Zoje Stage

This was a new author for me, and I have to say that she did a fantastic job of pulling off the concept of this psychological thriller. The major strength of the book is that the author continually builds suspense on top of suspense. Every time a chapter ended, you just had to keep reading to find out what Hanna was going to do next and what possibly could a seven-year-old child manage do to an adult that could be so bad? Boy, did we find out! The author never disappointed and did a great job of keeping us guessing. The conclusion was absolutely appropriate in light of what we had learned of was happening with Hanna, making it more than another run-of-the-mill horror story. The one thing that earned it a 4.5-star rating, and was very disappointing, was that we never really learned what was "wrong" with Hanna, and believe me, there was SOMETHING VERY WRONG. But there is good news...I have learned that there is a sequel, so maybe we will find out in that one.… (more)

Listened to the audiobook. I actually liked the narrator Gabra Zackman. Not sold on her swedish male accent but hey its better than I could do.

So Im definitely going to give spoilers but first. It was OK. I was absorbed enough to listen within only a few days. Not as creepy as it could have been but still an interesting concept.

Spoilers

So. She's basically a crazy child. She wants to kill her mom. She is mute unless shes talking as a long dead witch. Shes a smart little s**t. Studies French so that she can speak in it in witch form. Does seem to believe Marie Anne is there amd her UnderBumbleBeast later sorta of like a normal imaginary friend. I feel the concept is to tell the story of a young psychopath figuring out the world. She remembers things from when she was three that her mom probably shouldn't have done. Hannah has definitely got an Electra complex and this is part of why she wants Mommy out of the way. But its also because she holds on to unfair memories and has decided Mommy is fake and actually really mean. An interesting perspective I think.. showing how a nutty kid who's smarter and crazier than she should be might learn through certain things. On the other hand no wonder she's so confused and manipulates so easily. She tried to set her mom on fire and after the initial panic they basically just say oh Hannah you dont know any better lets go to dr and then see our therapist tomorrow. Sure lets pretend nothing happened? Idk.

So I guess I enjoyed it. I was waiting for her to actually kill her mom or be a witch or something but oh well.… (more)

I grabbed this, thinking it was a sequel to another book but it's a sequel to [b:Baby Teeth|35410511|Baby Teeth|Zoje Stage|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664342132l/35410511._SY75_.jpg|56782041]. Since I haven't read that one, I can safely say that this one can be read alone but I bet you'd love it so much more if you'd read book 1.

As it was, I found Hanna to be a shocking and dark character. You are in her POV this time and get to see the inner workings. She's married now, and seems to be succeeding at life. But when the Hanna, the stepmom, and Jacob, her husband, get shocking news from their teenage daughter - you can see the cracks in Hanna's carefully created facade.

I didn't find the ultimate twist shocking but I did love how deliciously dark all the references to Daddy and Mommy were - definitely a nod to book 1. This one was entertaining and I enjoyed the audiobook!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.… (more)