another and I didn't know enough about any of them to really get a hold on anyone and get invested before we switch perspectives again. It's also a deeply uncomfortable read because we have to set the scene and the scene is a village with a great deal of toxicity and manipulation. Essentially anything and everything bad about small-town life is in this book. It's important to persevere, however, because after about 20%, you'll have a stronger hold on the characters, who are complex and deeply flawed, and see some excellent representation, which I won't spoil.
I don't normally care for mysteries but this one was engaging and while I could see some twists coming, others did manage to surprise me.
As with most of Ashton's books that I've read so far, would recommend.