Jude, Sarah The May
Queen Murders, 288 pages. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. $17.99. Language: R
(53 swears, 4 ‘f’) Mature Content: PG-13 (intense kissing scenes, heavy
petting, drinking and frank sexual discussions and encounters. Borderline rated
R) Violence: R (for murder and dismemberment)
Ivy Templeton lives and breathes
Rowan’s Glen, the place she grew and her parents did before her. Despite its
strange stories and tales of superstition, Ivy is full of love for her home,
and for her two favorite people, vivacious cousin Heather and childhood friend
Rook. But when Heather starts withdrawing from their relationship and then
disappears altogether, Ivy realizes that she must now take her town’s strange
stories as gospel, before murder wreaks havoc on all she holds dear.
The best thing this tale has going for it is
how very visceral and atmospheric it always manages to be. Scenes with little
actually taking place and shrouded in mystery are tense and nail-biting. I also
liked the sweetness of the main character and her love for her family. All her
emotions and fears rang true for me and I could understand why she acted in
such a haphazard, disjointed way, as her whole world was suddenly upended.
However, it just got too graphically bloody for my taste by the end, and the
villains were easy to discover before the big reveal. Add on the unnecessary on
page sexual exploits of a character I never liked very much, and this book
leaves me majorly conflicted on all fronts. Again though, A+ plus for
atmosphere.
HS- OPTIONAL Student
Reviewer: Jewels
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