Moonstone by Laura Purcell

Synopsis:

From award-winning bestseller Laura Purcell comes her YA debut, MOONSTONE, a sparkling, chilling gothic romance with real bite… Following a scandal at Vauxhall pleasure gardens, Camille is sent away to her reclusive godmother, who keeps a strict watch over her and her own sickly daughter, Lucy.

Camille must stay away from everything she has known until the scandal is forgotten, keeping strictly to the small farmhouse in the woods. Away from the corsetry and curtsies of polite society, Camille finds herself surprisingly…free. She is also strangely drawn to Lucy, a pale, fragile girl who dreams of stars, but has never left the farm.

Yet as Camille and Lucy grow close and cross forbidden boundaries, the fine balance of their woodland home begins to death stalks between the trees, claw-marks rake the doors and the moon rises to the song of a creature Camille has never heard before. Camille begins to realise her godmother was holding more than unladylike behaviour at bay… 

Review:

Reading this as an adult I can see the simplicity of the story, however, thinking about reading this as a young adult, which this is targeted too, I would have loved it.

The pace goes between slow and fast as the story progresses. The ‘secret’ seems quite obvious from the start, but the development of the story is presented really well. I enjoyed this book even as an adult. It’s a bit of an escapism into a world of YA fantasy.

I liked Camille as the main character, she had her human flaws like naivety, but she was brave, head strong and not afraid to get stuck in. She was also kind and understanding and I felt she questioned things for all the right reasons. Lucy was clearly trapped in a very sad world her mother Rowena and Bridget created for her to keep her safe and Camille became the one bright star in the darkness.

I would certainly recommend this to any budding young adult reader, who would like to delve into mystical creatures fantasy genre, it’s a great start into this world and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

Synopsis:

Chrissie is eight and she has a secret: she has just killed a boy. The feeling made her belly fizz like soda pop. Her playmates are tearful and their mothers are terrified, keeping them locked indoors. But Chrissie rules the roost -- she's the best at wall-walking, she knows how to get free candy, and now she has a feeling of power that she never gets at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.

Twenty years later, adult Chrissie is living in hiding under a changed name. A single mother, all she wants is for her daughter to have the childhood she herself was denied. That's why the threatening phone calls are so terrifying. People are looking for them, the past is catching up, and Chrissie fears losing the only thing in this world she cares about, her child.

Review:

The synopsis for this book makes you want to hate Chrissie. She sounds awful, like she knows exactly what she’s doing. I to be fair I felt like hating her myself – bossy, unruly, not a care in the world, a bully to her best friend and others and the list could go on. Just not a nice child – and to top it all off she kills a three year old boy Steven – and it makes her feel powerful.

And then you get introduced to Julia – grown woman with a little girl called Molly – and absolutely terrified of losing her. When she starts getting phone calls and Molly gets hurt and social worker arranges an appointment, Julia panics and leaves for her hometown, where her mother moved back to whilst she was in a children’s home (instead of prison).

The book alternates the story of eight year old Chrissie and those parts are written in a simpler language that Chrissie would use at that age – it’s a clever way to make the story more authentic. So we find out more about her life as a small child, while adult Julia visits her old home town and decides what to do next.

I can’t hate her – I have a lot of sympathy for her. When her childhood is revealed along with her understanding of life, death, role of a mother and father and everything that shapes a person at that age – how could you not sympathise. It’s a controversial feeling, but the more I knew about little Chrissie the more I wanted to give her a hug and hope that as Julia, she will be ok. Julia is clearly good mum, giving her little girl everything, whilst not asking anything in return, even love.

I am so glad to have read this. It’s thought-provoking, difficult, and definitely a book that will stay with me for a while.

Thank you to TBConFB for this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

The Better Mother by Emily Shiner

Synopsis:

Zoe just wanted to help. Now she may have a killer in her home.

Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a 13-year-old boy shows up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help.

Ethan is wary – he didn’t know anything about Micah - but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can’t possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into their home and does her best to make him part of the family.

But there’s something off about Micah.

He lies constantly, creeps silently around the house and towers over Zoe, observing her every move. And his growing bond with Anna, Zoe’s young daughter, feels all wrong.

So when his mother's body is found and the police start looking for the murderer, Zoe realizes something terrible. He might already be in her home.

The Better Mother – the stunning psychological thriller from the best-selling author of Her Husband’s Secret.

Review:

Zoe is a mum of a three year old girl Anna, happily married to surgeon Ethan and quite frankly her life could not be any better.

Until there is a knock on the door and a thirteen year old Micah announces that his mum is missing, and Ethan is his dad. But credit to Zoe, she welcomes this boy into their home and convinces Ethan that they must look out for Micah and make sure he has a nice home.

But quickly things start to get weird. Little incidents and Micah calling Zoe mom within 24 hours, make Zoe feel on edge and like something just isn't right with the boy and she realises that she has invited into he life someone, she knows nothing about. And when Police tell her, Micah's mum is found dead, Zoe swear she will protect her family at all costs.

This is a quick page turner. A little predictable especially since perfect Ethan is so squeaky clean and clearly has emotional superiority and control over Zoe, even is she doesn't admit that to herself.

Anyone that like a quick read thriller, will enjoy this book and the ending I felt was also perfect.

Rating: 4/5

Available from:

Amazon UK