A chilling horror-thriller debut where a mother's search for her missing daughter battles against the shadows of a historic, dangerous legend.
Single mother Jenna arrives on the tranquil shores of Athelsea fueled by the desperate hope to find Chloe, her teenage daughter who’s disappeared from their London home. She has no idea why–all she knows is that Chloe had changed in the previous two weeks, haunted by something, or someone, and the ferry ticket here is the only clue she has.
As she explores the village and interacts with the locals, Jenna soon realizes a macabre secret is being hidden in plain sight. A dark legend of a vengeful woman called the Bone Queen is spoken of in hushed tones amongst the villagers, some of whom are frantically trying to suppress the tale that has long terrorized their lives.
As Jenna starts to learn more about the Bone Queen and her previous victims, the village’s grip on reality begins to loosen and no one can say for sure who, or what, is responsible for the deaths and disappearances on Athelsea. Suffering from what she can no longer distinguish between paranoid hallucinations or real manifestations, Jenna must act quickly before Chloe is next…
The Bone Queen has left her mark, and one day she’ll collect.
Is The Bone Queen an urban legend or a reality? The people of Athelsea know the answer. A brutal murder in the 1700s and the deaths and disappearances that have occurred on the island ever since might just be a story people pass around to scare each other. But if it isn't real, what is the explanation?
Jenna and her daughter Chloe have had a rocky relationship. Jenna is a recovering alcoholic holding on to past guilt. Chloe has become withdrawn and is now suffering strange maladies, which lead her to believe she has been marked by The Bone Queen. Unable to share what is happening to her she runs away from home to deal with it herself. Jenna and her sister go searching for Chloe and uncover a horrific truth and a weird plot twist from Jenna's past.
The story is told on multiple timelines that bounce from the present day, to the recent past, and to a secret held among a group of friends that stem from a happening in 2003. I don't usually mind flashbacks, but there are spots in this book that just dragged for me and made the story seem much longer than its 272 pages. I do enjoy a build-up of suspense, but there comes a time to just get on with it, or else it becomes a frustrating wait.That being said, there was a decent plot with several spooky scenes and gruesome deaths. I do think it could have benefited from being tightened up a bit.
3.5 out of 5 stars
My thanks to Minotaur Books for the e-ARC
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