The Tattered Page: Feature Friday ARC Review : The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

*Feature Friday ARC Review is a meme hosted by The Tattered Page to feature YA books that have not yet been released by reviewing them.*

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Pages: 304
Source: ARC

The Story:

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.

via Amazon

Rating:

One-word Review: ENTICING

Reading Tune: The One That Got Away by The Civil Wars

Tag Line:

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

Opening Line:

Yet another LOST DOG sign marked the animal clinic's window.

My Review:

Plot:

YAS! Just yes! I went into The May Queen Murders not really knowing what to expect. I was in a book-slump and wanted to read something thrilling with gore and dash of romance. And I got exactly what I wished for.

The May Queen Murders pacing was on time. The progress of the story never felt bogged down or dull. The pacing was perfectly in time with the play-out of the plot. The writing was simple but drew me in. The May Queen Murders was filled with blood, mystery, sex, southern charm and more.

"A panicked busyness settled across Rowan's Glen. Since I was little, Birch Markle had been the reason children were told to avoid the tree line, why adults looked around with watchful eyes when outside at night. Though the last sighting of him in the woods was years ago, his screams were still heard ow and then, during the hush of the night. Mamie once said it was so bad that for a while, after he killed a girl called Terra MacAvoy, no one was allowed out after sunset."- page 17

All in all, you need to read The May Queen Murders. I loved the story! It was dark, dangerous and enticing and kept me on the edge of my seat. Well done Jude, well done. Without a doubt, I look forward to Sarah Jude's next project. If you have not read The May Queen Murders or if it was not on your radar before, do it! Read The May Queen Murders. I promise you will not regret it!

Character Breakdown:

The characters were well developed. They really popped on the page. The character dynamic was authentic and just what you hoped to see when you read a story.

Ivy Templeton - Ivy . . . hmm. She was an unique character. With a unique character flaw -- which I thought was cool --, she stuttered. Ivy was meek, and seemingly unextraordinary but she was also a fierce and loyal friend even when said friend did not deserve it.

Heather - Man, did Heather get on my last nerve. Selfish girl, very selfish girl. She was the town's prom queen with deadly secrets who reveled being the center of attention and took her best friend for granted. I did not like how Heather treated Ivy. At. All. But the tension between them gave spark to the plot which I appreciated.

"Mind if I come?" Rook asked, to which Heather said yes, but he hadn't asked her. . . .
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Heather crossing her arms. She wheeled around, tugging my hand away from Rook's hold. "Come on, Ivy."- pages 12-13

Here is one of my favorite quotes from The May Queen Murders:

Ivy: "I didn't know what kind of path love was supposed to be -- it seemed like it could be anything. Stumbling, tripping over your own feet, hoping that the hand you reach out is caught by someone who stops you from falling. Someone who got you. Wasn't that what mattered? Weren't these things Heather and I could've talked out, shared with whispers and giggles and tears? She didn't have to cut me off. And her being gone cut too deep." - page 246

Meet the Author:

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 when passing a graveyard. Now she writes about cemeteries, murder, and folklore. She resides in Missouri with her husband, three children, and two dogs. When she's not writing, she can be found volunteering at a stable for disabled riders. Visit her website at www.sarahjude.com.