A review by minimicropup
Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

4.5

Was a little skeptical as to how much I’d enjoy this going in, but it was a good read and had some genuinely scary moments for me. 
 
Energy: Accommodating. Pensive. Vulnerable.  
Scene: 🇺🇸 South Carolina town of Mirror Lake in May. 
Perspective: We follow our main character, an entrepreneur that renovates and flips houses. Their father (recently retired from law enforcement), has passed and they are surprised to find they inherited his house, causing complicated feelings between our MC and their siblings. 
 
🐕 Howls: Little parts leading up to the ending felt rushed to tie up plot points. I hated some of the characters and their lack of communication making them such jerks. 
🐩 Tail Wags: The unease and mysteries. Hazel navigating family and personal mysteries. The scenes and settings. The overall plot and its execution.  
 
🤔 Random Thoughts:
This is both dialogue and plot-driven, with character study bits sprinkled throughout via little monologues. 

Yay finally, a house with a layout that’s described and consistent! It added to the scares around things going ‘thump’ in the night. Read at night for best results, preferably when home alone. 
 
I like the high stakes action scene being brief and intense. I tend to zone out when action scenes go on for too long or people are scattered about and I can’t figure out where they all are. There’s some room to imaging how things turn out for everyone long term if you don’t like everything being tied up in a neat little bow. 
 
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🤓 Reader Role: Caught in the mystery, assembling clues and figuring out who to trust alongside Hazel.   
🗺️ World-Building: Rustic, foreboding, and atmospheric. I had no problem imagining the town, houses, and picking up the vibes. 
🔥 Fuel: What are all these cars from missing persons in the lake? Why was Hazel left her father’s house? Why do so many of the mothers in this town abandon their families? Are the police trustworthy? Is Hazel’s family trustworthy? Is someone stalking Hazel? 
📖 Cred: Realistic to plausible
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
  • Spring. Moss. Evergreens. Cool breeze. Brittle grass. Wood rot. Lake waves. Boat engines. Cracked earth. 
  • A sprinkling of romantic tension and rekindling old flames
  • Puzzle piecing and amateur sleuthing family and town secrets
 
Content Heads-Up: Drought. Heart attack. Parental abandonment (as teen). Loss of a parent. Gun violence. Betrayal. Murder. Sibling rivalry. Missing persons. Infidelity. Car accident. Alcohol (self-medicating). Corruption. Addiction (opioids, alcohol). Suicide (implied). 
 
Rep: Diverse skin tones. Cisgender. Heterosexual. American. 
 
📚 Format: Library Digital
 
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