A spine chilling ghost story that had me looking over my shoulder
Our MC Sophia almost drowned when she was three years old. Sophia's memories of that time are hazy, but she knows that the accident claimed her mother and left her as an orphan. Freshly aged out of the foster system, Sophia gets a strange call and is told that her mother never actually died but disappeared from a mysterious island called Bitter Rock in Alaska. Sophia decides it's time to get some answers to what really happened all those years ago.
Let me just say that Kate Alice Marshall knows how to deliver a spine-tingling, atmospheric ghost story. As soon as Sophia gets to Bitter Rock, it is clear that nefarious things lurk around the island. There's this mysterious mist that comes out at night that the locals are adamant about not being caught in. Of course, lots of rumors and legends have been told, which includes people who just vanished without a trace.
From start to finish, I found myself tearing through this book. The atmosphere was chilling, and I definitely found myself looking over my shoulders at a few points in this story. I don't want to give anything away about the plot because the surprise of the reveals (which definitely threw me for a loop) were definitely some of the best parts about this book. The pacing was steady and at no point did I feel like the book lulled.
My only issue with the book was that I wasn't really sold on the romance between Sophia and Liam. There were times that I just felt that the chemistry was a bit forced especially with everything else that was going on, but again, just a small gripe. Otherwise, the book was fantastic.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Let me just say that Kate Alice Marshall knows how to deliver a spine-tingling, atmospheric ghost story. As soon as Sophia gets to Bitter Rock, it is clear that nefarious things lurk around the island. There's this mysterious mist that comes out at night that the locals are adamant about not being caught in. Of course, lots of rumors and legends have been told, which includes people who just vanished without a trace.
From start to finish, I found myself tearing through this book. The atmosphere was chilling, and I definitely found myself looking over my shoulders at a few points in this story. I don't want to give anything away about the plot because the surprise of the reveals (which definitely threw me for a loop) were definitely some of the best parts about this book. The pacing was steady and at no point did I feel like the book lulled.
My only issue with the book was that I wasn't really sold on the romance between Sophia and Liam. There were times that I just felt that the chemistry was a bit forced especially with everything else that was going on, but again, just a small gripe. Otherwise, the book was fantastic.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.