The O.W.L.: Murder. Mystery, Mayhem. Blog Tour Review: May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude +GIVEAWAY

I'm very excited today to participate in the blog tour The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude.

I saw this book a long while back and was immediately drawn to it because of the cover. Then I read the summary, and I really wanted to read it.

So when Rock Star Tours asked if I wanted to participate I said yes right away.

About the Book:

Title: THE MAY QUEEN MURDERS

Author: Sarah Jude

Release Date: May 3, 2016

Pages: 304

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

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.

About Sarah:

Sarah Jude lives by the woods and has an owl that lands on her chimney every night. She grew up believing you had to hold your breath whenever you passed a graveyard or a bridge spanning water. Now she writes about cemeteries, murder, and ghostly apparitions. She resides in Missouri with her husband, three children, and three dogs.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

My Thoughts on the Book

I love books that have a scary tension-filled edge to them. I cut my teeth on John Saul growing up, and going into this book it seemed like a book that could feel creepy and suspenseful. And it really didn't let me down. The setting of the book was what created this feeling. The community is isolated and surrounded by woods, but there's more than that! The superstitions of the people create an ominous feeling because they all seem to point to something bad happening! And then (yes more) there are screams that come from the woods!! Can you imagine that? You're at home laying in your bed trying to sleep and you hear a scream from the nearby woods!! I would freak. All of that created a creepy atmosphere for the story to be set.

Now the story itself had a lot of tension and suspense because of Heather missing and not knowing who in the community (or outside of it) had something to do with it. I never knew who I could fully trust! And sometimes that included Ivy because she had some odd things happen to her. As the mystery of Heather unfolds there were several twists and turns that surprised me a lot and lead the story in directions I never saw coming. Some people have said they thought the ending was rushed - and to a degree it was but I felt it went with the action of the book because everything was rushing at Ivy.

In the end: I enjoyed the book and found myself reading longer than intended when I picked it up - and that's always a good thing!

Oh heads up - if bloody scenes bother you be aware that there are several in the book. Remember I loved John Saul so they didn't bother me at all!

Catch the Rest of the Tour

Week One:

4/25/2016- Once Upon a Twilight- Excerpt

4/26/2016- Buttermybooks- Review

4/27/2016- Wandering Bark Books- Guest Post

4/28/2016- The Best Books Ever - Review

4/29/2016- One Night Book Stand- Interview

Week Two:

5/2/2016- Here's to Happy Endings- Review

5/3/2016- Literary Meanderings - Guest Post