2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 1 book toward her goal of 285 books.
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2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 5 books toward her goal of 265 books.
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Book Review: The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor

Oh my goodness but this was a wild read! I love CJ Tudor’s style – the books always grab you by the throat and refuse to let go until the very bitter end, which I love. The mysteries, secrets, red herrings, lies, and deception are sprinkled generously throughout and the teasers leading you toward the ultimate resolution are always subtle while they are happening but identifiable as foreshadowing once you get there. It’s a delicate touch to write in this fashion – and to do so while producing genuine surprise at the way things turn out time and again – and Tudor should be lauded for it.

The mother-daughter relationship in this one was particularly interesting to me, and I thought played out in a way that felt entirely plausible – which isn’t a thing I say very often. Particularly when the daughter is a teenage girl… Familial relationships play a very large role in the teased out backstory as well as the historical and contemporary plot, so establishing a strong pattern of resonant relationships was an essential part of making this story work. Tutor nailed it.

The creepy factor was significant in this one. There was a lot of “did they really see that?” and “is it imagination gone wild or are Supernatural Things going on here?” It really kept me guessing as to where the book was going and whether things were firmly grounded in the real or not. It definitely spent a lot of time in the surreal – and in ways that let the reader’s imagination take off running in the best possible way. I didn’t see a lot of the twists and turns coming as a result, and really enjoyed the way this one played out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

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