Book Review: The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I received this book from Hot Key Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Twisted Tree
Series: The Twisted Tree #1
Author: Rachel Burge
Genre: YA Fantasy
Edition/Pages: Ebook, 180 pages
Goodreads / Amazon (Available on KU) / Waterstones

Summary

Martha can tell things about a person just by touching their clothes, as if their emotions and memories have been absorbed into the material. It started the day she fell from the tree at her grandma’s cabin and became blind in one eye.

Determined to understand her strange ability, Martha sets off to visit her grandmother, Mormor – only to discover Mormor is dead, a peculiar boy is in her cabin and a terrifying creature is on the loose.

Then the spinning wheel starts creaking, books move around and terror creeps in . . .

Overview

‣ POV: 1st Person, Martha

‣ Emojis: ❄️🌿👕🧣📕🌳

‣ Trigger and Content Warnings: violence, death of a loved one, animal cruelty, (possible ableism?), grief, death

My Thoughts

Oooh this was a creepy one! I surprised myself by really enjoying this one even if I usually steer clear from scary stuff. This was a very quick read, at only 180 pages I was actually able to finish it in one sitting and I fairly flew through the pages.

This is the perfect novel to read on a cold winter’s night. I loved how atmospheric everything was, it’s set in Norway in the middle of Winter and the location was just utterly perfect for this ghost story/Norse mythology-inspired book. Everything is so dark and twisty, even right from the beginning you get the feel that something isn’t right, and it all builds up, increasing in tension as you read.

I loved the imagery Burge used, I absolutely adored the Norse mythology she intertwined into it. I can’t remember the last time I read a book based around Norse mythology but there needs to be more because it was all so fascinating. The different Gods and their stories, I just wanted to know more!

And I think that wanting to know more is where the book disappointed me a bit. I finished it with a lot of questions that were still unanswered. Now, I don’t mind a few plot threads being left undone, making way for a sequel, but when there is so much that you’re left unsatisfied it’s a massive let down. It actually annoyed me enough that I couldn’t rate the book as highly as I wanted to.

Everything was just so mysterious, a bit too mysterious at times, even at the end. Especially concerning Stig, the love interest, even when the book was over I still didn’t really understand his past and his motivations. I still didn’t trust him and I was a bit sceptical about the romance that formed between him and Martha. The only character I really formed a connection with was Martha, the rest of the cast was fairly shrouded in mystery.

The setting, for me, saved the book, along with how Burge dealt with Martha’s insecurities, I loved the way that she slowly started to accept herself towards the end, the way she thinks about herself in the beginning was quite hard to read at times and it was lovely the way she changes throughout.

I’d recommend this one for those looking for a quick, thrilling ghost story, or those just looking for something a bit different from the all the Greek mythology-inspired books out there! The sequel is out next month and I can’t wait to read it and hopefully get some answers!

Happy reading!

Lea x

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