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This wonderfully uncomfortable novel from Rory Power is a must-read for fans of Sharp Objects and things that go bump in the night.
My ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Review:
Where to begin?! The unraveling of the mystery that is Margot’s family’s past seems like the start of a classic family drama, but there is more than meets the eye here! As Margot follows the promise of an old photo towards Phalene, she starts to discover certain family secrets that should have stayed buried.
It’s next to impossible to show off any more of the plot without spoilers coming in like a flock of birds, so I want to dive right into what I love about this book.
Creepy/Forboding Vibes ✔️
From the moment Margot arrives in Phalene, something feels just…wrong. With every chapter, that feeling grows and the number of times you’ll stop, flip back a few pages, and go “wtf just happened” increases. One of my favorite things about Rory Power is her ability to turn the most mundane sounding activities into portentous plot points.
Not 100% likable MC ✔️
Margot is somehow both a friend you want to have on the eve of the apocalypse and also the friend you wouldn’t trust with cat-sitting for a weekend. I am infatuated with morally grey characters and as the story unfolds I started to wonder if she was the hero or the villain of this book.
Weird farm setting ✔️
I grew up on a (much less ominous) farm and, after a few too many books set in paranormal cities, the seemingly simple and wholesome setting of a farm town slowly fading away lulled me into a false sense of security.
Pick up this book when you’re suffering a Wilder Girls or Mexican Gothic book hangover and sign up for my newsletter to read my review of Rory Power’s newest book In a Garden Burning Gold!