Review - The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook

 

The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook

Published October 19th 2017 by Hot Key Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 72/50

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Two girls, one fatal reading . . . because the truth always lies in the cards

Skye's mother believes she has 'the gift' - the opportunity to see the future. Skye however can only see the opportunity to make money - and happily fleeces her gullible classmates into handing over their cash to hear their futures through Skye's wellworn tarot cards. But it's all in a good cause, right? Skye needs to save her hardearned cash to go to New York with her best mate Drew.

Then the local mayor's daughter Paige disappears - and Skye has a tip off about her whereabouts. Skye is uncomfortable about the source and masks the tipoff as a vision she has received. But then events get wildly out of control - Paige is found murdered and Skye is a prime suspect . . . 

My Thoughts

I haven't read Eileen Cooks previous novel With Malice but its been on my radar for a while. After seeing her new novel on NetGalley I thought it would be a great opportunity to give this author a go and I wasn't disappointed. In this story we follow Skye who uses her mother 'gift' of foreseeing the future as a way of making a quick buck by performing fake tarot readings in her school. When the most popular girl in school, Paige goes missing Skye informs the police of a 'vision' she received about Paige's disappearance. As the investigation progresses Skye's visions come under scrutiny and everyone begins to wonder if Skye more involved in the disappearance than everyone first thought. 

I must say before I even starting this book I was completely intrigued by the premise. The fortune telling aspect really appealed to me and this made me even more excited to read it. Safe to say I wasn't disappointed. This book took me on such a wild ride, it drew me in hook, line and sinker and didn't let me go until the very end. The pacing was great and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I was on tender hooks though out the story and there were so many twists and turns along the way they took me by surprise. The first big reveal happened about half way through the book and then several reveals happened as we neared the end, with lots being uncovered in the last few chapters. I know some people don't like this way of story telling but personally I don't mind it, it keeps me going right until the very end. 

I enjoyed the characters in the book. I thought Paige was great, she was so manipulative and I would love to see a character like her developed into a full blown villain. I also felt quite connected to Skye. At first I felt she kind of deserved what was happening to her but after a while I began to feel a bit sorry for her. All she wanted was a better life for herself but she ended up digging herself in too deep and she struggled to find a way out. Drew was also great, I'd love to have a friend like her. 

Overall I thought this was a great thriller with an interesting plot line and full of twists and turns that kept you hanging on until the very end. Fans of YA thrillers will like this one as, I think, it's a good example of the genre. I'm also even more excited to check out Eileen Cooks previous novel and I'll definitely be adding With Malice to my TBR. 

 Overall Rating