readsbykayla's review against another edition
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!
hannahsophialin's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have mixed feelings for The Foxglove Killings. I love it and I hate it, all at the same time.
For most of her life, Nova has lived at Emerald Cove – she works at her grandfather's diner and has been friends with Alex Pace for years. Every summer, wealthy kids take a vacation at Emerald Cove and make life difficult for the lowly residents who live there year-round.
The first half of the book I really hated. Nova only finds a mutilated deer with a foxglove in its mouth one summer morning and life continues on for the residents of Emerald Cove. The majority of that half is essentially outcasts vs. rich folk – both sides go at each other and make their lives difficult. There's a lot of petty revenge varying from past to recent with immature responses consisting of vandalism, useless threats, nasty gossip and rumors.
The wealthy kids who visit every summer are known as the cakes. WHY are they called cakes? HOW did Nova, Alex, and the kids who live year-round come up with this nickname? I'm very perplexed, but I had an absolute field day giggling every time "the cakes" appeared. I imagined vanilla cupcakes with evil little horns sticking out from the velvety red frosting and fangs sticking out from evil grins.
Okay, okay. I'm not making fun of the Tara's word choice. I just want to know WHY the cakes are called "the cakes" so I don't actually giggle like a little girl that just witnessed someone embarrassing themselves (like overly-exaggerated impersonations). I'm seventeen. I'm mature most of the time, but you can't expect me to be THAT mature. (Mom says I should be more mature at this rate. This might be why she's mopey all the time.) Also, that is probably just one of the few hand-drawn artworks you'll ever witness.
It was two sides made up of teenagers going at each others' throats while the adults went on with their lives, and it was highly annoying to read. It's not until one of the wealthy teenagers who visit every summer disappears, turns up murdered, and Alex is accused of being the potential murderer that things actually get remotely interesting.
The second half continues the whole revenge of the outcasts theme, but it's not the main focus anymore. There's a bit of tension in Emerald Cove after one teenager is found murdered and a lot of people just want to get the murderer found and over with so everything can be normal again. There's more drama after another teenager is found murdered and Alex goes missing – finally, it's not all about petty high school drama brought into summer vacation.
Nova and Jenika put aside their differences and start tolerating each other as they try to prove that Alex isn't actually the murderer – it's someone else entirely. When they actually find out who it is, the whole petty high school drama theme actually goes along with the entire plot of the book. Tara Kelly gives us a guessing game in The Foxglove Killings – it was a thrill to take guesses and find out I was completely and absolutely wrong.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts
I have mixed feelings for The Foxglove Killings. I love it and I hate it, all at the same time.
For most of her life, Nova has lived at Emerald Cove – she works at her grandfather's diner and has been friends with Alex Pace for years. Every summer, wealthy kids take a vacation at Emerald Cove and make life difficult for the lowly residents who live there year-round.
The first half of the book I really hated. Nova only finds a mutilated deer with a foxglove in its mouth one summer morning and life continues on for the residents of Emerald Cove. The majority of that half is essentially outcasts vs. rich folk – both sides go at each other and make their lives difficult. There's a lot of petty revenge varying from past to recent with immature responses consisting of vandalism, useless threats, nasty gossip and rumors.
The wealthy kids who visit every summer are known as the cakes. WHY are they called cakes? HOW did Nova, Alex, and the kids who live year-round come up with this nickname? I'm very perplexed, but I had an absolute field day giggling every time "the cakes" appeared. I imagined vanilla cupcakes with evil little horns sticking out from the velvety red frosting and fangs sticking out from evil grins.
Okay, okay. I'm not making fun of the Tara's word choice. I just want to know WHY the cakes are called "the cakes" so I don't actually giggle like a little girl that just witnessed someone embarrassing themselves (like overly-exaggerated impersonations). I'm seventeen. I'm mature most of the time, but you can't expect me to be THAT mature. (Mom says I should be more mature at this rate. This might be why she's mopey all the time.) Also, that is probably just one of the few hand-drawn artworks you'll ever witness.
It was two sides made up of teenagers going at each others' throats while the adults went on with their lives, and it was highly annoying to read. It's not until one of the wealthy teenagers who visit every summer disappears, turns up murdered, and Alex is accused of being the potential murderer that things actually get remotely interesting.
The second half continues the whole revenge of the outcasts theme, but it's not the main focus anymore. There's a bit of tension in Emerald Cove after one teenager is found murdered and a lot of people just want to get the murderer found and over with so everything can be normal again. There's more drama after another teenager is found murdered and Alex goes missing – finally, it's not all about petty high school drama brought into summer vacation.
Nova and Jenika put aside their differences and start tolerating each other as they try to prove that Alex isn't actually the murderer – it's someone else entirely. When they actually find out who it is, the whole petty high school drama theme actually goes along with the entire plot of the book. Tara Kelly gives us a guessing game in The Foxglove Killings – it was a thrill to take guesses and find out I was completely and absolutely wrong.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts
keri91's review against another edition
4.0
I'll say like a 3.5 - 4. I thought it was interesting and the killers were a surprise, but it was a lot of teenage "drama" that kind of made me roll my eyes sometimes. I'm just too old for class war shenanigans that include jumping people. Also the characters not having cell phones was forced and strange because everyone can get a super cheap phone. Also, a lot of the groups and their drama just felt so contrived and stupid at times. I guess that's why they're teenagers. The ending motivation was really lacking in explanation to me and the use of the "Foxglove" was never really addressed minus a throwaway sentence in the middle of the book. Still, I read it in one day and felt it was good, it kept my interest and attention enough to where I needed to find out who it was!
midnightbookgirl's review against another edition
3.0
3 and a 1/2 stars. I really liked the story and characters and the struggle between the haves and haves not. But the identity of who was behind the killings felt a bit weak. I needed a bit more motive and how it was planned. But it was a decent thriller, my favorite genre, and I love to see good YA books that focus on murder mysteries.
lonewolf6693's review against another edition
3.0
I don't even know what to really say about this book. I have such conflicting emotions about this book, more leaning towards negative than positive. It was definitely not what I expected it to be. At times it seemed to connect more with the personal relationships going on in the book and their petty drama than the actual killings going on. For instance, all that nonsense with Nora and Alex just irked me. It seemed really irrelevant, and the entire "friendzone" situation is one that bothers me intensely in YA books. Speaking of Nora, the main character, I did not like her. I thought she was naive, spineless, and pretty damn selfish. She spent so much time trying to be a detective when she really wasn't even that good at being one.
On to the good stuff, which although I can't think of a lot, it is there. In the beginning, I almost put down this book because it really didn't interest me. It seemed slow and I was waiting for a plot to happen, which sometimes it felt like the central plot wasn't even the main plot. But that is besides the point. Once I got drawn into the book, I couldn't stop reading it, which is a good thing because that is what all thrillers or mysteries should strive for. In addition to that, when the killer was finally revealed, I was totally in shock. I had guessed everyone except who it really was. Now, I still don't quite understand what their motives were and what the hell was wrong with them because the excuses made just don't make sense to me.
Overall it was an alright book. In all honesty, in the end it just left me wondering what the hell I had just read.
*This book was provided for review by Entangled Teen. Thank you!*
On to the good stuff, which although I can't think of a lot, it is there. In the beginning, I almost put down this book because it really didn't interest me. It seemed slow and I was waiting for a plot to happen, which sometimes it felt like the central plot wasn't even the main plot. But that is besides the point. Once I got drawn into the book, I couldn't stop reading it, which is a good thing because that is what all thrillers or mysteries should strive for. In addition to that, when the killer was finally revealed, I was totally in shock. I had guessed everyone except who it really was. Now, I still don't quite understand what their motives were and what the hell was wrong with them because the excuses made just don't make sense to me.
Overall it was an alright book. In all honesty, in the end it just left me wondering what the hell I had just read.
*This book was provided for review by Entangled Teen. Thank you!*
brittradomski's review against another edition
3.0
I’ll admit I didn’t guess who’d done it
This book was kinda all over the place but it was also an arc I got from thrift books so idk if it looked like that finished
I think some things could have been explored more and the ending was really quick
This book was kinda all over the place but it was also an arc I got from thrift books so idk if it looked like that finished
I think some things could have been explored more and the ending was really quick
roguewonder's review against another edition
4.0
the first half was mostly romantic tension that was admittedly engaging and addicting to read, I was most definitely invested
the second half is where the mystery/thriller aspects come out which was also creepily slow and winding
i found the ending and the killer reveal to be quite good!! I was happily surprised!!
3.75/5
the second half is where the mystery/thriller aspects come out which was also creepily slow and winding
i found the ending and the killer reveal to be quite good!! I was happily surprised!!
3.75/5
booking_along's review against another edition
5.0
*Disclaimer: I received this copy through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review*
Book review can also be found on my blog
You might think your know the people in your life. But do you?
That is really the first thought I had, after finishing this book. Which should tell you something!
But lets start at the beginning, shall we?
When i first started to read this book -for about the first 10% or so of it really- i was unsure about it.
The characters felt rather boring and the constant naming and trashing people got on my nerves a bit.
But i read on, and thank god i did!
It seems that Kelly needed those first few pages to get into her writing style, because the rest of the book is really good!
She manages to suck you into the story, telling details and giving information about what is happening and hints of who might be connected without actually giving the answers away.
I love it when a thriller doesn't give away who the actual murderer is until the last few pages, that is why i read the damn thing to begin with! To be at the edge of my seat until the last few pages.
This book clearly does that!
Kelly really manages to write interesting characters and relations between them, put a spin on situations and go to extremes. But not over the top.
For most of the book it doesn't feel like you are reading about teenagers, but an adult thriller -mostly because those kids just go nosing around in business they should really not be nosing around in at their age! Still....
There are some parts -like i said the beginning and a few sentences here and there in the rest of the book- that shows that sometimes the author tried to bring in this whole teenage situation and name calling and overdone dramatics. But mostly, Kelly focused on the story itself and the mystery about the crimes.
You all should read it. It is fantastic! Just push through those first few pages/percent of the book and get sucked into a heart-racing, edge-of-my-seat reading experience!
Honestly this book to me is what i expected from Gone Girl, with the kind of praise that book received. And while i did not feel that way about Gone Girl at all, to me this book -Foxglove Killings- actually would deserve all the price about never knowing what actually happens, never knowing who you can trust, and a narrator that has no idea what the heck is going on, just as the reader does!
Go read it! It is worth every second!
Book review can also be found on my blog
You might think your know the people in your life. But do you?
That is really the first thought I had, after finishing this book. Which should tell you something!
But lets start at the beginning, shall we?
When i first started to read this book -for about the first 10% or so of it really- i was unsure about it.
The characters felt rather boring and the constant naming and trashing people got on my nerves a bit.
But i read on, and thank god i did!
It seems that Kelly needed those first few pages to get into her writing style, because the rest of the book is really good!
She manages to suck you into the story, telling details and giving information about what is happening and hints of who might be connected without actually giving the answers away.
I love it when a thriller doesn't give away who the actual murderer is until the last few pages, that is why i read the damn thing to begin with! To be at the edge of my seat until the last few pages.
This book clearly does that!
Kelly really manages to write interesting characters and relations between them, put a spin on situations and go to extremes. But not over the top.
For most of the book it doesn't feel like you are reading about teenagers, but an adult thriller -mostly because those kids just go nosing around in business they should really not be nosing around in at their age! Still....
There are some parts -like i said the beginning and a few sentences here and there in the rest of the book- that shows that sometimes the author tried to bring in this whole teenage situation and name calling and overdone dramatics. But mostly, Kelly focused on the story itself and the mystery about the crimes.
You all should read it. It is fantastic! Just push through those first few pages/percent of the book and get sucked into a heart-racing, edge-of-my-seat reading experience!
Honestly this book to me is what i expected from Gone Girl, with the kind of praise that book received. And while i did not feel that way about Gone Girl at all, to me this book -Foxglove Killings- actually would deserve all the price about never knowing what actually happens, never knowing who you can trust, and a narrator that has no idea what the heck is going on, just as the reader does!
Go read it! It is worth every second!
imjustcupcake's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. Color me impressed with The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly. It is full of mystery and suspense. It will keep you on your toes guessing and drive you crazy trying to figure it all out. Definitely a job well done.
The Foxglove Killings starts out with Nova and Alex walking through a park. They assume that their walk is going to be like any other day with nothing eventful going on, but they are wrong. They come across a mutilated deer. The body parts spread all around, the head put up for display on the swings. In the mouth of a deer Nova finds a Foxglove. Very suspicious.
If the mutilated deer wasn't bad enough, another animal was found at house of local rich girl Gabi's house. It too had a Foxglove in its mouth.
But it doesn't stop there. Nova receives a strange letter from an anonymous person in a purple envelope. And one of the rich girls visiting the town for the summer with her family goes missing.
No one knows who is to blame for the mutilations. Nova has no idea who the letter is from. Did Amber run away or did something worse happen? And are all of these things connected? If so, how?
Sounds like a thrilling story full of mystery and suspense to me. Thankfully it doesn't disappoint at all. It does start out a little slow in the beginning, but some where around 1/4th of the way in the story really picks up and gets juicy. Things just keep happening. One thing after another and you never know what is going to happen next. It is quite a fantastic ride.
The Foxglove Killings is also filled with a lot of teenage angst.
The big issue in this story is the rich tourist vs the somewhat poor locals. The rich teenagers throw parties all the time and find as many ways as possible to torment the locals. The locals aren't blameless though. They do their fair share of starting problems too.
This leads me to the thing that bothered me the most about The Foxglove Killings. All of the teenagers seemed so hard in this story. Ready to throw down and fight it out at any disagreement that came there way. Male or female, it didn't matter. This was the way it seemed whether they were one of the rich tourists or one of the poor locals. It felt a little unrealistic at some points and it got a little annoying. It felt as though someone was always saying to someone that they should take their disagreement outside and have it out right then and there. There are other ways to create tension between characters and I would have liked to see some more of those techniques used.
Tara Kelly did use a technique that I found really interesting though. Every so often between chapters there was something that seemed like it was a diary or journal entry. They were usually pretty short and they were filled with a lot of emotion. However, you don't know who wrote them. It helps increase the suspense of who is behind everything and what his/her motive is.
The Foxglove Killings has a lot of mystery and suspense and a little bit of romance. It is a great read that you will not want to put down.
My Rating
4 out of 5 stars
Find more of my reviews here:
http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.
pavi_fictionalworm's review against another edition
3.0
The review will be up sooner to the release date! :)