The subject matter in this book is not for those who are easily triggered by abuse of any kind. So be aware before going into this novel that if this is a trigger for you then it's probably best to find yourself another read. Because this one... It deals with some pretty heavy stuff. However, it's not in a way that it is thrown in your face rather, it's very understated but still clear to readers what is happening. If this stuff doesn't bother you then by all means read this book. I myself really enjoyed it regardless of the bad things that go on within the family. I think the author wrote a fantastic, Gothic styled mystery that is both disturbing and thrilling all at the same time. The atmosphere is very dark which of course makes sense for what's happening in the story and the characters attitudes and overall personality really work for the book. With that, I have to hand it to the author because she did an amazing job in making this story not only twisted, but extremely intriguing. Everything just fits - kind of like a puzzle when it's finished-.
In addition to all this, the story is told in alternating times (past and present) which mostly come from the main heroine, Lane. For better understanding of the story though, a few secondary characters (if you can really call them that) have some "voices" as well every couple of chapters. I think many readers will like how it is told this way because even though the subject matter is understated and nothing is absolute until close to the end, readers will be able to understand character actions and such. Pretty cool if you ask me!
Lane as a character is not easy to connect with. However, because we are able to learn about her past and present (and essentially what made her into the woman she is in the story) readers will sort of feel a bond with her. I know I did, even though I didn't care for her as an adult.
Added into the disturbing nature of this family (ya know, the Roanoke Girls) is a little murder mystery as well. Seeing as murder mysteries are somewhat of a favorite of mine, I got all giddy when I realized this was part of the story as well. Will you as a reader be able to guess who dun it? Maybe. But my assumptions were way off so I was shocked at the end!
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Sure it's a heavy novel, deals with some pretty sick things, and is pretty dark in terms of atmosphere, but I think the author did a fantastic job with it. If she continues to write stories like this one I will pick them up for sure!
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Reviews with images
Twisted, extremely well-written, very intense.
Wow. This was not at all what I was expecting, and it was really, really good and quite intense. Lane and her mother Camilla lived a very unhappy existence right up to the point When Camilla ends her own misery, sending Lane to live at Roanoke, the place her mother described as a nightmare.It is at Roanoke that she meets her cousin Allegra, who looks so much like Lane and her mom, and also where she learns that all the Roanoke babies are girls and they all either leave forever or die very young at Roanoke. It is the Roanoke Curse. Ten years later Lane is one of those who left, but she is called back because Allegra, who would never leave on her own, is missing.The chapters alternate between “Then,” which is about Lane’s time at Roanoke and “Now” which is ten years later, as well as brief excerpts from the thoughts and lives of other Roanoke girls. Through past and present, the stories of Lane, Allegra, and their grandparents (the grandfather who is doting and caring and the grandmother who is inattentive and aloof) come to life.Lane knows something bad has happened to Allegra, there is the Roanoke Curse, after all, but she must muddle through her own issues which have shaped her past and continue to damage her present and, most likely, her future. Having known only bitterness and hatred from her mother, Lane has no way to understand, much less accept love and kindness, unless she can break the curse that has plagued their family for three generations.This book, though not for the faint of heart, is extremely well-written and quite intense. Lane is emotionally scarred and psychologically traumatized even before she comes to Roanoke where secrets are what hold the family together. And oh the tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive. This story will shock most, but it really is a story of exactly what it takes to break the ties that bind in order to heal. I highly recommend this book.
Top reviews from other countries
lauren
Beautifully written but a difficult read
Reviewed in Canada on August 6, 2019
Lipsquid
A disturbing and compelling story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2017