Review: The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

Title: The May Queen Murders 

Author: Sarah Jude
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: May 3rd 2016

Pages: 304
Genre: YA Thriller/Suspense

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: ARC

 

Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night.

Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

I was so super excited to get to this book. It was a priority this season. I love the cover. creepy, I love the synopsis, creepy, I love the title, creepy, I loved the book, creepy. It was all just so super creepy and written so well. I just fell for the main character and her struggles. I loved the romance. The murders got to me. It was all put together so well. 

Ivy is a mountain folk. She lives up in the hills with her people. They live a simple life. The only time that Ivy and her friends see the towns people is at school. They just don't mix. Her best friend, which is her cousin, starts to disappear at night, sneaky out, seeing someone, hanging out with towns people. This worries Ivy. Its really bad timing because some one is killing at night. Killing animals and they are afraid they this person is a danger to people too. Heather comes up missing and everything starts to fall apart.

I think the best thing about this story was the writing. The writing was magnificent and took me to a place that was so new and vivid to me. I felt I was part of Ivy's world and I loved it. Such a simple life filled with honesty, friendship, family, loyalty, and life. I loved it and wanted to be living it. The author did an exceptional job and creating this world. 

The writing was definitely my favorite part but the good did not end there. The mystery, the creep factor. It was off the charts for me. The mystery and the story that surrounded the mystery, it was woven together so effortlessly and perfectly. I was intrigued, I was curious, I was lost in the mystery. It was full of twists and turns and reveals I just wasn't ready for. It was done seamlessly to fit this book in such a dark and twisted way that felt so natural. Nothing felt forced or out of placed. Nothing  felt missing or forgotten. It was what it was and it felt right. 

The characters. the main character, Ivy. I loved Ivy. I felt her, I understood her. I thought she made some bad decisions but I understood why she made them. I enjoyed watching her grow into her own person, feeling things she never felt before. Love, fear, sorrow. Her life was pretty good and simple until now. Her world begins to fall apart and I was able to watch how strongly she held onto what little was left. 

I also really loved Rook. He was a really great character. Loving, loyal, sweet, strong, brave. He was a great love interest for Ivy and they worked well together. I loved the romance between the two. It starts off so innocent and sweet. It felt right and belonged in this world. 

This was for sure a page turner. Once I started I didn't want to put the book down. I needed to know more. To follow the mystery. To follow the romance, To follow Ivy's life. 

So awesome. Great thriller and great mystery. Great everything. 

Sarah Jude lives by the woods and has an owl that lands on her chimney every night. She grew up believing you had to hold your breath whenever you passed a graveyard or a bridge spanning water. Now she writes about cemeteries, murder, and ghostly apparitions. She resides in Missouri with her husband, three children, and three dogs.