Synopsis
Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.
He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.
Who are the Sawkill Girls?
Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.
Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.
Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.
Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight…
until now. (Goodreads)
He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.
Who are the Sawkill Girls?
Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.
Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.
Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.
Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight…
until now. (Goodreads)
Thoughts
I'm a scaredy cat. I actively avoid things that I think will either upset or terrify me, and I initially was going to completely ignore the existence of this novel. Big mistake. Big. HUGE.
Once I had read a little bit more about the underlying (okay, it's pretty overt) feminism of this story and saw some great reviews, I was ready to give it a try.
Important note: The synopsis of this book is vague and could even be considered a bit misleading. I think it's important to know that these three girls do not start out as friends. Their stories are interwoven and their relationships grow as the book goes on, but don't go in expecting a story of three BFFs ready to tackle some insidious presence from the jump.
Important note #2: I would categorize this as supernatural fantasy horror. Expecting it to be your traditional mystery/thriller might lead to initial disappointment. Knowing that it isn't will ease you in.
If that's not your thing, you can skip it. But you shouldn't. :P
If that's not your thing, you can skip it. But you shouldn't. :P
This book is written in alternating third-person perspective and I loved being with each character. Seriously, there was not one person I got bored with. I understand why some people might be a little iffy on Val but...I kinda loved her. Yes, she's drawn as the mean girl queen with a complete disregard for everyone around her...but since we get to know her on a deeper level, we know her motives. Zoey is a tough girl who mostly succeeds at using her sardonic humor to mask her grief and is not afraid to get shit done. Marion is strength and calm on the outside, but inside she aches in so many ways.
Is this book creepy? Yes. But I read it 3 nights in a row before bed and was still able to sleep, even if I did get the occasional shiver. Again, it's pretty easy to make me anxious and this book did a great job of keeping on my toes without ever crossing the line to nightmare territory. It's a testament to the gorgeous, illustrious writing and the strength of each girl that the fear meant so little to me in the grand scheme of it all.
So, yeah, you could say this book is about lurking evil, the monsters around and within.
But more importantly to me, it's about the strength of women. It's about the hunger within us, the fight to survive, the ability to nurture and soothe, the anger that drives us, the love that drives us. It is the fact that the weakness some choose to see in women is actually our strength. The tagline on the cover is "Turn Fear Into Power" and I believe that, even at our most vulnerable moments, is what we women do.
But more importantly to me, it's about the strength of women. It's about the hunger within us, the fight to survive, the ability to nurture and soothe, the anger that drives us, the love that drives us. It is the fact that the weakness some choose to see in women is actually our strength. The tagline on the cover is "Turn Fear Into Power" and I believe that, even at our most vulnerable moments, is what we women do.
Rating
If it wasn't obvious, I LOVED this book.
I totally understand that it won't be for everyone, but if you're on the fence about reading it you should just take the leap.
I totally understand that it won't be for everyone, but if you're on the fence about reading it you should just take the leap.
I know that my review might not be the most descriptive of the book, but I knew very little and I recommend going in with as little as possible. I just make sure that you know this book falls into fantasy, and it's important to know that so that you can fully appreciate it.
Comments
Post a Comment