Review: The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Title: The Roanoke Girls

Author: Amy Engel

Published by: Crown

Released: 2017

Source: Library

Summary: Lane's mother has just died, took her own life. It's not surprising that her mother chose to end it all, she's always been sad, angry, distant. Her mother never showed Lane a lot of love, so Lane was used to being responsible for herself. Now that her mother has died, it's a little unclear where Lane is going to go, but then she gets the news that she has grandparents that want to take her in.

Lane moves to the middle-of-nowhere Kansas, to a house called Roanoke. She meets her Grandad, her Grandma, and her cousin Allegra. Allegra tells her that all the Roanoke Girls are cursed. They either leave Roanoke never to return or die.

In time, Lane becomes one of the Roanoke Girls who leaves, swearing never to return, but she's called back to Roanoke when her cousin Allegra goes missing. What happened to Allegra? Where is she? Lane must solve the mystery and curse of Roanoke.

My Thoughts: Oh boy, Oh boy was this a dark and twisted tale. I liked it so much!!! I feel weird saying that because the subject matter of the book is so dark. It's not right. But I was hooked! I'd read Amy Engel's YA Duology, The Book of Ivy, and I enjoyed that, so I wanted to try out her other stuff. This was such a different kind of thing than her YA Works, and I think I liked this more. I want Amy Engel to continue with writing dark thrillers and come out with another one pronto.

I really enjoyed the setting of the story. I'm originally from Kansas, all my family still lives there or around there, so it was cool getting a book with a place I was familiar with. My great grandparents lived in a teeny, tiny, middle of nowhere town in Kansas. I can picture that flatness, the sort of desolate feel. Now the town they lived in is a dying town, so this book town's population was a little better.

I enjoyed the way everything in the story was revealed. One of the shocks is delivered pretty early on, and the matter of fact way it was revealed definitely messed with me. And the shocks just kept on coming. They were all done really well. I was hooked to the story. I needed to know what happened to Allegra. Why Lane left Roanoke. What was the curse that plagues the Roanoke Girls.

I also liked how the story was told in alternating chapters of past and present. It just made it really gripping to read.

I also really enjoyed the relationship story between Cooper and Lane. They reminded me of the movie Sweet Home Alabama, except more messed up.

This is a disturbing book and I know it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really, really liked it. It had me turning the pages and just hooked. Amy Engel, I need more books from you. If you want a dark thriller, I'd definitely recommend picking it up.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Dark, Disturbing, and so Addictive