Unfortunately, this book was definitely not for me.
It's rare that I read a book and am not able to take anything away from it at the end.
Throughout this book I honestly couldn't say I saw any real plot happening. Over 60% through and still nothing of note had happened. The scenes were also quite repetitive, you just constantly had people coming to the house to be healed and it followed the same formula time and time again without development.

I honestly didn't enjoy the writing style of this book and found it quite difficult to follow at times. There were sections that were written in second person when it didn't really feel like it flowed well and kept addressing the reader with questions which just took me out of the story because there was no relationship built with the reader for it to make sense. It didn't keep to one steady POV throughout which I think really made it suffer as a whole.

I normally don't have an issue with books with little or slow plot, as long as there is good character work. Unfortunately, I didn't think there was any depth or personality to these characters. I found myself forgetting the name of the main POV as soon as I finished the book. She was also quite irritating to me, the only basis of her character was constantly feeling sorry for herself.
There were so many characters that were introduced for a few pages as a patient and then had no purpose for the rest of the book.

The romance also made no sense to me. The main character had a weird obsession with Leah's character, which had very flimsy basis. There was absolutely zero chemistry and so when she had repetitive inner monologues on her feelings for Leah it just seemed to come from no where. Also, the weird fling she has with one of the village fisherman again, made no sense and had no purpose to it. It was also stated that he was with someone else at the time which really quite bothered me. I don't enjoy cheating tropes in books and because this "plot" didn't go anywhere or have any bearing on the story later on, I felt it wasn't necessary and made me dislike the main character even more.

Speaking of inner monologues, it seemed like most of the book was written as one entire inner monologue. There was very little dialogue, and when there was dialogue a lot of it was told through her memory and quite difficult to tell who was talking.

It was very difficult to tell what time period this book was set in, also there was little to no description of setting. Most of the novel was set in one house and yet there was very little description of even those few rooms.

There was mention of war, which again had no bearing on any actual plot. There was no information given regarding the reasons for this or for why the lords were given names such as Claire and Jonathan. Which, I'm sorry, but that was just weird and quite hilarious to me. I really couldn't take them seriously.

I had big issues with the pacing of this book, it seemed to be told as one long memory but I felt like the author tried to create mystery and intrigue by saying things such as "I didn't know then, that that would be the last time I'd see them etc " at the end of chapters. I could see what she was trying to do but because of the writing and no connection with the characters, it just fell completely flat and became repetitive very quickly.

The writing style couldn't save it for me I'm afraid, it was quite simplified language and I generally prefer writing with a little more lyrical prose.

I was quite disappointed because I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. Herbal witches or midwives mixed with elements of the stories of baba yaga with the witchlings guiding the dead through to the afterlife through their house. I knew very little of the premise apart from this going into the story so I don't think I had unrealistic expectations but, sadly, I found it very difficult to get through this book as when I put it down I had no motivation to pick it back up again.
If I wasn't reading this book for purposes of review I probably would have DNF'd it.

The Witchling’s Girl follows the story of Haley from the time she discovers her gift and becomes the witchling’s girl and then what happens to her throughout the following years with the world around her changing and different people entering her life.

The book follows Haley’s life from when she was a child till she is an adult and details her role of becoming the witchling and what she gets up to, the plot itself is not very exciting however I really enjoyed the writing style and tone of the book. The way the book was written made me want to read on and made Haley’s story interesting, we follow her throughout different important parts of her life but my favourite thing about the book is Haley herself and her voice. She has a lot going on and her new role means she is isolated from those around her but as the story progresses we see her slowly start to trust people and deal with her vulnerability and her conflicted emotions around having to do her job/keep her vows and balance them against her feelings for the people she cares about. There is also so much about the world she lives in that she does not know and without answers she makes mistakes, there is so much guilt she carries and it was interesting to read about her and what her choices lead to – the ending of the book connects to something from her past and I liked how everything linked together.

The plot of the book is not action packed or very dramatic but that was fine because the slow pace and simple storyline suited the tone of the book. I also liked how throughout the book there is references to the past and the future and information about other side characters, it made the storytelling aspect of the book interesting to read.

I really enjoyed the story overall; the setting, the magic and the characters but I did feel like the book was building up to something especially near the end of the book which lead nowhere and I would have liked to know more about the world the book is set in – more about what happened to those the witchling helped.

3/5

The Witchling's Girl we follow Haley, who as a young girl discovers she has the power to bring back the dead. Her mother instantly takes her to the House of the dead and leaves her there, to train and become the next Witchling when the current one dies!

We start with Haley as an angry child grieving the loss of her life and family and resenting the current Witchling for holding her in the House of dead, but as the years pass we get to see her change into this young strong woman, as she learns her craft her confidence in herself rises and she begins to accept her life as the Witchling.

Being the Witchling her life has never been simple, she has to stick to the laws of never having a family of her own, never having a love, the town's people must come first and she has a duty to care for them all the same.

Soon there's a strange disease sweeping through the town and people start to act strangely and commit terrible crimes before they eventually seizure and die. This disease is erratic and unpredictable and goes on for some years, through it Hayley meets the mysterious Leah and starts to form a strange bond with her.

I really loved the magical elements to this story, it was really well told and I had some serious Baba Yaga vibes.
The characters were all really well developed and I loved the chemistry between Haley and her lovers, every time I was routing for her to just find some happiness somewhere.

While the ending was sad I totally understand why the writer went down that route, it really did add to the whole story and I was left thinking about it for days after I'd finished the book.

A beautiful read and one I'm glad I read in October for those witchy vibes.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a e-arc of this.

This book drew me in from the first chapter, and wove a thrilling and beautiful story about life, death, and one girl's place somewhere in the middle. It's much more visceral and haunting than I was prepared for, and I found the tone incredibly fitting, like you're being told a sad, spooky, beautiful tale by firelight. It's stunning, tragic, terrible, and hard to read at times, full of grief and healing. I would recommend it highly.

I'm really torn with this book, it was beautifully written but I found it hard work. The character development was really well done but I just feel like not enough was happening to move the book along. The pace of this was painfully slow and it took about 50-60% of the book for anything to actually really happen. I prefer my books with a heavier plot base, however if you like a slow character driven story then this will definitely be for you. The authors writing style however, deserves five stars.

Wow.
The Witchling's Girl is beautifully written and intense in all the right places. Haley is forced into becoming the witchling's girl at a very young age when she begins to show signs of magic and healing and this book follows her as she grows up under the guidance of Marian, the witchling of the village. Haley makes mistakes and breaks her vows multiple times in the name of love but this is what makes her such a good character because it shows that it is ok to make mistakes as long as you own up to it and deal with it. The vows are cruel and I'm glad she was selfish when it comes to matters of the heart and I loved the character of Leah, even though she is shown to not have the capability to have feelings for people she still cares a lot for Haley.
This book is certainly one of my favourite reads of the year and I am surprised with how good it was and it will stay with me for a while.

This is a wonderfully written book with a good premise that I enjoyed. I like the idea that each village has a witchling to heal people. I loved the idea of this book and I liked the magic. The main character Haley is good and I enjoyed her development through the book. I also like Marian who is Haley’s teacher and maternal figure. The relationship between them is good and I enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed the LGBT representation in the book and how it is shown. I admit this was a little darker than I expected and it has some heavy themes which I wasn’t expecting but I did like. This is such a hard book for me to review as I liked it but I can’t explain it well.

Recounting her own story, protagonist Haley unravels the world of the witchlings for the reader; a time entrenched in magic, embroiled in war, entangled in duty.

The witchling of a village is both bringer of health and proclaimer of death. It is her role to care for people without bias, being compassionate but impartial. Haley is discovered as a witchling’s girl with the power to resurrect the dead when she is seven. She is then handed over to Marian, the town’s current witchling, to be parted from her family forever. Her duty is to one day replace Marian as the town’s witchling and protect people from harm while also facing their fear as the woman that deals with the dead.

Haley’s formative years are spun throughout the novel, showing her growth as a witchling and a person. The careful balancing of tone as Haley grows is particularly well crafted; her younger self reads far differently than it does by the end of the novel, but at no point did I feel like she was overly childish. Perhaps this is due to the reflective tone of the writing. You are aware for the entirety of the story that Haley knows much more than she is sharing. Yet, these do not feel like needless hooks - they definitely kept me turning pages.

Likewise, there is a careful conversation between female duty in many forms. Haley is constantly torn between what she has been told to believe is her responsibility and what her feelings dictate she should do. Particularly in the case of Leah, Haley’s allegiances are incredibly blurred; but it is in a striking moment of loss that takes the novel in a direction that allows Haley to see that obligation and emotions as a witchling can live comfortably alongside one another if you are careful.

I found this to be an original storyline with some interesting character development and plotting. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before which is rare to come across these days! The world building was an important feature for me and I think it is something keen readers of fantasy will really enjoy.

I felt I was kept on my toes enough to peak my interest, especially with Daniel and Samuel’s storylines. Marian is probably my favourite character. Her quiet demeanour and authority alongside her clear motherly love for Haley is something the protagonist only sees with age. Their dynamic felt very organic and helped to introduce the reader to their world without overwhelming them. I felt the most emotional impact from her story arc. I wasn’t particularly a fan of Leah as a character - probably due to her differing morals to that of Haley which I felt more akin to - but it was great to read a fresh interpretation of a sapphic relationship with different obstacles to overcome than the norm.

The lore behind the witchling magic and the underworld was also fascinating, even more so with hindsight about the novel’s conclusion. I’d love to read more from this world and get a feel for the magic of the rune tattoos, the witch’s world, and more about the lords fighting the war - there’s so much potential in that story!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this e-arc.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished reading The Witchling girl and it was a fantastic. It was such an awesome fantasy novel. This book has a very unique new world and magical system.

In this book we follow Haley who as a young girl discovers she is a witchling, which basically means she has power to raise and guide the dead, as well as healing magic. She gets taken to the House of the Dead, where she must now live with the current town witchling as an apprentice and can never see her family again. The House of the Dead, with has a resident witchling, who acts as the village healer, midwife and helps people who are dying and guides the dead to the underworld.

Haley is a fantastic character, you really experience her character development throughout the book. This book has great LGBQT representation. The chemistry between Haley and Leah, a mysterious character who is brought in later in the book is delightful.

I remember reading Helena Coggan's first book, 'The Catalyst', and WOW - her writing has come on in leaps and bounds since!

'The Witchling's Girl' features a truly unique new world and magical system. The imagination is astounding, and there was a flavour to it that reminded me strongly of 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone'. I quickly went from intrigued to engrossed.

With all that said, the book is really, really long, and slow-moving. A key character, Adrienne, doesn't appear till well over halfway through. It is also... unrelentingly grim. Dark, bitter stories work best with flashes of humour. My patience did start to wear thin after a while, to the point that when I finished the book, although I was glad to have read it, I felt slightly disengaged.

So - a beautifully imagined story for those who have the time to give it the attention it deserves.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review

The Witchling’s Girl is the perfect book to read for the month of October - dark, secretive and peppered with dark magic. 

I was hooked from the first chapter. The concept of every town having a witchling was so unique and like nothing I’ve ever read before. I love books based around witchcraft, so it was refreshing to read something different and imaginative. 

I fell in love with the characters, the story and the world. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page for one second, and I couldn’t sleep for thinking about the story. The writing was stunning - some of the best writing I’ve seen for a while. The author really got inside the character’s head and it felt like they were narrating the story right next to me. 

The book is told from Haley’s perspective as if she was narrating what happened. We followed her from when she found out she was destined to be a witchling, through her training, until the end of her story. It added another unique factor, and the author wrote it well. It could feel somewhat distanced at times, though. 

I haven’t felt this emotionally invested in a book for so long, and it was amazing to feel like that again. It was dark, atmospheric and exciting. The kind of dark that has you hiding under the covers, peering out into the darkness like something is going to get you! I will definitely check out other books by this author and will look out for more from them!

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

4,5*

I just finished reading The Witchling girl and it was a fantastic, beautiful, and emotional reading experience. The writing style was great; it pulled me right into the story and kept me fascinating trough the book to the ending.

The world building was unique; the characters were great and well elaborated and the end made me emotional. It made me wonder and inquisitively. I think it was a great job of the writer to choose this ending to keep the book in de minds of the readers.

The Witchling girl a book I highly recommend when someone wants to read a fantasy book that is unique on its own.

What an absolutely fantastic, magical read. It’s a crime to have to wait till next year to get my grabby hands on a physical edition!

The way Helena writes is wonderful and made this book such an interesting and captivating read.
We begin in the eyes of a 7 year old girl. The perspective given from someone of this age is refreshing. Haley is deathly afraid, of monsters and being in trouble, whilst referencing a future where she becomes what scared her.

Set in the house of the dead, the pages ooze both death and witching which enthrals you. To want to read more. To dive through the pages yourself.

Haley grows up to become the witchling, her purpose in life is to selflessly help others through sickness and death whilst vowing to forsake herself of all we deem are our rights - she cannot marry, love or create relationships that may cloud her judgement.

Towards the end I worried, how can this story complete. Will it be disappointing, open ended even? However, no. The last two lines, though I won’t spoil them, gripped at my heart and left me feeling satisfied yet curious still that this was the end.

Thank you so much Hodder Books for this ARC, I’m very grateful to have been allowed the opportunity to discover and love such a wonderful read.

I really enjoyed this book! It follows Haley who is abandoned at the age of 7 by her mother to be the successor of a witchling.

Haley has the power to raise and guide the dead and we follow her from an angry, lost girl who is mourning the loss of her old life, to an apprentice learning to grow and come to terms with her new life, creating new relationships and it’s just so incredibly detailed you really start to grow attached to Haley as a character.

The descriptions the author gives are amazing and I genuinely felt like I had stepped into another world and easily managed to lose myself in this book.

I can’t wait to read more by Helena Coggan, I will definitely be looking out for her books!

This was the perfect book for October!

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story about powers of healing, what happens when we die, what it means to be “good” or “evil,” and what it means to love. Told through a fantastical story about singular women (witchlings) who act as the town doctors, healers, and gatekeepers to the underworld of souls. They are necessary to a town’s survival, but evil always lurks behind closed doors, and souls that have been wandering for eternity in the underworld would do anything to live again. We learn about a witchling’s purpose, her vows, and her duties primarily through the aging witchling’s teachings to her reluctant young replacement. Any child found to possess death-magic, or powers of resurrection, are sent to the witchling to live a cloistered and outcast life, but very much an essential part of the town’s survival.

The story pulled me along at a fast clip for the first half of the book while we learned about this world and saw witchling Marian teach young Haley her ways, then slowed to a saunter as we begin living as the town witchling alongside Haley. Haley struggles to adjust and can’t quite keep her vow of never loving another or finding human closeness. Her bisexuality is refreshing and easily slips along the story as a simple matter of life, and we feel the sorrows and challenges of her struggle. The warring lords are also frequently storming towns and hurting with abandon, and in this way there is a Medieval feel to the setting, though the world is clearly a new one. I also loved the sentience of the witchling house, getting to know its inhabitants and letting doors open or not as recognition and need allow. There is also a network of tunnels to a kind of eternal purgatory in its basement, which is amazing.

So creative and atmospheric, I will look forward to other works by Helena Coggan.

The Witchling’s Girl is fantastically written, it’s got a unique premise in which each village has a witchling to cure the community, to act as a midwife and upon their death to either bring people back or escort them beyond for judgement. Each witchling has a girl, an involuntary apprentice in a way, who upon showing signs of the craft at a young is renounced and given to the witchling to live with her in the House of Dead, train and become her successor. The story starts with our protagonist Haley, taken as a little girl after bringing her dead cat to life, being passed to Marian, the current witchling, where is taught she no longer can see her family, she cannot love, she serves her people and in turn must disown herself. She is taught medicine, magic, the laws of the underworld, but along with day to day healing Haley must learn, the village is also facing a mysterious illness and, if that’s not bad enough, in the middle of a war between battling Lords.

Haley is a fantastic character, you really experience her character development throughout the book As she grows up,, starting off angry and resentful when her mother gives her away, and through life lessons and good (and bad) people, becoming a young woman with torn loyalties, tenderness and fierceness until full circle, she becomes the witchling raising the girl. This book has great LGBQT representation and in particular a connection with Leah, a mysterious character who is brought in later in the book, is tender and intimate and the chemistry is delightful. Similarly, another beautiful relationship is the one between Haley and Marian which takes on a maternal role that is so perfectly captured. There are also a lot of relationships and characters introduced that have special meaning, characters are introduced for a reason and build each other up.

The writing really is fantastic, there is a scene where Haley and Marian deliver a baby that particularly stayed with me. Morality, loyalty, love, violence is addressed, the writing is deep and poetic and my goodness this book will make you feel! While this book is beautifully written, I’m giving it 4 stars instead of the 5, simply because I finished the book and just sat there feeling Incredibly overwhelmed and devastated because this book is very dark, very brutal, very heavy that I genuinely found hard to get past. This book is as much about life as it is about death and while it’s beautiful, it doesn’t hold back. It’s a testament to the writing that it made me care so much about these people.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was absolutely incredible. I just finished and I am an emotional wreck. The writing is stunning, lush and evocative without getting to bogged down in overly flowery prose but I think the true reason this book now has a place in my heart as one of my favourite books is it's focus on healing as well as discussions around death and having a good death. Books that have a large focus on medicine and the struggles that healers (/doctors) face will always mean a lot to me as I so deeply resonate with them.

In this book we follow Haley who has a young girl discovers she is a witchling, which basically means she has power to raise and guide the dead, as well as healing magic. She gets taken to the house of the dead, where she must now live with the current town witchling as an apprentice and can never see her family again. The house of the dead was very remiscient of the baba yaga/house with chicken legs aspect of russian/slavic folklore, with each town/village havinga house of the dead witha resisdent witchling who acts as the village healer, midwife and helps people who are dying and guides the dead to the underworld.

At first Haley is very angry and grieving the loss of her old life but she eventually comes round to becoming the apprentice to the older witchling, Marian who becomes almost a mother figure to Haley. We watch as Haley grows up and learns several life lessons, as well as getting to watch her learn the healing arts, which I just loved all the healing aspects of this book!! There was a scene where Haley is helping Marian for the first time at a birth and that scene was just so emotionally impactful (especially as a medical student myself!).

However life is not that simple and strange things as starting to occur in the land. People are starting to die of a strange disease where they get seizures, start speaking in strange languages and act rashly and unlike themsleves. Haley discovers this is atually happening because these people are being possesed by ghosts and keeps this a secret from Marian (and everyone else) which leads to a lot of emotional turmoil for her and some reckless decison making. Haley also is visited by a mysterious character called Leah, who we find out more about as the book goes on and Haley and Leah grow closer and their relationship is beautiful T_T it had me feeling all the feelings and the angst, mystery and chemistry was amazing!!

Watching Haley look back on her life (that is how the story is told) was such a joy, just to follow her life from a scared little girl, to a aprentice unsure of herself and her descions, to a powerful witchling keeping a lot of secrets and eventually to getting her own witchlings girl to raise.

The character interactions are some of the best aspects of this book, witchlings are not allowed to have a family/have babies/be in love but watching Haley make meaning connections with different people in the village, as well as her complicated relationship with Marian and her forbidden feelings for Leah created such dynamic and interesting character interactions.

The atmosphere of this book is so haunting yet weirdly comforting (I don't know if that is just me though and my love for medicine) but this book is perfect for autumn/winter and especially spooky season!!

And I have to mention it again but all the healing scenes in thsi book were just perfection. I loved all the stuff with the herbs, that added so much to the atmosphere/setting. I also love the discussions around death and helping give people a good death and knowing when their time has come. I also liked how the families have to choose between sending their loved one to the afterlife to be judged and their soul can live on forever or to be resurrected for a few years but they soul goes into oblivion. Very though provoking, especially around the ethics and morality of doing this - I also liked how the best interests of the person was discussed. This book also brought up some struggles it's easy to face as someone who works in a healthcare setting, such as feeling guilty when a patient dies and like it's your fault even though you did everything you could, deling with the anger and grief of families and the general emotional exhaustion that comes with providing care and being deeply empathatic.

And finally the ending. I am not okay T_T. I teared up a least twice (a rarity for me in books) and everything just comes to a perfect head, the poltical tension in the land that has been building up, the interpersonal conflicts in the village, the emotional stakes. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

I started my October by picking up this book and I have to say it was a perfect, atmospheric and beautiful read for the season.
From the first page I was pulled straight into the world of the witchlings and their dead house where they serve as healers, midwives and accompany the dead to the underworld. The book is told from the perspective of Haley who at 7 years old was abandoned by her mother for using “death-magic”, she is left in the care of a Witchling named Marian and must come to terms with her new life and learn how to take Marian’s place when she dies.
Watching Haley’s relationship with Marian develop from one of resentment and hate to one full of respect and love was heartwarming yet tragic and really elevated the story for me.
Haley really stood out as a main character as she was easy to relate to and held my attention throughout the book. She made mistakes but always tried to do her best when it came to her work as a witchling. Throughout this book there is a war being fought and although we never see the front line we get to see the effect it has on the village and the way the witchlings operate which added another layer to the story and served the plot well. Another thing that really stood out to me was the magic system that was used - it was fascinating and original and was never over explained so the mystery was kept ‘til the very end.

This book has been one of my favourite reads this year - a beautiful yet tragic tale with perfect pacing and a storyline that I couldn’t put down. If you're looking for a witchy read that’s not only magical but full of heart I would highly recommend you give it a try.

This book saw me pouring a pumpkin spice latte, slapped it out of my hand and said “No! This is how we do spooky season now!” And honestly?! Favourite book of the year.

Do you want to curl up with a cup of tea and fall into an entrancement of hauntingly, beautiful literature during fall? Yes? Thought so.

First of all- it took me by surprise as it was not advertised as LGBT+ but THIS BOOK IS QUEER AND I LOVE IT. My gay heart was over joyed.

1. Our main character, Haley- is Bi
2. Leah- is Asexual, and sapphic (I believe, but many interpret her character in different ways)
3. There’s also mention of a gay male couple early in the book though fleeting.

Now the book itself. I was gripped by the house’ talons and brought into the magical world of a witchling. The book has a medieval, fantasy style feel, with battling lords attempting to take one another’s land.

The story however mostly focuses on Haley, who at an extremely (not normally seen) young age, begins to display powers of resurrection; showing she is a witchling.

However the life of a witchling is one of only devotion to the cause and total impartiality, and punishable by death if you choose to deviate from your path. Haley is ripped from her mother’s grasp, taken into the house of the dead and looked down upon by a town who fears the dark and wonderful powers of its healers.

‘If I stayed stupid, if I did not study, then I would not learn how to carry the dead into the underworld’

The book follows Haley as she grows, starting from a young age and flowing through her life like a hauntingly, spiritual diary. It follows the elder witchling who raises her also,

It’s extremely hard hitting, emotional and has beautiful depth.

I know some people are looking for books to replace their usual Harry Potter reading with this year- and I would highly reccomended this tale of magic. An inclusive, haunting and hard hitting tale of magic.

Content warnings; brief mentions of rape, violence, abuse, bullying, being taken from family, abortion.

I would like to thank the publisher Hodder Books , for providing me with an ARC of this brilliant book.

Imagine being seven years old and abandoned by your mother, to the most frightening person in your town.

The longing to return home, the fear of your new surroundings and the strange person who now rules your life.

For young Haley it must be devastating. And Helena Coggan weaves a realistic portrayal of this young girls anguish and rising curiosity as she begins to accept her fate.

While also weaving an intriguing fantasy world, that merges seamlessly with the characters within it.

My heart went out to Haley and Miriam, both thrust into a life they didn’t ask for and didn’t want. Torn from their families and expected to care for people who feared and shunned them.

Forced to suffer abuse, for what must have felt more like a curse than a gift. Simply because they were born different. Something, I think many readers could relate to in their own many varied ways. Be it poor eyesight, that means they require glasses, a disability or illness, or an accident later in life, that disfigures, even something as uncontrollable as the colour of your skin or your sexuality. The world is afraid of that which they deem different. As if that difference may somehow infect them if they let it come to close. And Helena illustrates this beautifully in this book.

The towns folk need the witchling’s and the witchling’s girl and yet instead of being grateful for them as you might think, they try to ignore them, pretend they are not there unless they have need of them. As if they are a dirty little secret, not to be acknowledged.

And the persecution continues for Haley throughout her life, as she is forced into one bad situations after another and grapples for some small pockets of happiness, even if it means breaking the rules.

It’s a heartbreaking story, that keeps you guessing with its many twist and turns and has a whole host of well developed characters, that capture your heart and have you rooting for them and for change.

I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend it. The only downfall of the book was that at times it did drag a little, but it was so packed with action these moments never lasted too long.

Please note: I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Also please bare in mind that due to my Crohn’s disease I now struggle with pretty bad brain fog Among other things, which means I sometimes muddle words or names, and forget how to spell the simplest of words (so frustrating) so apologies for any errors in this or future post, It was not/is not intentional,