Title: The Suffering Tree
Author: Elle Cosimano
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: June 13, 2017
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Summary:
Tori Burns and her family left D.C. for claustrophobic Chaptico, Maryland, after suddenly inheriting a house under mysterious circumstances. That inheritance puts her at odds with the entire town, especially Jesse Slaughter and his family—it’s their generations-old land the Burns have “stolen.” But none of that seems to matter after Tori witnesses a young man claw his way out of a grave under the gnarled oak in her new backyard.
Nathaniel Bishop may not understand what brought him back, but it’s clear to Tori that he hates the Slaughters for what they did to him centuries ago. Wary yet drawn to him by a shared sense of loss, she gives him shelter. But in the wake of his arrival comes a string of troubling events—including the disappearance of Jesse Slaughter’s cousin—that seem to point back to Nathaniel.
As Tori digs for the truth—and slowly begins to fall for Nathaniel—she uncovers something much darker in the tangled branches of the Slaughter family tree. In order to break the centuries-old curse that binds Nathaniel there and discover the true nature of her inheritance, Tori must unravel the Slaughter family’s oldest and most guarded secrets. But the Slaughters want to keep them buried… at any cost.
Review: **I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.**
I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this book after seeing some of the reviews on Goodreads. I always try and read books with an open mind though, so I hunkered down to start the book.
The first thing I want to point out is that this book does contain detailed self-harming. The main character Tori self-harms throughout the majority of the book. Maybe there should have been a notice or warning associated with the book that warned potential readers about this topic being included.
Overall, I enjoyed this book as it was something different from typical YA Fantasy. The book contained magical realism and it was to the extent, that you had to wonder if things were happening because of circumstance, randomly, or magic. While there was nothing wrong with the characters, I didn’t find myself connecting with them. I wanted to know their story and what was going on but I didn’t feel that connection that I sometimes do where I see a little bit of myself in them.
I do think that the plot could have been tied together better in a few places and definitely could have been less rushed in a couple of spots. There are flashbacks or dreams in the book that are a bit confusing but I think it is because they are meant to be as the character experiencing them is dreaming and wakes up very confused.
Final thought– Could have been better, could have been worse.
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