The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

 

Reverend Jack Brooks, along with her 14-year-old daughter, Flo, just got reassigned to Chapel Croft, a remote, insular village in Sussex, England. When she gets there, Jack is surprised to learn that the previous vicar killed himself inside the church. Chapel Croft is also known for the Sussex Martyrs--eight protestants who were burned at the stake 500 years ago. And only thirty years ago, two teenage girls went missing from Chapel Croft. No one knows what happened to them, although the former vicar seems to have been looking into their disappearance.

While Jack tries to fit in to her new parish life, her daughter, Flo, is having her own troubles. She meets a lanky boy named Wrigley who she kind of likes, gets bullied by two local teens, and has a terrifying vision of one of the Sussex Martyrs burning. Is it a portent of what's to come? Jack hopes not. But there are strange things happening in the village. She just hopes it doesn't have anything to do with the old exorcism kit that someone left for her.

In The Burning Girls, C.J. Tudor weaves together a myriad of threads--past secrets, present lies, murder, an exorcism gone wrong, rumors of ghosts, and anonymous threats--into one suspenseful tapestry. I had no idea where this book was headed when I began reading it, but I was content to sit back and watch the events unfold one by one. Tudor writes so well! And she's created two very human characters in Jack and Flo. They're both unconventional and independent individuals; I really liked their mother/daughter relationship. Hints of ghosts aside, there isn't much of the supernatural in this book. It's mostly a mystery, with several good twists and turns along the way. I found it to be a very compelling read. And that ending! It blew me away. I liked how all the different pieces came together, even though I wasn't expecting half of the revelations. This was another fun buddy read with Melody. Be sure to check out her review.

Happy Reading!

Melody's questions to me about this book:

1. There's quite a few elements and layers that weave into this suspense thriller, such as the macabre history of the burnt martyrs, the disappearance case of Merry and Joy, and the apparitions that are believed to haunt the old chapel, in which not not one of these is fully explained or showed in tons in this story. Which one of these do you wish the author would write more?

I wish the author had written a little more about Merry and Joy and who they were, and about their disappearance. Especially since that story line figures so prominently at the end of the book. It would have been nice to have known a little more of their story a little sooner. 

2. In three words, sum up how you feel about this book.  Impressed, Entertained, & Satisfied.