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Halloween Week of Horrors 2018 | Day 2 – Book Review: Vicious Rumer by Joshua Winning
Title: Vicious Rumer
Author: Joshua Winning
Published: April 28th, 2018
Publisher: Unbound
Rating: ★★★★
Find the Authors: Goodreads

Disclosure: I was sent this book by the publisher/author, for an impartial review. This does not sway my opinion of the book. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

Rumer Cross is cursed. Scraping by working for a dingy London detective agency, she lives in the shadow of her mother, a violent criminal dubbed the ‘Witch Assassin’ whose bloodthirsty rampage terrorised London for over a decade.Raised by foster families who never understood her and terrified she could one day turn into her mother, Rumer has become detached and self-reliant. But when she’s targeted by a vicious mobster who believes she’s hiding an occult relic, she’s drawn into the very world she’s been fighting to avoid.Hunted by assassins and haunted by her mother’s dark legacy, Rumer must also confront a terrible truth: that she’s cursed, because no matter what she does, everybody she’s ever grown close to has died screaming.


First Thoughts…

It’s always this time of year that my reading habits slip into something more mysterious and thrilling. When Joshua got in touch earlier this year, I knew this would be perfect to host during my Halloween Week of Horrors because I mean, one glance at the book and it screams thrilling. There’s something very alluring about the striking cover and brief blurb, so I was extremely excited to get started reading.

My Review…

This is
the first novel I’ve read by Joshua, and I can see straight away that I like
the way he writes Rumer’s character. There’s something jagged and edgy about
Rumer – and the writing style – that comes across as nitty and gritty and just
so-very-readable. The story is about Rumer Cross, a young adult from London.
The opening scene is quite striking (I won’t give away any spoilers only that
it involves a hammer) and from the get-go, I’m reeled into her story, her
choices, values and how she got in the place she’s in now.
All I
know from getting deeper into her story is that she’s cursed, but she’s strong.
She was abandoned by her mother when she was born and it’s haunted her ever
since. Her mother’s profession has haunted her to, from her title as The
Witch Assassin. She had a rocky upbringing, bouncing from foster homes
all her life. I got the impression that she was a lost soul, but wanted to find
a place she can belong with people she can love, but anyone who’s ever gotten
close has ended up dead. There’s a darkness that surrounds the plot of Vicious Rumer, as we
learn that someone is hunting Rumer for a lost item they believe she has, that
ties into her history and mother’s past. As she fights to come to terms with
her life and the people targeting her, it’s make or break for her and
everything she knows.
Overall, Vicious
Rumer is unlike any book I’ve read before. Whilst
sometimes I did get lost in the plot, there wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t
completely fascinated with everything that arose, the bewitching history of
Rumer’s past and the way the writing never failed to keep me on the edge of my
seat with anticipation. This was one of the best YA-meets-Thriller I’ve read in
a long time (maybe even ever) and I’d recommend it extremely highly. If
your reading jam is dark, edgy YA’s with a strong female heroine, Joshua
Winning has you covered with this incredible read! Amazing four stars.

You can buy VICIOUS RUMER on:


Amazon | Book Depository 

Have you read Vicious Rumer?


What do you think?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs! 


happy reading!

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Blog Tour / Review: Shell by Paula Rawsthorne (+ Playlist!)

Hello, book lovers! Welcome to a brand new week and a brand new sparkly book in the form of SHELL. This was such a highly anticipated book for me as a retelling of the famous Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Thank you to Olivia at Scholastic for the amazing opportunity to read this!

Title: Shell

Author:  Paula Rawsthorne

Published: January 4th, 2018

Publisher: Scholastic

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review by the publisher. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Add To Goodreads

What if you thought you had died, only to wake up to find that your brain and eyes had been transplanted into someone else’s body? 

When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn’t choose and trapped in a new body, Lucy must face the biggest question of all… 
How far would you go to save the one you love?


First Thoughts… Right from the start, I knew Shell was something I was going to LOVE. I am a huge fan of retellings and especially the type that are done with subtle plot changes that weave into a complete mystery. And YES, I did read this THREE times! (People have been asking since seeing my tweets, and it’s so, so true.)

My Review… Shell panned out so different than I thought (in a quite brilliant and perfect way) and that was just the start of the incredible story that awaits. Lucy has been sick for a really long time with Cancer. She’s giving up, nothing working anymore and feeling truly tired and sick. She misses the life that she used to have when she was well, and stuck in a hospital bed feels like the last place she will ever see. But then, she has a bad moment in hospital and thinks she’s died. Surely she has. But then she wakes up, being asked tons of curious questions and feeling different. Then she’s told her cancer is gone. First, she thinks it’s some kind of miracle. But then she sees the reflection of someone. . .and it’s her. But it’s not Lucy’s face that she sees staring back at her. She sees someone else – and she is stuck in their body. 

Forced to pretend to be Renee and say goodbye to Lucy forever to avoid questions from the risky and illegal procedure, Lucy is only herself in secret with her Parents. She can’t tell her best friend, or Grandmother, despite being shunned by them as her new self. School is different as someone else now, newly taken in by the popular girls that wanted nothing to do with her when she was Lucy, and thrown into a life quite different from her own. But she can’t let go of the fact that she doesn’t know whose body she is in, or the strangeness that surrounds her because of it. When darker things start to unravel, Lucy is forced to question what she would do to survive. 

So. Many. Wow. Moments. This book! I can’t get over just how complex, smart and truly gripping Shell was. Paula’s writing is truthful and Lucy’s voice is wise and so real. This whole story is ethereal and ingenious. It had so many twists that I didn’t see coming at all, and I’m usually so good at seeing the plot twist before it happens. I can’t give this book enough love. I hardly reread books when I have such a tight reviewing schedule and that should show you just how amazing I thought Shell was. Huge five stars!

About The Author:
Paula Rawsthorne is the award-winning author of Blood Tracks and The Truth about Celia Frost. She first found success when she won the BBC National ‘Get Writing’ competition with her prize-winning story read on Radio 4. She has also been a winner of SCBWI’s ‘Undiscovered Voices. She is passionate about enthusing teenagers to get reading and is a writer in residence in a secondary school for the national literacy charity ‘First Story’. SHELL is her third novel for young adults. You can buy SHELL here.

 

SHELL Playlist


For my Blog Tour date, I really wanted to create a SHELL themed playlist! I love making them (as many of my readers will know!) and this was no exception. I made it on Spotify, so if you’re interested in listening to any of these while reading your copy of Shell, the link is below!

Playlist breakdown:

Rescue My Heart is the song I had playing in my head throughout Shell so I had to add it in there. Farewell is definitely the song for Lucy and her best friend Makayla. Heartbeats has the lyrics that instantly made me think of Lucy when she first woke up and realized who she was now. Killing Me To Love You is all about Lucy trying to prove that she is comfortable being Renee and loving her new body despite having issues with it. Only You gets me every time and it fits so many of the scenes throughout Shell. Is There Somewhere is melodic and fitted those kind of moments when Lucy was lost. Monsters is another one of those songs I had in my head – it’s like Lucy felt she was a monster. Strong is like Lucy’s song. She felt caught in the middle of being alive, but not wanting to live as someone else. Angels is the song I knew would fit during the first few chapters of Shell and you’ll know why when you read those beginning parts. Empty is how Lucy felt as Renee, through and through, along with I Can’t Breathe. Finally, In My Dreams is the kind of song that melts into the moments when Lucy was having dreams/nightmares about her new body (although it doesn’t quite fit). 

Have you read Shell?

What did you think?

Let me know on Twitter, Facebook or in the Comments! Don’t forget to stop by the Blog Tour stops for SHELL!

happy reading!

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Blog tour: EVERYONE WE’VE BEEN by Sarah Everett (+Giveaway!)

Title: Everyone We’ve Been

Author: Sarah Everett

Published: October 4th, 2016

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Find the Author: Goodreads | Twitter


I received this book for review on my blog! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.



 Addison Sullivan has been in an accident. In its aftermath, she has memory lapses and starts talking to a boy that no one else can see. It gets so bad that she’s worried she’s going crazy.

Addie takes drastic measures to fill in the blanks and visits a shadowy medical facility that promises to “help with your memory.” But at the clinic, Addie unwittingly discovers it is not her first visit. And when she presses, she finds out that she had certain memories erased. She had a boy erased.

But why? Who was that boy, and what happened that was too devastating to live with? And even if she gets the answers she’s looking for, will she ever be able to feel like a whole person again?

From the premise, Everyone We’ve Been sounds like everything I love in a book. There’s a potential mystery boy, the element of an underlying mystery that has to be solved and a sense that there’s a whole lot of adventure lying between the pages. I was lucky enough to be asked to be on the blog tour and I couldn’t wait to get started reading as soon as it landed in my lap.

Addison, or Addie, has been in an accident that will change her life drastically. At first, she’s worried she’s seriously going crazy. She can see a boy no one else can see and I know that realistically, if that were to happen to me, I would be freaking out. In the time after her accident, Addie begins having these dips in memory that can’t be explained, twisted into the fact that this boy that only her eyes can see is forged into them. 
Everyone We’ve Been is told in the before and afters of Addie’s accident which really gives the story another dimension of truth and normalcy. It keeps the plot steadily paced and engrossing and I found that slowly, as the truth of Addie’s accident, her memory gaps and the mystery boy came to light, I began to piece together the puzzle and underlying illusive aspect that seems to tie into her memory loss. Addie was straight away relateable. I love characters that feel like friends and someone you can just get as they tell you their story. The alternating past and present times really captured Addie’s character development and I found that because of this, it made her all the more real to me and I could connect with her so much better and feel like I was on the journey with her the whole way, too. 
Overall, Everyone We’ve Been is a powerful, magnetic story bursting with potential and perfection. I found myself hooked to the pages at two a.m., compelled by the storyline that just seemed to ooze “keep reading me” qualities. Addie was a star character and I was rooting for her the entire way, with each new unveiling of information I found myself falling further into the skillful plot that keeps you guessing. Underneath the beautiful cover there is an even more lively story just waiting to be read and now that I have, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Everyone We’ve Been is one of the best hits of 2016 and I’m so glad that I had the chance to read it. Five stars aren’t high enough.

 Young Adult readers!






Sarah Everett remembers growing up in enchanted forests, on desert islands and inside a magical wardrobe. She would only ever erase her memory of past karaoke performances and certain fashion choices. She was born in west Africa but currently resides in Alberta, Canada where she attends graduate school and writes YA novels. Visit her on Twitter at @heysaraheverett.

Thanks to Random House Children’s Books, I get to give away a FRESH NEW copy of Everyone We’ve Been! OPEN TO USA RESIDENTS ONLY.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 


Stop by the other days on the Everyone We’ve Been Tour!

Monday through Friday, October 10th – 14th 2016
Monday, October 10: Novel Ink
Tuesday, October 11: A Midsummer Night’s Read
Wednesday, Octboer 12: Addicted 2 Novels
Thursday, October 13: Pretty Little Memoirs
Friday, October 14: Rose Gold Class

Have you read Everyone We’ve Been?

What do you think of it?

Let me know in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!

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🌷 Blog Tour: The Deviants 🌷

Title: The Deviants

Author: C J Skuse

Published: September 22nd, 2016

Publisher: Mira Ink

Find the Author: Goodreads | Twitter


I received this book for review! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.



When you set out for revenge, dig two graves..

Growing up in the sleepy English seaside town of Brynston, the fearless five – Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane – were always inseparable. Living up to their nickname, they were the adventurous, rowdy kids who lived for ghost stories and exploring the nearby islands off the coast. But when Max’s beloved older sister Jessica is killed, the friendship seems to die with her.
Now years later, only Max and Ella are in touch; still best friends and a couple since they were thirteen. Their lives are so intertwined Max’s dad even sponsors Ella’s training for the Commonwealth Games. But Ella is hiding things. Like why she hates going to Max’s house for Sunday dinner, and flinches whenever his family are near. Or the real reason she’s afraid to take their relationship to the next level.
When underdog Corey is bullied, the fearless five are brought back together again, teaming up to wreak havoc and revenge on those who have wronged them. But when the secrets they are keeping can no longer be kept quiet, will their fearlessness be enough to save them from themselves?

Despite the vibrant pinks and yellows that are more girly and romantic on Pretty Little Memoirs, I LOVE a good dark, thriving thriller, so whenever they arrive in my book mail it’s like an instant connection. 

 As soon as I read the back of The Deviants cover, I knew I would love it. I saw the words Revenge and had an inner happy dance. I was a huge fan of the TV Show Revenge and this seemed to reignite my love for the scheming, slow, yet compelling thriller and mystery type. Ella’s voice is strong and sets a real tone for the novel, reeling me in. Right from Chapter One, which is unlike any opener I’ve read before (and what an amazing hook that was!) so I was immediately trying to piece together Ella’s secrets and the truth behind the Fearless Five’s motives, past and ultimately, future. 
The Fearless Five consist of Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane. They’re all so different, yet in the weirdest way, so alike. Despite coming from richer or poorer backgrounds, being a bully or in love, they are like magnets to each other. They live in this sleepy-type seaside town which always gives that sort of gritty, perfect setting for a novel like this and it really sets the tone. For a moment, it seems like the novel could potentially be dramatic and surrounding their teenage antics, but in that second, we’re thrown back into dangerous waters with more little secrets that were so long buried, crawling back to the surface. But The Deviants is far from a book about just revenge or fear: it’s about friendship.
Overall, The Deviants was the perfect book – and I don’t use that word lightly when it comes to books. C J Skuse writes with a pulsing heartbeat of a plot, painting a picture of these flawed characters who come together in the strangest ways with secrets that are far from lighthearted. I finished it in just two nights reading, tearing away at the pages, falling further into the sleepy town bursting with a plot that was impossible to quit. The easiest five stars I’ve ever given by far. 

 YA Fans of Mystery, Thrillers and Revenge.

C.J. Skuse was born in 1980 in Westonsuper- Mare, England. She has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Children and, aside from writing novels, works as a freelance children’s fiction consultant and lectures in Writing for Children at Bath Spa University. C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. Before she dies, she would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Ryan Gosling present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Buy THE DEVIANTS on Amazon

Have you read The Deviants?


What did you think of it? 


Let me know on twitter, stop by the other blog tour stops listed below and use #TheDeviants to get in on the conversation!


Description

happy reading!

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Blog Tour / Book Review: “Unrivalled (Beautiful Idols #1)” by Alyson Noël

Welcome to the Unrivalled blog tour! I’m the second stop on this chic, beautiful tour by the amazingly talented Alyson Noël! Today, I’ll be featuring an excerpt from the novel along with my review of the first book in the Beautiful Idols series!

Title: Unrivalled

Author: Alyson Noël

Published: May 10th, 2016

Publisher: Mira Ink

Find the Author: Goodreads


I received this book for review! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


From #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël comes the first book in the Beautiful Idols series. With mystery, suspense, and an insiders-only look at Los Angeles that echoes Gossip Girl’s racy and real New York, fans of Pretty Little Liars and readers who crave pulse-pounding romance will love Unrivalled.

 EVERYONE wants to be someone.

 Layla Harrison wants to be a reporter.
Aster Amirpour wants to be an actress.
Tommy Phillips wants to be a guitar hero.
But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her own a long time ago.

 She’s Hollywood’s hottest starlet, and the things she did to become the name on everyone’s lips are merely a stain on the pavement, ground beneath her Louboutin heel.

 That is, until Layla, Aster, and Tommy find themselves with a VIP invite to the world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and are lured into a competition. The prize, or rather the target? Madison Brooks.

 Just as their hopes begin to gleam like stars through the California smog, Madison Brooks goes missing. . . . And all of their hopes are blacked out in the haze of their lies.

Alyson’s novels have always been around me, right from the start of my blog. I always see her novels in book stores and that proves just how popular she is. When I was offered the chance to read her new series that was similar to the likes of Gossip Girl and a sleek, chic VIP world of Hollywood, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to be #OnTheList for sure.

Noël paints us a picture of a distorted Hollywood, peeling away the rose-tinted glasses we view it with and showing us the Los Angeles that Madison Brooks, Hollywood Starlet, knows. With a shock opener and a mystery clouded with questions, glamour and VIP nights, we’re lead straight into the mist of a multitude of mysteries. 
Throughout Unrivalled, we follow four very different characters who along the timeline of the novel have varied motives, actions and personalities. There’s Layla, who’s the most likeable of the four. She runs a blog, which ultimately makes her more understandable to me, although with her dream of becoming famous, it’s to be a reporter. Aster’s character took some delving into to see beneath the surface of her true self. At the start, she seemed to be chasing fame at every chance she got, but when parts of her story and true self peak through, I liked her more and her struggle to step outside the family beliefs and tradition were very believable. The next character, Tommy, I had the most difficult time getting to know. His secret made him interesting, although not as intriguing as Layla and Aster. I can see his character development probably becoming more lengthily and compelling as the series continues. 
Then we have Madison, who is the focal point of Unrivalled. She is wise and knows what she’s doing, and it’s gotten her far in Hollywood. But when she goes missing quite soon into the novel, her disappearance isn’t the only mystery that needs to be solved because all the characters have something mystifying about them that makes Unrivalled go from a mystery to a twisting cliffhanger that echoes the realness of the price to pay for fame and the consequences of the secrets we hide. 
Overall, Alyson has written the start of something so great. I found it addictive, like a reality show you can’t stop watching. I totally get the comparison of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, where the book seems to step into the more challenging aspects of real life and how deceiving things can be outside of the TV screen. When the mystery got started and things picked up after the introduction of the characters, I was truly hooked and I read it in just over a day. If you love big city mysteries, mixed with charm, glamour and thrills, you’ll love Unrivalled. I’m excited for the sequel for answers to questions that it leaves us with and it’s already on my TBR. Five stars completely – YA mystery at it’s best. 
YA mystery, drama and thrillers. Fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.
Number One New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël has won numerous awards and achieved international bestseller status for her wildly popular young adult series, The Immortals and The Soul Seekers, and her middle grade series, Riley Bloom. Alyson Noël is an established global phenomenon with books printed in 36 languages and sold in over 50 countries.  Now she is taking on the seductive world of L.A. nightlife in a new series using what she knows best: steamy romance and high-stakes Hollywood competition. 
Alyson Noël is the bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including The Immortals, Riley Bloom, and Soul Seekers series. With millions of copies in print, her books have been translated in thirty-six languages and have made numerous international bestseller lists. Born and raised in Orange County, California, she’s lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan, and is now settled back in Southern California, where she’s working on her next book. You can visit her online atwww.alysonnoel.com 

EXCERPT PREVIEW FROM PRETTY LITTLE MEMOIRS:

Despite the crush of tourists storming the sidewalks year after year, Hollywood Boulevard is a place best viewed behind a pair of polarized lenses and lowered expectations. 
From the string of sagging buildings in various stages of decay, the tacky souvenir shops hawking plastics statues of Marilyn in her windblown white dress, and the seemingly endless parade of addicts, runaways, and glamour-deprived transients, it doesn’t take long before the sunburned, white-sneaker-wearing masses realize the LA they’re searching for does not exist there.
In a city that feeds off youth and beauty, Hollywood Boulevard more closely resembles a former screen siren who’s seen better days.The incessant sunshine is a harsh and brutal companion, intent on magnifying every wrinkle, every age spot. 
Yet for those who know where to look (and those fortunate enough to boast a spot on the guest list), it also serves as an oasis of the city’s hottest nightclubs—a sort of hedonistic haven for the young, fabulous and rich.
—from “Prologue” of Unrivalled by Alyson Noël

Have you heard of Unrivalled?


Have you read it or added it to your TBR?


What do you think of the excerpt?


Let me know in the comments or @LittleMemoirs on twitter!


happy reading!

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Book Review: “There Will Be Lies” by Nick Lake

*NO SPOILERS REVIEW*


Title: There Will Be Lies

Author: Nick Lake

Published: January 6th, 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

Find the Author: Goodreads


I received this for review from Bloomsbury for review. As always, my reviews are fair and un-bias.

Shelby Jane Cooper is seventeen, pretty and quiet. 

It’s just Shelby and her mom, Shaylene, a court stenographer who wears pyjama jeans, stitches tapestry, eats ice-cream for dinner and likes to keep Shelby safe. So safe she barely goes out. So safe she doesn’t go to school. Because anything could happen, to a girl like Shelby. Anything.

When Shelby gets knocked down by a car, it’s not just her leg that’s broken: Shelby’s world is shattered. Her mom turns up to collect her and drives off into the night, like it’s the beginning of a road trip, like two criminals on the run, like Thelma and Louise or Bonnie and Clyde. And somehow, everywhere she looks, there’s a coyote watching her, talking to her, telling her not to believe.

Who is Shelby Jane Cooper? If the person who keeps you safe also tells you lies, who can you trust?

Shelby Jane Cooper has led a pretty sheltered life so far. At home it’s just her and her mother; Shaylene. Shelby’s Mom likes to keep her safe, like any mother wants of their children – but with Shelby, it’s pretty different. Shaylene likes to keep Shelby so safe that she doesn’t go to school or barely goes outside to do anything, too terrified that something will happen to a girl like her. On one of the few outings Shelby is allowed, she is hit by a car and suddenly everything comes to a halt. Her leg is broken, and now everything else seems to be too. 

Setting off out of town, Shaylene pulls her daughter into a road trip. The overprotective mother that Shelby had mixed feelings about – whether she accepted the safety and understood her mother or craved more freedom – became clear that this was more than just a road trip. They were on the run. 

Now everything seems different to Shelby. Everywhere she looks, there’s a coyote watching her and taunting her, telling her things. Her dreams are wild and inquisitive, telling her things to believe. The storyline picks up right away, setting a scene for thrills and a story with layers you’ll love to delve into. 

I was won over by the enthralling enticement for There Will Be Lies, into the darkness of the lies and secrets hidden inside Shaylene and Shelby’s lives. At times it reminded me of something straight out of a movie like Gone Girl or Before I Go To Sleep, the tension and exhilarating storyline twisting into an explosive conclusion. 

Overall, There Will Be Lies is a book you don’t want to miss, thriller fans. You’ll be surprised, like I was, at the carefully crafted characters and significance of Coyotes and dreams that uncover the meaning of Shelby’s story. If you love psychological thrillers and stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, scoop up this and read just how amazing it truly is. 


         


 For fans of S.J. Watson and Gillian Flynn – you will love this. 

 What did you think of There Will Be Lies?

Did you think it was as thrilling as I did?

Let me know in the comments!

happy reading!
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Book Review: “The Fall” by Bethany Griffin (Halloween Week of Horrors)

Title: The Fall

Author: Bethany Griffin
Genre:  Young Adult – Supernatural/Paranormal (Gothic)
Release Date: October 2nd, 2014
Published by: Orion Childrens


★ I received this from Orion / Indigo for review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. ★ 

For Madeline, the House of Usher is a nightmare to live in – but impossible to leave – in this brand new Gothic novel from Bethany Griffin, author of the Masque of the Red Death sequence.


Madeline and her twin brother Roderick have the Usher name, the Usher house – and the Usher disease. Something is wrong with the family’s blood – and it seems to have spread to the house itself. Sometimes Madeline even thinks that the house is alive… When Roderick is sent away to school, the house seems to want revenge on the one member of the Usher family left behind: Madeline herself.

A gorgeous, eerie, darkly Gothic tale, THE FALL is guaranteed to intrigue and enthrall its readers, winning legions of new fans for the talented Bethany Griffin. Perfect for fans of Laini Taylor, Becca Fitzpatrick and Cassandra Clare.

Hailed as a creepy, Gothic thriller from Bethany Griffin, I was immediately intrigued to The Fall. Inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe work, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, I was ready to get into the Halloween spirit with this read!



The Fall follows Madeline Usher, a girl that has spent her whole life living in the Usher House, an old and not to mention, cursed, house. You can never leave the house, and yet, you’re not really there either. The house is pretty much evil in itself, ruthless and sly. Here, in a strange turn of events, the house is the enemy in this thriller read. Not a person, but a house. 

The story is slow-paced and not withholding on the frights and creepy atmosphere. We first meet Madeline when she awakes in a coffin. She realizes soon enough that she’s not just in a coffin, but she has been buried alive in the house. We don’t find out why just yet – first, we go back through Madeline’s years in the house and parts of her life at different ages until we understand – and then we return. 

But the understanding is the tricky part – there isn’t a straight forward answer. The answers to the Gothic setting of suspense and creep factors were written between the lines. We cannot understand the story until we live it like Madeline, piecing through the moments of her life and enveloping ourselves in her tormented world inside the Usher House. 

Although The Fall was short paced and the chapters weren’t long, it was still by far a great read. At times I was confused, then amazed, then taken aback by the strangeness of Madeline’s world. But the first chapter – that will stay with me for a very long time. Bethany Griffin has written a breathtaking, incredible novel that will leave you chilled and amazed with the cliffhanger and brilliant storytelling. 

With paranormal settings and a storyline that will pull you in, The Fall is not to be missed this Halloween. 

The first chapter will always be my favourite. And that ending.

Fans of thrillers, slow-paced suspense and paranormal novels!




Have you read The Fall?

What did you think?


Tell me in the comments, on twitter or by using the hashtag #TheFall


happy reading! 

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