joliendelandsheer's review against another edition
4.0
Review on my blog, The Fictional Reader
It’s been a while since I read a mystery novel, especially a YA one. The synopsis sounded quite intriguing to me, so I requested it from Netgalley. It took me a while to get to it though -sorry, downside of being a mood reader. I’m so grateful I requested it though, because I thought it was a really enjoyable read.
PLOT
We start this story when Nova and her best friend Alex find a dead and decapitated deer. Its head was posed in a children’s playground, with a foxglove in its mouth. Although it’s a disturbing sight, and a disturbing act, no one is truly afraid yet. Until a (rich) girl goes missing after a party, and turns up dead a few weeks later. So we follow this story from Nova’s perspective.
I think this book is a mix of a contemporary coming-of-age book and a mystery novel. Both themes are prevalent here. On the one side, we have the mystery of who killed the girl. What’s going on in the town? Who’s behind all of this? And on the other hand, we have Nova trying to figure out her life. How does she feel about Alex? She’s making friends (well…), figuring out family life, works at her grandfather’s restaurant, and so on. I thought it was a great mix, although the first half leaned more towards the contemporary side while the second half was more of the mystery aspect.
I was definitely intrigued by the mystery as I did read it in the course of a few hours. And actually, I didn’t guess who the actual killer was! It took me by surprise.
The one downside to the story-line and pacing was a jump I experienced. There’s a moment before Amber disappears, when she’s talking about going to a party. And suddenly, it’s weeks later and you find out she disappeared from a conversation of some people. Or maybe I just spaced out for a while? Afterwards, you do gather what happened in those weeks thanks to people looking back on them. But I was a tad confused for a few pages.
CHARACTERS
Nova is the main character of this story. I don’t think the synopsis really does her voice justice. It sounds like a sociopath is telling a story, without any emotions. It’s not like that in the actual novel, which to me is a good thing. Nova has gone through some trouble at school -let’s just say she gets bullied by the rich kids. And Alex does as well, just because he lives in a trailer park. They have been best friends for years. I really like most aspects of Nova’s character. She’s smart, cares about her friends and family and works hard. I love that her family is so prominent in the story. I’m always happy to see a YA novel with a family actually present! And her grandpa sounds awesome. I do think that she was a bit judge-y at times, especially after her own bullying. She is bullied for a lie someone told. So you think she’d give other people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to rumors.
Alex is her best friend. He’s had a rough life too. He and his sister live with their grandma, who is mentally ill. I felt for him during this book. Some rich kids spread a rumor that Alex was last seen with Amber, the missing/dead girl, so many people think he did it. This leads to fights, vandalism and so on. But I really admired him in a way. He really tried to help his friends and family, to make a better life from what they had. Did he handle everything well? No. But he’s a teenager, what can you expect? They’re all going to make some bad decisions.
Can I just say, thank you for not completely leaving out sex in this novel. I don’t know why it’s not talked about more in YA novels! I mean: young adult. It’s quite a common think to talk about. Yet it’s not often represented. I don’t mean that you have to be explicit. I think that’s more done in the new adult genre. But you shouldn’t gloss over it!
I highly enjoyed this book. It’s a great mystery novel, and on top of that it’s a contemporary about Nova, her friends, family and love. I didn’t guess who the killer was at all, that twist took me by surprise. If you like mystery books, I’d recommend it.
It’s been a while since I read a mystery novel, especially a YA one. The synopsis sounded quite intriguing to me, so I requested it from Netgalley. It took me a while to get to it though -sorry, downside of being a mood reader. I’m so grateful I requested it though, because I thought it was a really enjoyable read.
PLOT
We start this story when Nova and her best friend Alex find a dead and decapitated deer. Its head was posed in a children’s playground, with a foxglove in its mouth. Although it’s a disturbing sight, and a disturbing act, no one is truly afraid yet. Until a (rich) girl goes missing after a party, and turns up dead a few weeks later. So we follow this story from Nova’s perspective.
I think this book is a mix of a contemporary coming-of-age book and a mystery novel. Both themes are prevalent here. On the one side, we have the mystery of who killed the girl. What’s going on in the town? Who’s behind all of this? And on the other hand, we have Nova trying to figure out her life. How does she feel about Alex? She’s making friends (well…), figuring out family life, works at her grandfather’s restaurant, and so on. I thought it was a great mix, although the first half leaned more towards the contemporary side while the second half was more of the mystery aspect.
I was definitely intrigued by the mystery as I did read it in the course of a few hours. And actually, I didn’t guess who the actual killer was! It took me by surprise.
The one downside to the story-line and pacing was a jump I experienced. There’s a moment before Amber disappears, when she’s talking about going to a party. And suddenly, it’s weeks later and you find out she disappeared from a conversation of some people. Or maybe I just spaced out for a while? Afterwards, you do gather what happened in those weeks thanks to people looking back on them. But I was a tad confused for a few pages.
CHARACTERS
Nova is the main character of this story. I don’t think the synopsis really does her voice justice. It sounds like a sociopath is telling a story, without any emotions. It’s not like that in the actual novel, which to me is a good thing. Nova has gone through some trouble at school -let’s just say she gets bullied by the rich kids. And Alex does as well, just because he lives in a trailer park. They have been best friends for years. I really like most aspects of Nova’s character. She’s smart, cares about her friends and family and works hard. I love that her family is so prominent in the story. I’m always happy to see a YA novel with a family actually present! And her grandpa sounds awesome. I do think that she was a bit judge-y at times, especially after her own bullying. She is bullied for a lie someone told. So you think she’d give other people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to rumors.
Alex is her best friend. He’s had a rough life too. He and his sister live with their grandma, who is mentally ill. I felt for him during this book. Some rich kids spread a rumor that Alex was last seen with Amber, the missing/dead girl, so many people think he did it. This leads to fights, vandalism and so on. But I really admired him in a way. He really tried to help his friends and family, to make a better life from what they had. Did he handle everything well? No. But he’s a teenager, what can you expect? They’re all going to make some bad decisions.
Can I just say, thank you for not completely leaving out sex in this novel. I don’t know why it’s not talked about more in YA novels! I mean: young adult. It’s quite a common think to talk about. Yet it’s not often represented. I don’t mean that you have to be explicit. I think that’s more done in the new adult genre. But you shouldn’t gloss over it!
I highly enjoyed this book. It’s a great mystery novel, and on top of that it’s a contemporary about Nova, her friends, family and love. I didn’t guess who the killer was at all, that twist took me by surprise. If you like mystery books, I’d recommend it.
toodoorcc's review against another edition
2.0
The killers made 0 sense and the diary entries didn’t make sense either
mlindskog22's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kblincoln's review
4.0
I first fell in love with Kelly's feisty but flawed heroines in her more romance-y YA books starting with Amplified. Her focus on relationships between broken youngsters continues in The Foxglove Killings, where a group of rich teens who are in small coastal Oregon town for the summer are targeted by a vicious killer.
But that's not the real focus here, the real focus is the trailer park friendship between local girl Nova and local boy Alex: both of whom who would feature heavily in the most-likely-to-work-at-Mcdonald's portion of the high school yearbook.
Nova's just been dumped by one of the rich tourists and she's nursing her wounds and working at her grandfather's diner.
There's a history of bad blood, bullying, and emotional trauma that is slowly revealed throughout the story as Nova and Alex try to figure out who is behind the murders and some vandalism, and harrasment of Nova and her family.
Nova herself is wonderfully self-delusional and self-focused in that despite loving Alex she doesn't really see him until he breaks out of her expectational mode by standing up for himself against the rich tourists. But in the latter half of the book, it was like she turned into an adult detective. Kelly's writing style in Foxglove Killings is very action-orientated, straightforward, trimmed sentences that left little room for some of the lovely emotional angsting that I liked so much in the other books (and not quite enough Alex/Nova time after her big realization about their relationship)
So while this was enjoyable, the thriller/murder aspect felt too adult for the context of the relationships here at times, but it was still shocking fun.
But that's not the real focus here, the real focus is the trailer park friendship between local girl Nova and local boy Alex: both of whom who would feature heavily in the most-likely-to-work-at-Mcdonald's portion of the high school yearbook.
Nova's just been dumped by one of the rich tourists and she's nursing her wounds and working at her grandfather's diner.
There's a history of bad blood, bullying, and emotional trauma that is slowly revealed throughout the story as Nova and Alex try to figure out who is behind the murders and some vandalism, and harrasment of Nova and her family.
Nova herself is wonderfully self-delusional and self-focused in that despite loving Alex she doesn't really see him until he breaks out of her expectational mode by standing up for himself against the rich tourists. But in the latter half of the book, it was like she turned into an adult detective. Kelly's writing style in Foxglove Killings is very action-orientated, straightforward, trimmed sentences that left little room for some of the lovely emotional angsting that I liked so much in the other books (and not quite enough Alex/Nova time after her big realization about their relationship)
So while this was enjoyable, the thriller/murder aspect felt too adult for the context of the relationships here at times, but it was still shocking fun.
screamking's review
2.0
Thought I was going to really enjoy this book, was kind of disappointed. The ending had a nice twist to it that I didn't see coming, but it was well structured. The characters however, were so unlikable. Especially Nova, the character who tells the story. As much as I disliked Jenika a lot of the time, I was honestly waiting for her to rough Nova up a bit. She was too annoying to be cared too much about. As for the mystery itself, it was alright. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
sisareads2476's review
3.0
"Some people have darkness inside them that most of us can’t comprehend"
Actual rating 3.5 stars
The first half was a bit slow, with all the dramas evolving around the town with the teens and their social issues. Put in some romance and the angst of teenage relationships and you would think this was just a mundane story about a small town mystery, But once you get past that, it becomes more interesting
I already had a good guess on the perpetrator but I needed the motive and of course how they had managed to do it. And though I have predicted right, It still came out as a surprise that I had managed to unravel the mystery beforehand. But what I really liked was that it still didnt disappoint with the last few chapters, in which all was explained and executed fairly well in my opinion.
que_bella's review
4.0
An interesting mix of mystery, suspense, the influences of others, and murder. A story that grabs you and keeps you guessing until the last pages. Every time you think you know, it throws another thing at you that tosses you back in the deep end.
Nova lives in a small town that depends on tourism to survive. It's always been a sleepy little town. Until there's a deer killed, a foxglove in its mouth. It's only the start of...she doesn't know. But then someone dissapears, and she knows somethings not right. A thrilling and captivating story that keeps you guessing until all the clues come together.
Nova lives in a small town that depends on tourism to survive. It's always been a sleepy little town. Until there's a deer killed, a foxglove in its mouth. It's only the start of...she doesn't know. But then someone dissapears, and she knows somethings not right. A thrilling and captivating story that keeps you guessing until all the clues come together.
oliviaemily's review
4.0
Read this review along with others on my blog by following this link: https://bibliomad.wordpress.com/
The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly is a murder-mystery-come-thriller style novel of the young adult genre. Thus, there are barriers to how graphic the book can be. A barrier that Kelly is pressed up against. Frankly, this book isn't for the faint hearted, and there were times I wanted to hide from this book due to it being so unnerving, yet horrifically possible.
Frankly, when I read the synopsis for this book, I wasn't sold, mainly due to said synopsis being writing in first person, which simply confused me. It made the book appear much more childish and predictable than it is. However, I thought I may as well give it a go, because I am beginning to enjoy murder-mystery-thrillers more and more.
Firstly, this book got straight into the action, which I loved. Sometimes it works when authors build up the story before the action starts trickling in, but other times, it's nice to be plunged straight in the deep end, and build up the character's stories as you go. Kelly's method of doing this allowed us to uncover facts about the characters that only ever added to the murder case; every detail about each character is useful to the cause, and is never included just to fill space, which would've happened had Kelly opted for a drawn-out opening to her novel. However, this did mean that a few of the characters were underdeveloped, and some actions from certain characters seemed very much out of character from what we knew so far. Granted, though, this does add to the mystery aspect, and succeeds in daunting you.
Another good point to this book is that each detail is relevant. There is no idle chit-chat without meaning, which you either discover at the time, or later on in the novel. Some details are given that - at the time - seem as though they've been included in order to unsettle your stomach, however each of these details eventually comes to light as a motive, which I think is very clever.
Unfortunately, there were a few downfalls here and there. First of all, I feel as though sometimes Kelly mentioned things and didn't stick to it. For example, in the first chapter, Jenika says "Quack, quack" to Nova - the protagonist - leaving Nova to explain that "One day [Jenika]'d decided I looked like a duck and never got over it." However, this is the first, last, and only time Jenika is cruel to her in this manner. Nova's explanation leaves us to think this duck comparison is common, yet Jenika is in this book a lot, and never again taunts Nova in this way. Also, as is mentioned, the silent crickets are a big part of the synopsis, yet are only mentioned once in the book.
Furthermore, another negative would be typical young adult clichés: "We were listening to Catherine Wheel, one of our favourite '90s bands." Help me - can I not escape these overworked wannabe-grunge characters? It's way too overdone, and doesn't add anything to the story other than a straining to be relatable.
Finally, there was some examples of sloppy writing. For instance, little things occur like "Alex and me" instead of "Alex and I", however, overall, the writing was generally good.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, despite it scaring the life out of me. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through, and the ending was very much unprecedented on my part. As much as I do recommend this book, though, I do not recommend you read this book before bed, like I did...Big mistake!
(Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to send a big thank you to NetGalley for this book, and also to everyone at Entangled Publishing, as well as Tara Kelly herself.)
The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly is a murder-mystery-come-thriller style novel of the young adult genre. Thus, there are barriers to how graphic the book can be. A barrier that Kelly is pressed up against. Frankly, this book isn't for the faint hearted, and there were times I wanted to hide from this book due to it being so unnerving, yet horrifically possible.
Frankly, when I read the synopsis for this book, I wasn't sold, mainly due to said synopsis being writing in first person, which simply confused me. It made the book appear much more childish and predictable than it is. However, I thought I may as well give it a go, because I am beginning to enjoy murder-mystery-thrillers more and more.
Firstly, this book got straight into the action, which I loved. Sometimes it works when authors build up the story before the action starts trickling in, but other times, it's nice to be plunged straight in the deep end, and build up the character's stories as you go. Kelly's method of doing this allowed us to uncover facts about the characters that only ever added to the murder case; every detail about each character is useful to the cause, and is never included just to fill space, which would've happened had Kelly opted for a drawn-out opening to her novel. However, this did mean that a few of the characters were underdeveloped, and some actions from certain characters seemed very much out of character from what we knew so far. Granted, though, this does add to the mystery aspect, and succeeds in daunting you.
Another good point to this book is that each detail is relevant. There is no idle chit-chat without meaning, which you either discover at the time, or later on in the novel. Some details are given that - at the time - seem as though they've been included in order to unsettle your stomach, however each of these details eventually comes to light as a motive, which I think is very clever.
Unfortunately, there were a few downfalls here and there. First of all, I feel as though sometimes Kelly mentioned things and didn't stick to it. For example, in the first chapter, Jenika says "Quack, quack" to Nova - the protagonist - leaving Nova to explain that "One day [Jenika]'d decided I looked like a duck and never got over it." However, this is the first, last, and only time Jenika is cruel to her in this manner. Nova's explanation leaves us to think this duck comparison is common, yet Jenika is in this book a lot, and never again taunts Nova in this way. Also, as is mentioned, the silent crickets are a big part of the synopsis, yet are only mentioned once in the book.
Furthermore, another negative would be typical young adult clichés: "We were listening to Catherine Wheel, one of our favourite '90s bands." Help me - can I not escape these overworked wannabe-grunge characters? It's way too overdone, and doesn't add anything to the story other than a straining to be relatable.
Finally, there was some examples of sloppy writing. For instance, little things occur like "Alex and me" instead of "Alex and I", however, overall, the writing was generally good.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, despite it scaring the life out of me. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through, and the ending was very much unprecedented on my part. As much as I do recommend this book, though, I do not recommend you read this book before bed, like I did...Big mistake!
(Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to send a big thank you to NetGalley for this book, and also to everyone at Entangled Publishing, as well as Tara Kelly herself.)
weecha22's review
5.0
Out today!!! "Twisty-turny, full of intrigue and romance, and an ending that will keep you guessing until the last tense moment, The Foxglove Killings is an expert mystery perfect for fans of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars." --Glitter Magazine
TFK is also a Junior Library Guild selection.
TFK is also a Junior Library Guild selection.
readsbykayla's review
4.0
I'm actually pretty impressed with this book. It definitely wasn't great and there were several plot holes (I.E why was the killer even involved??) but it was enjoyable. I didn't guess who the killer was, which was a nice surprise. There was definitely a strong plot twist but I'm left wishing for more. More details, more explanations. But overall, I enjoyed it a lot!