The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 5th, 2019

384 Pages

Synopsis: When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all the modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke up the household with booming music, or turned off the lights at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around except for the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But she’s not guilty—at least of murder. Which means someone else is.

Turn of the Key is bestselling author Ruth Ware’s imaginative modern day adaptation of the Henry James classic Turn of the Screw, and trust me. It’s just as creepy, disturbing, and suspenseful. As Rowan relates her tale through a series of letters to her lawyer, it’s a slow burn until about halfway into the book and then the pace really picks up. This isn’t a criticism though, because as Rowan is an unreliable narrator I was constantly guessing as to what really happened and happily, the supporting characters are just as mysterious and intriguing as Rowan. There were many twists and turns that I never saw coming, which kept me mesmerized and turning the pages. The only reason I’m not giving this a full 5 stars is because I thought the ending was too rushed and left some loose ends. Otherwise, I highly recommend this contemporary gothic suspense to both fans of Ruth Ware and readers who haven’t tried her yet. And, I just have to say that I’m going to be truly disappointed if this isn’t adapted into a movie!

 

 

American Magic, by Zach Fehst ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Thriller, Urban Fantasy

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: August 20th, 2019

320 Pages

Synopsis: In this fast-paced, international thriller, chaos erupts after a shadowy figure with ties to an elite society posts incantations on the dark web that allow people to perform real magic.

When an enigmatic message uploaded to the dark web turns out to contain an ancient secret, giving regular people the power to do impossible things, like levitate cars, or make themselves invisible, American government officials panic. They know the demo videos on YouTube and instructions for incantations could turn from fantastical amusement to dangerous weapon at the drop of the hat, and they scramble to keep the information out of the wrong hands.

They tap Ben Zolstra, and ex-CIA field operative, whose history with the Agency is conflicted at best, to lead the team that’s racing to contain the dangerous knowledge—and track down the mysterious figure behind the leak who threatens that even more  dangerous spells will be released one by one until the world as we know it will no longer exist. 

This sweeping, globe-spanning thriller explores the dark consequences of a question mankind has been asking for centuries: What if magic were real?

As soon as I read the synopsis for American Magic, I knew I had to try to get my hands on an eARC, so I was thrilled when Atria granted my wish via NetGalley, but as you can guess from my rating, this wasn’t a perfect read for me. This is mainly because of the stereotypical, flat characters, although there was a female president, so yay. What kept me reading though was the interesting plot and fast pace. American Magic is a quick read that I believe fans of Jim Butcher and Simon Green will like. Although this debut didn’t quite meet my admittedly high expectations, I think Zach Fehst has the potential to become an exciting new voice in urban fantasy, and I’m interested in seeing what he comes out with next.