The Hanging Girl Review

Synopsis from Edelweiss:

Skye Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl. It’s no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has some insider knowledge. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life. But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want and she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.

About: The Hanging Girl is a young adult mystery written by Eileen Cook. It was recently published on 10/3/17 by HMH Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, hardcover, 320 pages. The genres are young adult, fiction, mystery and thriller. This book is intended for readers ages 14 and up, grades 9 and up. According to the publisher’s website, “HMH is an organization rooted in purpose and strengthened by passion. Our values drive our decisions, shape our strategies and shine through in everything we do: Curiosity, Commitment, Effectiveness and Reliability, Learning, Performance, and Best in Class.” Please see below for more information about the author.

My Experience: I started reading The Hanging Girl on 12/6/17 and finished it on 12/10/17. This book is an excellent read! I love following Skye’s point of view. Her frustrations with her mom is so real, I can feel it reverberate off the story as I read. I was falling for the diary hard, and the revelations were shocking and most unexpected! I love it! I like Paige’s point of view as well. Her situation with her parents is no better than Skye’s. I like that the author bring lights to readers that not everything is beautiful as it looks. A person that seems to have everything can still feel as unhappy as the person who doesn’t have enough. I like the whole concept with the psychic readings, the plot, and the characters.

This book is told in the first person point of view, following Candi Skye Thorn aka Skye, a fake tarot reader and a senior in high school. Skye is less fortunate than her fellow classmates and she lies to make her situation better. When she was in eighth grade, one of her lies blows up publicly, and living in a small town, nobody forgets or willing to leave it in the past. Her dream is to leave the small town and move to New York with her best friend Drew. Graduation is fast approaching and she needs the cash fast. She agreed to her role in the disappearance of a fellow classmate, Paige – a wild child that even if she’s missing for a few days, most people would think that she is out of town with her friends. When Paige’s disappearance becomes more than an easy ransom money making scheme, Skye has to decide if she’s willing to do the right thing, even if there’s a chance that she will go down publicly again. This book has some plot twists that will shock readers!

This book is very well written and developed. I like the theme of “Trust no one. Deceive everyone.” I enjoy the mystery and how everything unravels slowly, but at the same time, readers are included in behind the scenes as it unfolds. I like how the author creates puzzles with words & events for Skye to solve and I enjoy reading her thinking process. I turned back to previous pages twice after the plot twists occurred and I’m impressed that I didn’t see it coming. I like Skye and her mom’s relationship despite their ups and downs. The ending beautifully wrapped up everything together and I highly recommend everyone to read this book!

Pro: fast paced, page turner, mystery, dual POV, couldn’t put down, diversity, plot twists

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or on the Author’s Website 

About the Author:

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in eight different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and one very naughty dog and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else. http://www.eileencook.com (Photo obtained from the author’s website and info obtained from Edelweiss).

***Disclaimer: I won this book from a Twitter giveaway hosted by the author. Thank you so much Eileen Cook for the opportunity to read and review! I love the package: book, autographs, and candies! Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine