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Meet Me at the Surface
Meet Me at the Surface
Jodie Matthews | 2024 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When Merryn returns to Bodmin Moor for her ex-girlfriends memorial, she starts to wonder if there’s a more sinister reason for her mother and aunt asking her to return. Well, there is.

Merryn’s family live on the outskirts of the village, in a house that seems to have a mind of its own. Her mother and aunt have a close relationship with nature and folklore, which brings us on to a big secret that has been kept from Merryn and will be revealed with devastating effect.

This isn’t a full on horror story, in that it’s not full of blood and guts (well, I say that…), but it is really unnerving. There’s something bubbling away under the surface that makes Merryn (and me!!) feel really uncomfortable. It was great writing.
Recommended
  
WD
Walking Dead (Walker Papers, #4)
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Normally I don't care for zombies in my fantasy literature - the ick factor is just too high for me. (I don't do horror movies, either.) This book is probably the first exception as Joanne disliked them as much as I do. I love that she now as a better sense of what she is doing with her shamanic abilities, and she has even studied a few things related to this so that she is better prepared for future needs. It seems to me that as Joanne better understands the mechanics of what she is doing, the better I, as the reader, can understand them, too.
At the beginning of the book Joanne is dating the mechanic she has nicknamed Thor. I really like the guy and how genuine and honest he is with her, but I feel sorry for him because I know that it is not him that Joanne really wants. She takes him for granted and does not give the relationship any real chance at surviving.
The mess with the cauldron is an interesting bit of folklore that ironically ties back to Ireland, where Joanne's mother comes from. I like also that it introduces some new characters, such as the medium Sonata, and brings back Suzanne Quinley from the first book. Suzanne has got some serious magic of her own, and the courage to use it wisely. This makes me wonder if the author couldn't give her a series of her own in the YA genre. My favorite part of the book is when Suzanne uses her future-seeing abilities and Joanne tunes in. Joanne gets to see all of her possible past, present, and future selves based on alternate choices she could have made throughout her life. This was absolutely fascinating for me because I am always wondering about the "what ifs" with the main characters of the books I read. How I wish more of the books I read would find a way to employ this tactic, heck I would not mind it in real life!
As for loose ends, there are two that really bug me. The first is the outcome of the annoying insurance adjuster, since he just seemed to fall of the radar at the end. The second is Captain Morrison and his ever-evolving relationship with Joanne. He plays a major part at the climax, but the reader does not get to see any sort of personal reaction on Morrison's behalf or his reaction to Joanne's new relationship status. I will just have to wait to see what happens in the next book, Demon Hunts (Walker Papers, Book 5).