A review by phyllica_reads
Bitter Crown of Thistle by Alisha Galvan

4.0

Oh I love a good horror book!

I haven't had the pleasure of reading this author's other book, but she said this one was darker, so I was very excited to dive into the darker one.
Based on the promotion of the book, I knew this would satisfy the dark craving that I have for horror books. Bitter Crown of Thistle was dark and captured a raw look into the eye of someone with a dangerous and obsessive view point.
What really held the book back in my opinion is the length. I understand why the author made the choices she did with the writing style, but it drastically slowed the pacing down. The intrigue and suspense from the beginning really dialed back in the middle. This book is also written in 3rd POV so it pulled back from the reader fully investing in the emotional turmoil and the internal monologue of the characters. If you're putting your characters through the absolute worst experience of their life, a narrator isn't going to fully grasp all of that.
This is 100% being nit picky and doesn't affect the rating in any way, but the way the chapters were laid out added some choppiness to the flow.

With all of that being said, I still enjoyed the story the author was trying to tell. She created a unique take on an abduction case and filled that dark horror hole in my heart. I do plan on reading future books from this author.