Social Media Icons

Sunday, March 14, 2021

#ATBR2021 Review: The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

The Burning Girls 
by C.J. Tudor

Thanks so much Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this copy.


Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publish Date: January 26, 2021
Kindle Edition
500 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Horror, Thriller

A dark history lingers in Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, Protestant martyrs were betrayed — then burned. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And a few weeks ago, the vicar of the local parish hanged himself in the nave of the church.

Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a 14-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Jack finds a town rife with conspiracies and secrets, and is greeted with a strange welcome package: an exorcism kit and a note that warns, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.”

The more Jack and daughter, Flo, explore the town and get to know its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into the age-old rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo begins to see specters of girls ablaze, it becomes apparent there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

Uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide and no one trusts an outsider.

My Review:


THE BURNING GIRLS has officially made its way to my favorite book by Tudor.  Immediately immersive, this is a hard book to put down.  Plus, you just canNOT help but to fall in love with Jack.. and especially Flo.  I also have a tendency to put vicars or any leader in a religious capacity to be... as close to perfect as you can in terms of doing good and being perfect.. see? I can't even express it correctly.  What I'm trying to get to ... is that Jack, as vicar, shows this side of  being flawed and "regular human" I am constantly surprised at.  I know, I know.  I'm learning. Leave me alone.  Back to the book. Jack made me smile quite a few times with some of her inner monologue.

There is such great atmosphere in this read.  Freakin' small towns with everyone in everyone's business - especially with the new residents.  An old house and chapel and creepy areas to explore. I really wish I could've gone exploring with Flo! I mean, Tudor, couldn't you have maybe included some of the photos she took as a bonus? šŸ˜‰ 

I truly loved everything about this story.  I did NOT see a few things that were thrown at me and at one point my skin puckered up with goosies.  Well done.  **applause** The last few chapters really come full circle and we learn a LOT about how these characters are linked and holy WTF.  Now, I will say that, in my humble opinion, that the epilogue was just unnecessary and I feel like I'm left wanting a bit with regards to a certain character...  I literally made that claw hand you do when you grab your face like WHAT. And even with these things, I still swiped my last swipe on my Kindle a very happy girl. WHEW! I needed some creepy, morbid reading and this fit the bill. 

Go grab your copy and lets discuss!!

★★★★★

Jessica's Review:

If you're in the mood for something dark, morbid, foreboding, and all that kind of goodness, then THE BURNING GIRLS needs to be on that TBR. While the last book I read by CJ Tudor wasn't a hit for me I will continue to pick up what she releases because they're so immersive and creepy. You can expect some good horror elements, relatable and almost lifelike characters, and some seriously eerie settings (in this case, a small town). 

Jack, a vicar, and her teenage daughter Flo have been relocated to Chapel Croft, a small town on the English countryside. So what is it with small towns and that they're always so creepy and no one is ever terribly inviting? With a dark past and other eerie things going on, will Jack and Flo find the answers they're looking for? 

From the very beginning I was hooked and there's just something about her writing that completely engrosses you. The pacing really picked up towards the end and there were some reveals I was not expecting (can't complain when that happens). CJ Tudor remains an auto-buy author for me! 

5 stars 

1 comment:

  1. I'm so glad to see this is a 5-star read for you! I can't wait to dive into this one!

    ReplyDelete