Book Synopsis
In the town of Fortune’s Well a dangerous storm is brewing, and two unsuspecting teenagers are standing right at the heart of it.
For JJ Carson, life has not been easy. His father is dead, his mother arrested for the murder, and he has been forced to live on the farm with his alcoholic uncle, Henry. Just when things could not get any worse, JJ discovers his living situation is not the only thing that makes him different from the other kids. A dark, swirling mist has made itself at home inside him and it is slowly changing him from the inside out.
Enter Darcie Duffield. Beautiful, popular, and incredibly misunderstood. Darcie is sick of the status quo and wants to make a difference. After a chance meeting with a strange boy at the river she becomes tangled in a web of lies and deceit as she tries to help save him from the darkness lurking within.
Why is this happening?
Where has it come from?
And why is Darcie the only one who can see it?
Book Review
Fortune’s Well, Book One: Hangman’s Revenge by Sim Alec Sansford
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
This is 100% my kind of read! There were parts where this story was amazing and shone bright! The premise was simple but effective. I couldn’t stop reading and wanting to know what happened next. I loved the character of unpopular loner JJ, and popular, rich girl Darcie and how they are drawn together due to both being misfits who have suffered the loss of a dear family member. They are something else!
The eerie jar metaphor as ‘the empty,’ was an intriguing start to the story… but believe me there was a lot more going on… and midway the story really comes into its own. Actually, this is when my interest went wowser!
There are also mentions of ‘the sight,’ empathetic characters, and oouji boards. The book tackles pertinent and meaningful topics: bullying, eating disorders, mental health, sexual assault, etc, in an understanding way, feeding these themes into the storyline seamlessly.
The shifting dual point of view between JJ and Darcie took a while for me to get used to. But was fine when I did. And there were times in certain brief moments, when I disconnected a little. But there were also brilliant scenes particularly with regard to the eerie cottage when the darkness consumes, and the hangman appears when the story took flight and I could visualise it like an exciting reel in my head! Wow! I could see it visually which is unusual and a great indicator that this story has something special.
And… the developing love story between JJ and Darcie is so super cute, but even better because it has potential setbacks. At that young age emotions run high and setbacks are compulsory! Interested to see what happens to this pair next!
The ending came in two parts with dramatic and shocking set up and calmer lead in for book two. Curious to find out what happens next!
My recommendation. Read this, these two authors, Chantelle Atkins and Sim Alec Sansford are both fantastic! I’ve read their work before and can recommend.
Their writing pairing has something special!
Overall 4.5 stars.
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Authors Websites:
Books2Read.com/HangmansRevenge (ebooks)
mybook.to/HangmansRevenge (paperback)
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