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rabidmunkee's review
4.0
I was instantly hooked by this story. Grace was an amazing character, and I couldn't wait to see what happened to her next. The aspect I really liked was the ghosts she saw. I got so into the mystery she was trying to solve that I had a hard time putting the book down. The ending really blew me away. I never saw it coming, and to me that's the sign of an amazing book. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this early.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
miffyf's review
5.0
Holy moley, kids. This book is AMAZING! I've always been a huge fan of Vikki Wakefield, but this book: this book is off the scale. Gripping, scary, thrilling, real, unreal and fabulous. I started it a few days ago, whilst on holidays, and it gripped me, but I didn't have time to really get stuck in. Well, I've just devoured two thirds in one giant gulp. It's 1am. Just read it.
mouwuol's review
5.0
one of the best books ive read this year !
only 300 pages but the characters were so well put together and it felt like I knew every single character personally... like how is that possible to do in 300 pages??? it usually takes a whole series to get connected to characters that much
only 300 pages but the characters were so well put together and it felt like I knew every single character personally... like how is that possible to do in 300 pages??? it usually takes a whole series to get connected to characters that much
eldritchreader's review
3.0
I love a YA book that doesn't obsess over teenage romance!
This was my first Wakefield book so I came in with no expectations. I love that this is a contemporary-style Oz book but it is also so much more. I love love love when I don't know what is going to happen in a mystery book. Because, I mean, isn't that the whole point? And I loved the paranormal aspect - while only moderately spooky, it fit the story and the mystery gloriously. AND I just love things creepy and dark.
This book was a great adventure and I enjoyed it a tonne. I wish, as a reader, I was moved to have an emotional attachment to the characters - particularly Grace. The fact that her entire body is falling apart and I still didn't really care...
I also just found that the ending was lacking. For a book which had such a thrill ride through many parts, the ending just didn't have a fantastic BOOM like I wanted. The ending to the actual mystery was slightly more final and satisfactory for me - but honestly not by much.
But I still thought it was a pretty great read.
Note: Thank you to Netgallery and Text Publishing for this ARC copy. This has not impacted on my honest review.
Check out my full review + others on my blog!
This was my first Wakefield book so I came in with no expectations. I love that this is a contemporary-style Oz book but it is also so much more. I love love love when I don't know what is going to happen in a mystery book. Because, I mean, isn't that the whole point? And I loved the paranormal aspect - while only moderately spooky, it fit the story and the mystery gloriously. AND I just love things creepy and dark.
This book was a great adventure and I enjoyed it a tonne. I wish, as a reader, I was moved to have an emotional attachment to the characters - particularly Grace. The fact that her entire body is falling apart and I still didn't really care...
I also just found that the ending was lacking. For a book which had such a thrill ride through many parts, the ending just didn't have a fantastic BOOM like I wanted. The ending to the actual mystery was slightly more final and satisfactory for me - but honestly not by much.
But I still thought it was a pretty great read.
Note: Thank you to Netgallery and Text Publishing for this ARC copy. This has not impacted on my honest review.
Check out my full review + others on my blog!
pipparature's review
5.0
Grace Foley is troubled, by anyone's definition of the word. She's been a fan of increasingly outlandish pranks since she was small and has little regard for her own safety. Since the tragic death of her mother a couple of years previously, and the subsequent move away from the family farm. Now 17 Grace is facing her final year of school with her close group of friends but Grace is falling apart and concerning everyone.
Right from the start you know Grace is damaged. She's carrying a world of hurt inside her which is making her increasingly detached from those that love her. A crisis point at the start of the novel sees Grace dragged into a years old mystery and an obsession with a missing girl, and a dead boy. Only Grace can make the connection between these events which happened before she was born.
This is a brilliantly written book. Vikki Wakefield writes Grace beautifully. Her descent into madness and loss of control unfold against the backdrop of friends who are moving on and preoccupied with their own lives, Grace is left behind and then isolated because of what is happening inside her own head.
It's hard to categorise this book. There's an element of horror, certainly, but I don't like to read that genre and I coped fine with the level that this is pitched at. It's certainly YA and a very good example of it. So much YA is simply 'girl meets boy' but this is a real exposition of a teenager in crisis which deserves to be more widely read. Wakefield drags the reader along with Grace's journey and I couldn't put the book down. She's not the most likable character but she is often endearing and charming and it's hard not to feel sorry for her, even though she'd reject your pity if it was offered.
A rewarding and challenging read. Excellent.
Right from the start you know Grace is damaged. She's carrying a world of hurt inside her which is making her increasingly detached from those that love her. A crisis point at the start of the novel sees Grace dragged into a years old mystery and an obsession with a missing girl, and a dead boy. Only Grace can make the connection between these events which happened before she was born.
This is a brilliantly written book. Vikki Wakefield writes Grace beautifully. Her descent into madness and loss of control unfold against the backdrop of friends who are moving on and preoccupied with their own lives, Grace is left behind and then isolated because of what is happening inside her own head.
It's hard to categorise this book. There's an element of horror, certainly, but I don't like to read that genre and I coped fine with the level that this is pitched at. It's certainly YA and a very good example of it. So much YA is simply 'girl meets boy' but this is a real exposition of a teenager in crisis which deserves to be more widely read. Wakefield drags the reader along with Grace's journey and I couldn't put the book down. She's not the most likable character but she is often endearing and charming and it's hard not to feel sorry for her, even though she'd reject your pity if it was offered.
A rewarding and challenging read. Excellent.
kiwiwonder's review
5.0
Amazing book. Picked it up half on a whim when I saw it in our school library - I'd read "Friday Brown" several years earlier and enjoyed it so figured it was a safe bet.
I was hooked from about the second page, and struggled to put it down. The storyline is real enough, and grounded enough, to make it thoroughly believable - you want to believe Grace, as the narrator, but there's enough shreds of doubt placed that you're never really sure if she's a reliable narrator or not.
Won't say more as I'm no fan of spoilers, but if you have the opportunity, find this book and read it.
I was hooked from about the second page, and struggled to put it down. The storyline is real enough, and grounded enough, to make it thoroughly believable - you want to believe Grace, as the narrator, but there's enough shreds of doubt placed that you're never really sure if she's a reliable narrator or not.
Won't say more as I'm no fan of spoilers, but if you have the opportunity, find this book and read it.