About The Book
Daisy Darker returns to her Nana’s crumbling gothic estate to celebrate her grandmother’s 80th birthday, reuniting with her family after years apart. At midnight, a storm rages, and Nana is found dead, followed by another family member just an hour later. Trapped, the Darkers must confront their past secrets before it’s too late.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/48rE3BZ
My Rating
I think it is safe to say that Alice Feeney’s Daisy Darker is a new favorite adult thriller of mine. I was captivated right from the first chapter, and I could not put the book down. This is one of those books that you think about even when you’re not reading it, and I certainly couldn’t put it down. The story is just that good, and it’s definitely a page-turner.
In the book, we follow Daisy Darker and her very complicated family. When they all return to her grandmother’s gothic mansion, called Seaglass, on a small remote island for her grandmother’s 80th birthday, which conveniently falls on Halloween, they think it’ll just be another birthday celebration. However, when dear old grandmother winds up dead, the Darker family must now face not only a killer but also the secrets they’ve kept hidden for years.
Daisy is an interesting main character. I enjoyed her insights into her family and the backstory that led us to this point. I totally agree with her that a book about the Darker family would be a bestseller; if this book is any indication, she’s right. I felt for Daisy at times because she was an outcast in her family, but she also showed that she wasn’t just a sweet, innocent girl.
“I guess knowing your place in your family is like some sort of muscle memory, and not something you forget.”
The mystery was one of the best parts of the book. This wasn’t one of those times when I had a guess about who could be behind everything going on. I was truly just along for the ride, and I didn’t mind that. One of the great things about the book was its good mix of being character-driven as well as plot-driven.
When I tell you that the ending made my jaw drop, I am not exaggerating. It 100% took me by surprise. However, I could see how some readers might have seen it coming; even my husband guessed it before I revealed the twist. Maybe I was just having such a good time with the book that I didn’t think it would be a possibility. But I loved it—it totally took the book to the next level.
Overall, everything from the writing to the characters, the plot, and the setting made this a five-star thriller for me. The fact that it was set on Halloween added an extra something that made it even spookier. I think this is a great book for anyone looking to get out of a reading slump because it will keep you invested throughout the entire time, and if you’re like me, it will shock you at the end.
In the comments, let me know if you’ve read this book. If you have, did you guess the twist ending? Before you leave, consider joining my little bookish community by following the blog so you never miss out on posts like this.
Until the next chapter,
Bunny