A review by thebalancedbookshelf
Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Dark and Shallow Lies is the story of a missing girl in a small Louisiana town. After finding out her best friend goes missing, Grey, is determined to find out what happens as she visits her family home over the summer. 

This book was so good! I wasn’t expecting to be this engrossed in the story but from the first pages I couldn’t put it down. Firstly, I loved the setting. I think being set in a small Louisiana  town surrounded by a swamp was the perfect location. It isn’t too often books are set in this area and I think that made this one unique. Secondly, I loved how descriptive the writing was. The food, landscape, and weather were all perfectly detailed for this books location. The author was really able to transport the reader into the story. 

Another element I loved was the fantasy or supernatural factors. Louisiana is known for being superstitious and I loved how the psychics and clairvoyants were added to this story. I found each persons gift so interesting and wanted to learn more. I also appreciated the mention of tarot cards, numerology and crystals. I think the fantasy elements were incorporated seamlessly into each chapter. I also think the way they all came to live in this town seemed accurate and realistic for the storyline and I enjoyed the history surrounding it. 

My only complaint is that I guessed Harts infatuation with Elora early on. But with that being said I was sure he was the killer so I’m happy that I was wrong. This book did a good job of making me second guess myself. I was confident Hart was the culprit but still started to question it up until the last pages. I am happy to have been proven wrong and I think Evie was the perfect murderer because of her upbringing and how everyone treated her. She would be overlooked as everyone considered her the sensitive baby of the group. I honestly wasn’t expecting that reveal at all and was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. 

The characters were all more complex then given credit for. The towns lies and trauma becomes its undoing. The parents made bad choices and mistakes that ended up being their downfall. I think that by deliberately hiding and covering up what happened in the past leads to the children having trauma in the future. The town is scarred wether or not they will acknowledge that and it carries down to their children. I loved the symbolism at the end of the hurricane wiping the town clean. I think it reflects on how the children  were burdened with their parents lies and now they can finally be free. 

This book deals with the impact that lies have on a community. I enjoyed the fast paced plot and how all the characters end up getting closure at the end. The mystery and fantasy aspects of the story were added in perfectly and I loved how well written this story is.