The Broken Girls

 

On the whole, this was a decent read and I liked it. Though it bounced back and forth between times and narratives, both story lines were engaging and their later weaving into one narrative was done skillfully. The reward of making it through the book is that, while you know the two narratives are directly related to one another, and hints are scattered throughout about their connections, it's only in the final chapters that the tapestry is woven, so to speak, for the reader to see the whole picture. The final third of the book, where the reader starts getting some resolution, was particularly good and did a far better job of holding my attention than the previous chapters had. It's one of those books where, if you can wait long enough for it, the reward is pretty worth it.

I have to admit that, since this was the second book in a row I've read that bounced back and forth between narratives (the other being Baby Teeth), I found myself tiring of that aspect a bit. This book, and the aforementioned one, also played with the reader on how much of the events were supernatural versus human, so it was too much of the same for me. That's not the fault of Ms. St. James, but rather me not making smarter reading choices and knowing my limits. That said, the story is not without its own faults, which took it from being a book I really liked, to one that I just liked.

I have an issue with books and movies that predominantly have unlikeable characters throughout - especially main characters. I want someone to like and feel good about, so that when the story plays out, I can be a more sympathetic audience member to it. As it is, I don't particularly like the main protagonist, journalist Fiona Sheridan. While I understand the trauma that compels her to do what she does throughout the book - I, nonetheless, don't really like her all that much, so the resolution of her story doesn't feel as rewarding as it could have been, though not without reward. Same goes for the girls in the other timeline of the story. Heck ... even the ghost, with her tragic backstory is insufferable. Pretty much everyone in the story has a personality that makes you kinda glad they aren't people (or ghosts) you know in real-life.

My other problem with the book, without giving spoilers, is the big reveal later in the book of the figure involved in the cover-up of the crime, which plays out like a reveal on a Scooby Doo episode or any standard night-time TV crime show/movie. You know - the part where the antagonist gives a lengthy confessional on their past dastardly deeds as they express their contempt for the meddling individual who got in their way - usually while trying to kill them? Yeah ... that one. Maybe it's a necessary trope to further the narrative, but c'mon ... there's got to be a more creative way at some point. I also felt like the last few chapters swept up all the loose ends a little too conveniently and quickly, considering how long I'd waited to get to the resolution.

All in all, I would still recommend this book to those who like a good, creepy mystery/thriller with a supernatural thread.

★★★

You can find this and all my other reviews at: https://www.goodreads.com/curious-kat