Considering how excited I was to read this book, it failed to live up to my expectations. Despite being a relatively short novel, I found it difficult to complete it quickly - kept on losing interest.

Brownie points for the brilliant cover though. Wouldn't be a lie if I say that part of the reason why I read this book was because I was intrigued by the cover. Beautifully designed!

Fantastic!!

I was itching for a good YA mystery and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé served me one. Frankly speaking, when I first started this book, my exact thoughts were: “ah, not another highschool drama with mean girls“. But as I kept reading, I realized it was much much more than that. Ace of Spades turned out to be such a powerful and enlightening book. Dealing with topics of racism, peer pressure and com petition, this book is unputdownable.

The Silent Patient had been one of my most favorite thrillers and was not expecting anything less from The Maidens. However, this proved to be a rather disappointing read for me.

It was fast-paced, which made me get done with it quickly. However, despite the twists and turns, the characters, especially Mariana's was rather frustrating and annoying. Her indecisiveness and lack of consistency infuriated me.

Beautiful yet sad!

I absolutely LOVED all the bookish references and the fact that each chapter was titled after a book. Such realistic characterisation, which showed the inner conflict of the protagonist so well. Of course, the story will make you cry, laugh and reflect at many points.

Another thing I really liked is that the story has multiple layers to it. Not so straightforward. This may seem like a love-story but is much deeper than that.

The concept of this book is pretty fascinating - a world where time has abruptly stopped on 23rd June, 2020. An usual story, which could not hold my attention for long. Around 60-70 pages in I realised this book is not my cup of tea and could not read any further. The narration got confusing at times too. However, this book gives you a chance to have a different perspective about time itself.

Although this is a middle grade book, it should be read by EVERYONE. Body-shaming can never be right and everyone should know this. It really broke my heart reading Ellie's story and what she has to go through. However, what I loved about this book is how the entire situation was dealt with from therapy to confrontation, teaching us that attacking is not a solution.

It wouldn't be a lie if I say that I picked up this book because of its GORGEOUS cover (blood and flowers seeping out from the visage? i am sold) but I binge-read it because of its gripping story. A page-turner instead, which you cannot put down. A true masterpiece from Krystal Sutherland that I highly recommend everyone to read, if they are looking for an eerie and mysterious novel.