ARC Review: The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

The May Queen Murders

by Sarah Jude

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Source: eARC provided by the Publisher. Thank you!

My Rating: 4 stars

Summary:

Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night. 

Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

****

The May Queen Murders is the debut novel by author Sarah Jude. It’s a suspenseful and thrilling read that you won’t want to miss.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about this book is: moody.  From the setting of the book to the traditions and belief of the people living in the Glen, this book was rich in descriptions and it was very different from anything I’ve read before.

The May Queen Murders is the story of a town haunted by the legend of Birch Markle and the killings that happened years ago. This is also the history of Ivy and her cousin Heather. While Ivy is shy and wary, Heather is wild and bright. So, when someone starts killing animals there’s no doubt the responsible is Birch Markle, and it’s just a matter of time before he kills a girl again, probably the May Queen. 

I was surprised to realize this book was gory and bloody. There are many ugly scenes throughout the story, all wrapped out perfectly in a mind-blowing ending I was not expecting.

Another thing I really liked about this book was the mystery. I didn’t trust anyone, I watched carefully every character and it didn’t really matter because the truth was uglier than I expected.

While The May Queen Murders is set in the US, the main character is half Mexican and I really liked how the author mixed some latin beliefs and traditions (not only Mexican beliefs) with all the eccentricity of this town. 

There were a fun thing I didn’t liked, but they are mostly about some characters I couldn’t connect with, a few explanations I need. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. 

I can’t tell you too much because I don’t want to give any spoilers, but this book is perfect for fans of thrillers and books filled with layers and layers of lies.