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. ( )

Hmmm. Not my favorite, this is definitely just a messed up kid making her parents' lives miserable. I was hoping for supernatural horror or something. The mother is beyond patient and forgiving, I can't even come back from minor annoyances as fast as she comes back from attempts on her life. ( )

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. ( )

I can see how this book can be very polarizing. It covers some controversial topics and may not resonate with certain people. However, this was a hit for me. Don't expect a ton of action but if you're into internal dialogue that makes you feel uncomfortable then give it a go,

There are dual POV's, the mother and her 7 year old daughter, which I quite enjoyed. What I loved about this is that Suzette has word vomit, she's a mess and barely holding it together, slapping on a happy face to try and make the most of it to keep her family together, even if it means spiraling into self destructive behaviors to manage. I could relate to this so I instantly felt her anxiety and sympathized being in those states at portions of my life.

The way I approached Hanna's narrative is to basically view her like a baby Hannibal Lector. She's smart, manipulative but she's still only 7. I loved that. Both MC's poked at each other and each is guilty of egging each other on, one more diabolical than the other. It's a trip down the psychological tilt-o-whirl and you're just here for the ride.

At the end of this book it seemed to say to me "hey, I guiltily loved my life before my child and this insane situation is working out the best way it possibly can". Normalize wanting to be childless, normalize admitting your life isn't perfect, normalize mental health being vital and normalize getting help is not weakness. It's hard to categorize this book but it's gives slow burn psychological thriller vibes.

I'd read this authors works in a heart beat again! ( )

Not sure about this one. I couldn’t put it down because I had to know what happened, but I just don’t feel super satisfied with it. Unsettling for sure…

I’m just so confused about my sympathy for Suzette. I mean honestly it is like Hanna and Suzette are trying to accomplish the same thing - get each other out of the picture to have Daddy all to themselves. So Hanna is just a mini Suzette. And even though Suzette’s chapters are only her own perspective, the relationship appears abusive from Hanna’s view esp with the chewed food incident and weird things Suzette says when the husband isn’t around. So is it not Suzette’s fault her kid is acting out and thinks she’s evil?? The whole story frames Hanna as the villain but I think Suzette is an unreliable narrator and is absolutely not blameless. I mean yes, it’s disturbing a child is trying to kill her mother but it’s just so over the top… ugh. Need to think on this one a bit. ( )