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A review by alienclans
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I knew I would just from the description because it’s right up my alley. It’s got a flawed, female main character, the reader is left wondering what’s real, and it uses horror/fairy tale to explore other topics. That’s about all I ever look for in this kind of novel.
Lauren gives birth to twin boys and fears that they may have been replaced by changelings. It’s a story about motherhood and the toll that it takes on new mothers. It really roped me in. I could relate to Lauren and I understood her mindset. I loved how she was written. The reader can clearly see her unraveling but still kind of roots for her (or at least I did). Even though most everyone else in the story sees it one way, the reader can’t help but wonder if Lauren’s perspective has some merit. Lauren was so captivating. Looking back on where the novel started after having finished it, it’s surprising to me how well executed her character development felt, considering the book is just barely over 300 pages.
The characters in general were well executed. Patrick was so frustrating! He seemed so real. At the beginning, he was so selfish and I disliked him immensely but I understood him. By the end, I had stopped hating Patrick. As for Harper, the detective, she grew on me too. My complaint early on was that I found Harper much less interesting and wanted to get back to Lauren’s point of view. However, her sections became more interesting as the story went on.
This was the kind of book that I wanted to rush home from work to read. It even gave me the true creeps once or twice, which I rarely get from books. I found myself avoiding the windows while reading and glancing around my apartment at the dark corners. You know, just to check.
All that being said, I found the ending somewhat disappointing. I can’t explain why without spoilers but one specific thing that Joanna finds bothered me because it felt unnecessary. Other than that though, I liked how Lauren’s story concluded. Had that last bit with Joanna been left out, I’d probably be giving this 5 stars. Probably.
I’m kind of sad I finished it. I enjoyed it so much that I want to dive back in.
Lauren gives birth to twin boys and fears that they may have been replaced by changelings. It’s a story about motherhood and the toll that it takes on new mothers. It really roped me in. I could relate to Lauren and I understood her mindset. I loved how she was written. The reader can clearly see her unraveling but still kind of roots for her (or at least I did). Even though most everyone else in the story sees it one way, the reader can’t help but wonder if Lauren’s perspective has some merit. Lauren was so captivating. Looking back on where the novel started after having finished it, it’s surprising to me how well executed her character development felt, considering the book is just barely over 300 pages.
The characters in general were well executed. Patrick was so frustrating! He seemed so real. At the beginning, he was so selfish and I disliked him immensely but I understood him. By the end, I had stopped hating Patrick. As for Harper, the detective, she grew on me too. My complaint early on was that I found Harper much less interesting and wanted to get back to Lauren’s point of view. However, her sections became more interesting as the story went on.
This was the kind of book that I wanted to rush home from work to read. It even gave me the true creeps once or twice, which I rarely get from books. I found myself avoiding the windows while reading and glancing around my apartment at the dark corners. You know, just to check.
All that being said, I found the ending somewhat disappointing. I can’t explain why without spoilers but one specific thing that Joanna finds bothered me because it felt unnecessary. Other than that though, I liked how Lauren’s story concluded. Had that last bit with Joanna been left out, I’d probably be giving this 5 stars. Probably.
I’m kind of sad I finished it. I enjoyed it so much that I want to dive back in.