I received this ARC from Tor in exchange for an honest review!
5/5
CW: death, murder, gore/gruesome deaths, and parental death
Over the weekend, I had a weird craving for books. I wanted something super creepy because it was dark out. I swear, I watched three seasons of Ghost Adventures, a show I will always mock, because it fit my mood. And, this book did it too.
I loved it. Seriously. It fit the mood I needed and it stayed good.
DCI Holly Craig is born and raised Welsh. Yet, she moved away from Pontyrhudd, went to London, and became an officer. Now, she’s back to her old town. Suddenly, there are deaths that just keep happening and piling up. The DCI also has a bit of an odd ability. She can see people’s souls.
As I said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The mystery was captivating and I loved the way it unfolded right before my very eyes. Because, it definitely goes down a rabbit hole that I wasn’t expecting.
Then, there are the characters. I enjoyed Holly’s complexity. I also enjoyed the side characters and how they made up this small town. However, tbh, my favorite character was one that was basically a side character the whole book. Mrs. Phillips.
Let me tell y’all about her.
She’s a 92-year-old woman who still goes out and parties and has “walks of shame” through the town on her way home. She also goes into great detail recounting a fun threesome she had. Whenever she was on the page, I knew I was going to have a good time because she was just so much fun. I could have done with a whole book just of her.
While I gave this book five stars — it blew me away and I just was so happy to read it — I definitely think there were some underdeveloped parts of it. The whole “Ragged Alice” mythos felt tacked on, even if it was important. Also, Holly’s ability to see souls didn’t feel like a major part of the story even though it’s one of the first things you read when you check out the description.
Those didn’t take away from my reading experience, but they are flaws that the book has. Either way, I still really hope that this becomes a series and isn’t a stand alone!
Is this one on your TBR?
What’s your favorite supernatural mystery?
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