Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Burning Girls

Spooky small village setting with spooky residents? Check. Ramping up the tension and eeriness? Check. Untrustworthy characters with complicated histories? Oh yes. All classic Tudor tropes I've come to love and The Burning Girls didn't disappoint.

This story had a lot of side plots to keep straight, and while I appreciated all the connections (and guessed one of them like a proper sleuth!), by the end there were an awful lot of mysterious deaths with different explanations. I know we're not looking for realism in a horror like this, but it did get a little far fetched for one tiny Sussex village!

That said, I loved Jack and Flo; Jack might be the best fictional vicar I've ever encountered. And the creepy was creeping hard, which I absolutely loved.

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gallusquared's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The sleepy English village of Chapel Croft has a darkness that clings to it like fog. Newcomer Reverend Jack Brooks, a woman with a past and a teenage daughter, Flo, soon discovers this isn't your average parish. Whispers of unsolved disappearances from decades ago linger, and a disturbing local legend about "burning girls" adds a layer of unease. When it is revealed that the previous vicar died under suspicious circumstances, Jack, with Flo by her side (much to Flo's initial annoyance), gets swept into the investigation. The deeper they dig, the more they unearth a community riddled with secrets, a tangled web of suspicion, and a past that refuses to stay buried.

Tudor weaves a suspenseful tale that will keep you guessing. The atmosphere in Chapel Croft is thick with tension, and the characters, though flawed, feel real. Jack is a protagonist you can't help but root for. Flo, the quintessential teenager trying to fit in while dealing with her mom's baggage, provides a relatable counterpoint. The mystery unfolds at a steady pace, with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

However, The Burning Girls isn't without its flaws. The exploration of the supernatural elements feels underdeveloped, leaving some threads dangling. Similarly, a couple of character motivations could have been better fleshed out. Even the ending, while satisfying and with a touch of corniness, might not be the mind-blowing twist some crave.

Despite these minor quibbles, The Burning Girls is a page-turner. If you're looking for a suspenseful mystery steeped in small-town weirdness, prepare to be glued to the story until the very satisfying, if somewhat predictable, conclusion.

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stellenelcielo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

ngl I started reading this in 2021 and then stopped halfway because life decided to get traumatizing for no reason...but yeah, decided only to finish it because I picked up another book by this author about vampires in Alaska, that I found out in the wild (walmart) and felt I needed to finish this one first.

I did enjoy finishing it, but felt a lot was going on. I vibed with it anyway, and my only real (minor) criticism is that

Rosie also being a psychopath felt like it came out of left field

, and it was a real missed opportunity to

make Wrigley the sole psychopath, mirroring the online alt-right, misogynistic and incel culture that seems to nurture sociopathy in teenage boys.

I was not prepared for that final reveal, but I mostly chalk that up to taking more than a year to finish the book so my memory of the finer details is a bit fuzzy. Anyway, yeah, was a solid entertaining read, and I look forward to 'The Gathering', which has been waiting on my shelf for the last week.

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