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A review by saschabookishowl
The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude
4.0
Honestly, this book was a cover buy and I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Yes, there were some flaws to this book, but it is a debut novel.
What I enjoyed the most was the setting. I was looking for this really creepy story that takes place in a small secluded town/community, and that is exactly what I got. Sometimes, to me, the creepy small town isn't that creepy or doesn't give me this feeling that it is a really interesting community, but this one did. I also liked the naming system they used in the town, the setting with the water and the forest, and the distinction between the Glen folk and other people (also in the school).
Beside the setting I really enjoyed the mystery itself. A lot of times in YA, I find the mystery very predictable or not that interesting. But here there were a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The goriness of what was going on and the superstition of the Glen folk made the mystery even more appealing to me. I was hooked and read it almost in one sitting.
The characters were OK for me, given that it is quite a short and plot driven book, leaving not so much space to develop the characters (although the main character Ivy was my least favorite character).
There were two reasons why I couldn't give this five stars. First, in the first 50 pages or so I couldn't really get into it because of the writing style. Some words/slang I didn't understand at first because the author didn't explain it or I missed it (like the 'rollers'). Also, I had to go back a couple of sentences from time to time because I felt like I missed something, or because there was this weird jump in the story. However, once I got used to the writing style I did find it quite beautiful and suited to describe this superstitious community.
The second negative point was the illogical behavior of the characters, especially the main character. For example, in the beginning, it is described that the kids from the Glen don't fit in at school and are bullied and physically abused by the other kids, so the kids from the Glen never roam the school alone. What does the main character Ivy do? She goes into a deserted stairwell, alone...Then she hears someone coming, does she exit the staircase? No. She just stands there.. As soon as animals start getting killed and people are warned not to go out alone, what does Ivy do? She walks around alone. Sure, she has some issues with her best friend and cousin Heather, but there are other kids of her age in the Glen to walk to school with and in general wandering around alone in the woods is a bad idea at this point.
Also, at some point Ivy sees things and finds out things related to the mystery. Does she tell her parents of what she suspects? No. She thinks she is in danger, she sees someone at her window. Does she tell her parents, anyone? No. This consistent illogical or maybe just dumb behavior started to annoy me after a while.
But like I said, overall I really enjoyed the mystery and the setting of this fast paced book.
What I enjoyed the most was the setting. I was looking for this really creepy story that takes place in a small secluded town/community, and that is exactly what I got. Sometimes, to me, the creepy small town isn't that creepy or doesn't give me this feeling that it is a really interesting community, but this one did. I also liked the naming system they used in the town, the setting with the water and the forest, and the distinction between the Glen folk and other people (also in the school).
Beside the setting I really enjoyed the mystery itself. A lot of times in YA, I find the mystery very predictable or not that interesting. But here there were a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The goriness of what was going on and the superstition of the Glen folk made the mystery even more appealing to me. I was hooked and read it almost in one sitting.
The characters were OK for me, given that it is quite a short and plot driven book, leaving not so much space to develop the characters (although the main character Ivy was my least favorite character).
There were two reasons why I couldn't give this five stars. First, in the first 50 pages or so I couldn't really get into it because of the writing style. Some words/slang I didn't understand at first because the author didn't explain it or I missed it (like the 'rollers'). Also, I had to go back a couple of sentences from time to time because I felt like I missed something, or because there was this weird jump in the story. However, once I got used to the writing style I did find it quite beautiful and suited to describe this superstitious community.
The second negative point was the illogical behavior of the characters, especially the main character. For example, in the beginning, it is described that the kids from the Glen don't fit in at school and are bullied and physically abused by the other kids, so the kids from the Glen never roam the school alone. What does the main character Ivy do? She goes into a deserted stairwell, alone...Then she hears someone coming, does she exit the staircase? No. She just stands there.. As soon as animals start getting killed and people are warned not to go out alone, what does Ivy do? She walks around alone. Sure, she has some issues with her best friend and cousin Heather, but there are other kids of her age in the Glen to walk to school with and in general wandering around alone in the woods is a bad idea at this point.
Also, at some point Ivy sees things and finds out things related to the mystery. Does she tell her parents of what she suspects? No. She thinks she is in danger, she sees someone at her window. Does she tell her parents, anyone? No. This consistent illogical or maybe just dumb behavior started to annoy me after a while.
But like I said, overall I really enjoyed the mystery and the setting of this fast paced book.