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Rosie Shadow by Louise Worthington - 4/5
Blurb:
"Abandoned by her terrorised mother at the age of six, Rosie Shadow will do anything to win the affection of her father Archie, an undead cannibal in charge of Her Majesty's Prison Shrewsbury, now operating as a visitor attraction.
Clare is sent reeling into Archie’s arms with the grief of losing her boyfriend in a mysterious car accident when he collides with an ancient yew tree.
The secrets in the Medieval dungeon beneath the prison are under threat when Clare becomes suspicious of Archie’s true identity and his progeny."
Review:
Horror isn't a genre that I read a lot of, I am more a psychological thriller kind of person, but I really wanted to branch out this year and it sure has paid off. I couldn't put this book down and read it in less than 24 hours.
Elly Shadow is mother to six-year-old Rosie, a child who isn't quite normal. Lennie believes that he is Rosie's father and Elly keeps him away from Rosie until her sixth birthday. When Lennie visits her for this first time, he realises just how strange this little girl is. Rosie does not care for him either and is angry at him being there.
When leaving the house, Lennie, who is usually very safe, crashes into an old yew tree and dies on impact. Did Rosie cause this? We discover that a woman is thought to have died there recently but her body was never found. This old yew tree has great significance.
The story then follows both Rosie and Lennie's partner of three years, Clare, who is a university student and also works as a guide at an old prison that is now used for tours.
After Lennie's death, Clare's manager Archie takes a real interest in her. He isn't who he claims to be. What is his connection to Rosie? And will Clare find out the truth?
Honestly, this book has the most grotesque descriptions. It follows themes of the undead and cannibalism. You do need to suspend belief and it gives me American Horror Story vibes.
There is a lot of creepy, tense build up, especially regarding Rosie, and you are desperate to get to the crux of the story. I loved the scenes from the prison and I felt like I was transported there.
Rosie Shadow is the first book in the Black Tongue series and I am definitely interested in seeing what comes next.
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A massive thank you to Literally PR for having me along on the blog tour. You can find out more information about the other bloggers that are taking part in the tour in the graphic below.
Thank you for your review, Rebecca! The 2nd in the series should be along soon.
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