abbieuprooted 's review for:

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

4.0

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Thankyou Net Galley and Atria Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review. Well I can’t say i Particuarly ‘enjoyed’ this due to the tough content but wow it was a fast paced thriller that I devoured in a day! There were parts that I really struggled to read and I skim read a page here and there as they were just brutal. I questioned whether I could carry on with it at 50% but then I just couldn’t stop thinking about it so I HAD to pick it up and carry on to find out what happens!!! The author creates the most oppressive and stifling atmosphere as we live on an isolated farm with ‘Jane’ (not her real name), a victim of human trafficking, and her vile jailor who basically keeps her as a slave. The author was quite unflinching with the details, and as a reader it’s disturbingly hard to look away from. I had a visceral reaction to the conditions and degradation she is subjected to in her captivity, and her situation became so much more urgent once her tiny premature baby comes along, Janes desperation becomes more palpable and almost suffocating. It really is a testimony to what we as humans are capable of surviving with the right mindset, and the strength we can find within us for our children provided a thread of hope throughout. I dropped a star as the ending did feel quite rushed and I would have liked to have learned more of the characters backstories! Nethertheless, a very tense and exciting debut. Pick this one up if you enjoy thrillers and can handle the darkest type, published April 20th!
‘...and I sit feeding my daughter and planning his death.’