Humorous, macabre, and lighthearted. It’s a wonderful sequel and I loved seeing the twins explore their new town

DNF at 30%

I really wanted to like this book - I liked the atmospheric nature of PERFECTLY PREVENTABLE DEATHS but I simply could not get into the sequel. I think it was because I was struggling to find a hook that got me personally.

This is a quiet, gentle opening, more like a contemporary about recovery after trauma as the sisters try to find a new normal. However, the spooky, unnatural takes a very long time to come in, and only in dribs and drabs, and didn't feel like enough of a mystery to draw me in. It also felt like more on Maddy's side than Caitlin (who gets a POV this time.)

I featured my review as part of a monthly reading wrap up on my YouTube channel and have featured it in multiple videos in addition to this https://youtu.be/lKaVEDb5ZzQ

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I finally got around to reading this! We return to Ballyfran and all it’s magic and supernatural happenings. I didn’t think the first book needed a sequel but I enjoyed coming back to the relationship between the sisters and the instinctive nature-based magic. While not as dark as the first book – or dark in a very different – there’s still a lot of creepyness and gloominess. With the ending there is room for even more books following these girls, and I would love to see them tackle a completely new threat!

Fantastic! I stayed awake until my eyes were sore multiple nights reading this.

The atmosphere is brilliant crappy small town, and very Irish. The book is more humorous than you might think a book about cannibalism magic and trauma repair could me.. I really enjoyed Perfectly Preventable Deaths but this one is better! The multiple POVs works well and allows us insight into both twins as they are apart for the first time. The storytelling is brilliant and the cast of characters extremely well defined, likeable, hatable, and relatable.

I have my fingers crossed for a third book as there was a small thread of love left unpulled that I want to see blossom!

This is not my normal read but the cover and the blurb put together really drew me in.
I am so glad I gave it a read. It was a chilling read, added with some macabre humour and eerie sense.
I want to read part one now.

Sullivan's writing is just so captivating, you really end up captivated and transported to this very dark and magical world.
she managed to expertly expand the stories of the characters from the first book and this allowed us an ever further in depth exploration of exactly what makes the people in Ballyfran so special.
i cant wait to read more by her

I really enjoyed this book, as I have all of Deirdre Sullivan's writing. Shallowly, I also really loved the cover! Would definitely purchase for my nieces.

I did not end up reading this book as I DNF'd the first book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it, it just wasn't to my tastes.

Thank you to the publisher and author as well as netgalley for allowing me access to this eARC of this book and allowing me to give feedback and read books in exchange for a review.

This is an LGBTQIA+ fantasy young adult novel, Usually, LGBTQIA+ novels are a hit or a miss for me as some can be very relatable and others just missed the shot and this one hit the mark and hit it hard. I loved this novel and unfortunately, I did not get the other books in this series but I will be looking into getting them as I love them.

After reading the first instalment I was hugely keen to read this sequel, and it’s just as good as the first!
I suggest reading Perfectly Preventable Deaths first, both books are stunning and engaging.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

A solid sequel to Perfectly Preventable Deaths, we return to the eerie Ballyfran where twins Catlin and Madeline live with their mother and stepfather. After the traumatic events of Perfectly Preventable Deaths, the sisters are adjusting to their lives, with Madeline learning about nature and old magic from Mamó.

Without giving away any spoilers for the first book, it was just as compelling and creepy. I found it a bit slow to get in to but I loved returning to this setting and seeing the bond the sisters have between each other. It's strong, even if they don't seem incredibly close at times and have their own secrets and personalities. We learn more about why Ballyfran is so strange, the secrets that the community have passed down for generations. For some of the book I listened to it and the narrator did an excellent job of the accents. Dark and atmospheric

Perfectly Preventable Deaths is one of my absolute favourite YA novel, so I was very excited to hear there was a sequel coming out.

Precious Catastrophe picks up right where book one ends, and it is pretty necessary to read the first one first. One reason I was thrilled at news of a sequel is that book one left quite a few open questions. What happened to Catlin and Maddy's dad? Did Brian have a part to play in everything that happened? We saw two figures at one point and it was never clear exactly who they were.

Precious Catastrophe goes a long way towards answering these questions. Not every mystery is cleared up, and I'm really hoping for a third book, but I definitely finished this one with fewer unresolved queries and doubts.

After the events of book one, Catlin is recovering from her abuse and murder at the hands of Lon, while Maddy is working for Mamo, learning how to be a witch. The point of view switches between the two sisters, as we see how they cope with their changes of circumstance and their changing relationship with each other. The growing tension between the twins, no longer living together, really drives a lot of the tension in the book. I felt like things would be so much simpler for them if they just worked together, though of course that wouldn't make for such an exciting book.

Like with Perfectly Preventable Deaths, one of the key elements of Precious Catastrophe is the tension between Catholicism and Pagan beliefs. This feels so particular to Ireland that it's hard to imagine the book being set anywhere else, but in a remote, cut-off Galway village it has found the perfect setting. It's not just the tension though, these aren't necessarily competing beliefs facing off against each other, the parish priest against the witch. The true beauty and magic of this is found in where these belief systems intertwine, flow into each other, feed off each other. It's in the worshipping of ancient bog statues in the church, in saying prayers and not really knowing who is answering them, in their shared blood rituals and offerings. I absolutely loved how well this was handled, and it gave the book such a deep and mysterious darkness.

I loved how well it picked up elements of book one, without retracing old ground, telling a new and powerful story with a mixture of new and familiar parts. I loved the queer elements, and how sensitively they were handled, and I loved the little hints at the wider mysteries of this village. There's clearly so much more there to explore, and I really hope Deirdre Sullivan does that.

Powerful, dark, haunting and mysterious. Precious Catastrophe is YA horror at its finest.

This was a solid follow-up and conclusion and tied everything together nicely and succinctly. The writing is lyrical and flows well and is easy to read. I didn't love the plot or the characters which brings it down to 3*s for me but it's definitely a decent novel that has a lot of stellar elements.

Now, THIS is what I wanted Perfectly Preventable Deaths to be!

From the start, this book just flowed. Completely sinking its teeth in, twisting its dark, depraved world around you relentlessly until the very last word. Almost as if it was possessing you.
The delicious and vile imagery seeps into the pages, as you begin to truly discover the hidden darkness and creatures that lurk in this unassuming Irish town. Deirdre Sullivan's writing is beautifully eerie, invoking powerful emotions awakening your senses as if you can feel, taste, and smell it yourself.

Unlike Perfectly Preventable Deaths, this is told from both Madeline & Catlin's POV. Which gives a better insight into the girls.
And allows us, the reader, to follow them down very different paths. Madeline as she begins her new life with Mamó learning that being a witch isn't broomsticks, black cats, and cauldrons. And Catlin as she struggles to come to terms with what happened to her. Turning to the power of religion and prayer to guide her. With a greater understanding that Ballyfrann is bursting with secrets, will Madeline's new abilities help prevent the darkness from being unearthed or will evil beyond their imaginations be reborn?

There is so much in this book that I love I knew from the first chapter that it would be 5 stars. Book 1 was a great introduction, but this was superb! I'm sure there are still some unanswered questions, but right now, I'm so glad I did carry on with this series and you never know, they may even be a 3rd? Who knows? Well, Deirdre obviously lol but you know what I mean

Thank you so much, NetGalley & Bonnier Books UK/Hot Key Books for the ARC ebook in return for an honest review.

I loved this book so much. It was even better than the first book "perfectly preventable deaths"
Just the right amount of dark and creepy, and very well written

A fantastic sequel from one of my favourite authors. Creepy and gripping in all the best ways, I'm praying (but not to Our Lady of Ballyfrann!) for a third book!

While I definitely thought I would enjoy Perfectly Preventable Deaths and Precious Catastrophe, the level of humour in both really took me by surprise!
From the get go, they were spooky and uncanny, but unrelentingly witty!
The back and forth between Catlin and Madeline was brilliant and I honestly couldn’t get enough of it. I really didn’t expect to laugh out loud at a book that’s portrayed and packaged as gothic YA. BUT, don’t let the humour fool you because this has EVERYTHING you could ever want from a queer modern gothic witchy duology.
Deirdre Sullivan has a way with words and I found her prose completely compelling. She tackles modern day issues and sprinkles the gothic and uncanny all over. I really enjoyed both!

I really enjoyed this after so long since the first book, always look forward to more from this author!