Isabella's Reading Corner: A Breath After Drowning

A Breath After Drowning

Author: Alice Blanchard

Publication Date: April 10th, 2018

Publisher: Titan Books

Kate Wolfe has a tragic past. Her mother committed suicide when Kate and her little sister Savannah, were still children. Six years later Savannah is horribly murdered. The Wolfe’s next-door neighbour Henry Blackwood is convicted of the crime and is placed on death row. Kate, now a prominent psychiatrist, starts to doubt Blackwood’s guilt after she uncovers some long-hidden family secrets. Kate delves deeper into the mystery and as alternative suspects come to light, danger is just around the corner.

Kate's connections with others highlight the novel. The loss of her mother affected her father greatly and he became emotionally detached from Kate and Savannah. The murder of her sister, combined with her father's neglect resulted in a deep-rooted fear of abandonment and self-destructive behaviour. It was only through the guidance of her friend and mentor Ira that Kate was better able to deal with her anxieties, eventually drawing her into the field of psychiatry.

Kate and her boyfriend James have a close, fun and loving relationship. Although they have their difficulties, they trust each other. He is supportive of her and although he doesn't completely understand what she's been through, he is concerned for her and wants to protect her.

All the characters are well rounded and established, but it's really Kate who shines through. She has a tragic past, and although she continues to have apprehensions, fears, and self doubt, she no longer allows them to debilitate her. Instead of being fragile she is strong, caring, compassionate and genuine. She still blames herself for Savannah's death and craves her sister's forgiveness above all else.

Author Alice Blanchard provides intricate details in her storytelling without becoming overwhelming or excessively wordy. It is easy to visualise the Boston winter setting or hear the crunch of the snow when the characters are walking in the woods.

A Breath After Drowning is an exciting novel with surprising twists, lots of suspense and an intense, intriguing narrative. I couldn't read it fast enough as I wanted to get to the heart of the mystery as quickly as possible. It is a well written, addictive serial killer thriller featuring a strong, likeable female protagonist and a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the finished copy provided for review.

From the publisher:

The stunning new psychological thriller from the award-winning author of Darkness Peering and The Breathtaker.

Sixteen years ago, Kate Wolfe's young sister Savannah was brutally murdered. Forced to live with the guilt of how her own selfishness put Savannah in harm's way, Kate was at least comforted by the knowledge that the man responsible was on death row. But when she meets a retired detective who is certain that Kate's sister was only one of many victims of a serial killer, Kate must face the possibility that Savannah's murderer walks free. 

Unearthing disturbing family secrets in her search for the truth, Kate becomes sure that she has discovered the depraved mind responsible for so much death. But as she hunts for a killer, a killer is hunting her...

You can read my original Isabella's Reading Corner post on A Breath After Drowning here and here.

Isabella's Reading Corner: I Have Lost My Way

I Have Lost My Way

Author: Gayle Forman

Publication Date: March 27th, 2018

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

I Have Lost My Way is a contemporary YA novel, eloquently told through the viewpoints of three very different teens. Converging by chance in the culturally diverse New York City, each has lost something of relevance to them. 

Freya is at the start of a promising music career. She is recording her debut album when she inexplicably loses her singing voice. Harun has not yet come out to his Muslim family and is regretting having recently broken up with his boyfriend James. Nathaniel arrives adrift and alone in the city, with nothing left to live for.

The authentic and believable characters are sensitively portrayed as their lives entwine and their stories unfold over the course of one day. Forman reveals solid histories for each of them, creating intense and thought-provoking moments along the way. 

The author evokes so much feeling that it is difficult not to immerse yourself in the world of her protagonists. I Have Lost My Way is beautifully written, profoundly emotional and compelling. It is about strong connections and friendships and how they can help heal in unexpected ways.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the finished copy provided for review.

From the publisher:

A fateful accident draws three strangers together over the course of a single day:

Freya who has lost her voice while recording her debut album.

Harun who is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved. 

Nathaniel who has just arrived in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose. 

As the day progresses, their secrets start to unravel and they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in help­ing the others out of theirs. 

An emotionally cathartic story of losing love, finding love, and dis­covering the person you are meant to be, I Have Lost My Way is best­selling author Gayle Forman at her finest.

You can read my original Isabella's Reading Corner post on I Have Lost My Way here and here.

Isabella's Reading Corner: The Wicked Deep

The Wicked Deep

Author: Shea Ernshaw

Publication Date: March 6th, 2018

Publisher: Simon Pulse

The three beautiful Swan sisters, Marguerite, Aurora and Hazel, arrive in Sparrow, Oregon in 1822. No man, single or married, can resist them. The townspeople thinking the women to be witches, tie stones to their ankles and drown them in the ocean. 

In present day Sparrow, tourists overrun the town as the inhabitants prepare for the yearly festivities honouring the Swan sisters. However, the tradition of parties and festivals is not all the residents come to expect each summer. Since the sisters were drowned, death comes to the town, claiming new victims the same time each year. The approaching Swan season is a time when the legendary sisters are resurrected, seeking revenge as they each inhabit the body of a local girl. But there is one person who may be able to break the curse...

Penny Talbot resides with her mother on Lumiere Island, along with two orange tabby cats, Otis and Olga. She uses a small boat to motor across the bay between her home and Sparrow, where she goes to high school. She must traverse a labyrinth of shipwrecks which hark back to the days when supplies were brought in through the port. Now the waters are no longer used for this purpose and there are rumours they are haunted. 

Three years ago, Penny's father, John, disappeared from the island and has not been seen or heard from since. She knows something terrible must have happened for him to leave his family behind. Her best friend Rose tries to convince Penny to leave Sparrow with her once they graduate, but she is loyal and feels an obligation to her mother, who lives in a haze on the outskirts of reality since John vanished. Sparrow is dreary and rainy, but it is familiar and comfortable, that is until Bo the intriguing stranger arrives. From a young age, Penny was taught by her mother to read fortunes from tea leaves. In the leaves she has seen a mysterious boy who will arrive and capture her heart. Whenever she thinks about leaving Sparrow, the island draws her back. 

Lumiere Island is exquisitely depicted, with its lighthouse, heavy morning fog and surrounded by the vastness of the Pacific. I could easily picture the tragic vision of Penny's mother standing on the cliffs and looking out to sea, waiting for her lost love to come home to her. The novel has an enchanting fairy tale quality that I found captivating. The story of the witches coming back to exact their revenge is a dark one, but it is unique and beautifully written. The Wicked Deep is gorgeously atmospheric and a book I highly recommend.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the DRC to review.

From the publisher:

A New York Times bestseller

Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials in this haunting story about three sisters on a quest for revenge—and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

You can read my original Isabella's Reading Corner post on The Wicked Deep here and here.

Isabella's Reading Corner: Let Me Lie

Let Me Lie

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Publication Date: March 13th, 2018

Publisher: Berkley

Anna Johnson's parents both committed suicide seven months apart by jumping off a cliff into the sea. She is troubled as to why they would have killed themselves but seems to be the only one with doubts about it. Her partner Mark having never met them, is concerned for her and has difficulty taking her beliefs seriously. A year to the day following her mother's death, she receives a card suggesting there was more to it than suicide. This further convinces her that her parents were murdered. With the help of Murray Mackenzie, a retired detective who now works the front desk at the local police station, Anna is determined to discover what really happened to her parents.

This is one of those novels that you really need to know as little as possible about before reading. The gripping story is told through multiple viewpoints, however whose perspective it is, is intentionally not always clear. Although there is little action, the book is essentially a character-driven one, including solid background development for the main protagonists. With surprising revelations and twists, Let Me Lie does not disappoint and is perfect for fans of psychological suspense and domestic dramas.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC provided for review.

From the publisher:

The stunning new novel from Clare Mackintosh, the international bestselling author of I Let You Go and I See You.

The police say it was suicide.

Anna says it was murder.

They're both wrong.

Last year, Tom and Caroline Johnson chose to end their lives, one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their daughter, Anna, is struggling to come to terms with her parents' deaths, unwilling to accept the verdict of suicide.

Now with a baby herself, Anna feels her mother's absence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as she digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her.

Sometimes it's safer to let things lie....

You can read my original Isabella's Reading Corner post on Let Me Lie here.