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A review by thatsssorachael
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have trouble with Tudor's books, mostly with the immediate beginnings and the endings. I still had those issues with this book, but I thought everything else was really well done.
The cold open beginning was a little confusing, and after having read the entire book I'm still not entirely sure what the author was going for. But the pace the rest of the book was excellent, and definitely kept me fully engaged. I could read page after page after page, I needed to know what happened.
There's a plot twist featuring a main side character, and I did not see that one coming. I thought that was very smart and thought out, especially as you assume Tudor isn't going there as she's hinted around it so much. I thought it was very clever, and I enjoyed that. I liked that the supernatural element wasn't waved away as something else, I like supernatural elements in stories and I'm always a little sad when it's explained as something else by the end. Flo was an excellent, realistic, flawed character, and I enjoyed reading her perspectives. I also liked that the small village was almost a mood or a character of its own, I thought that was really compelling and it sucked me right in. On top of all that, the writing and dialogue was well done, and I think this one might be Tudor's best.
However, the ending. The last twist wasn't good. It wasn't explained well, the ties weren't fully tied, and it was confusing and unrealistic. This is a common issue she has with her books, and it's frustrating that on her 3rd (4th?) book it's still happening. It's a twist that you can't see coming or solve yourself with the clues given, and I never like those. I also really struggled with the male alternate chapters, and while I know who he is now, I don't understand him or his motivations. On the topic of the alternating chapters, while I liked the different perspectives, I didn't like not knowing who was starting a chapter and having to scan the page to figure it out.
This was a compelling thriller, and I did stay up way too late to finish it. I liked it, and maybe you will too.
The cold open beginning was a little confusing, and after having read the entire book I'm still not entirely sure what the author was going for. But the pace the rest of the book was excellent, and definitely kept me fully engaged. I could read page after page after page, I needed to know what happened.
There's a plot twist featuring a main side character, and I did not see that one coming. I thought that was very smart and thought out, especially as you assume Tudor isn't going there as she's hinted around it so much. I thought it was very clever, and I enjoyed that. I liked that the supernatural element wasn't waved away as something else, I like supernatural elements in stories and I'm always a little sad when it's explained as something else by the end. Flo was an excellent, realistic, flawed character, and I enjoyed reading her perspectives. I also liked that the small village was almost a mood or a character of its own, I thought that was really compelling and it sucked me right in. On top of all that, the writing and dialogue was well done, and I think this one might be Tudor's best.
However, the ending. The last twist wasn't good. It wasn't explained well, the ties weren't fully tied, and it was confusing and unrealistic. This is a common issue she has with her books, and it's frustrating that on her 3rd (4th?) book it's still happening. It's a twist that you can't see coming or solve yourself with the clues given, and I never like those. I also really struggled with the male alternate chapters, and while I know who he is now, I don't understand him or his motivations. On the topic of the alternating chapters, while I liked the different perspectives, I didn't like not knowing who was starting a chapter and having to scan the page to figure it out.
This was a compelling thriller, and I did stay up way too late to finish it. I liked it, and maybe you will too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, and Animal death
Moderate: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, and Terminal illness
Minor: Gun violence