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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Stone Mothers in Books

Aug 6, 2019  
Stone Mothers
Stone Mothers
Erin Kelly | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
10
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Stone Mothers was my first Erin Kelly book, and it really surprised me with its dark, melancholy story that evolved into a taut thriller.

It’s a story told in reverse. We meet the adults first before we begin to slip into their past, and we learn of their connection with the ‘Stone Mother’, or the mental hospital in their home town. Marianne and Jesse are unlikely sweethearts, very different personalities, yet they are both affected by the closure of the local psychiatric hospital, Nazareth, which employed most of their remote village. Including their own parents. With a random discovery comes their chance, in Jesse’s opinion, to improve their lives and some retribution.

I really enjoyed how this story unfolded: I liked how we found out more about the three main characters as we slipped into their pasts (I found Helens story particularly interesting, to be honest, and I would have happily read more). It’s a story where it’s really difficult to apportion blame to anyone - I ended up liking all of them, and could understand the motivation for their actions.

I will definitely be looking out for more books by Erin Kelly - this has without a doubt piqued my interest. Stone Mothers is well worth a read.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Dog Rose Dirt in Books

Jul 25, 2021  
Dog Rose Dirt
Dog Rose Dirt
Jen Williams | 2021 | Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is an interesting mystery/thriller that's pretty dark and creepy with some scenes that some may find disturbing.

I'm finding this a difficult one to review because whilst overall, I think I enjoyed it, it did seem to take a long time to get there and there were times when I said to myself "oh, just get on with it!"

The plot of the book is intriguing and the tension is a constant throughout but it just seemed to be dragged out a little; it started great and I was hooked, the middle was slow and the ending was fast paced if a little OTT. The characters are well developed and interesting but Heather was a little tedious at times and I didn't really become invested in her much; some of her actions also seemed implausible to me.

The parts I did like were the "before" sections, the links to the Grimm Brothers stories, the scenes when Heather went to see Michael in prison and the general creepiness that was ever present but there was just something that I can't put my finger on properly that resulted in me not loving it.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.