I read With Malice by Eileen Cook last year and I really liked it as a contemporary mystery/thriller so when I saw her latest release, I knew I wanted to read it. It follows two friends who are graduating and hoping to move to New York, one of the main characters pretends to be psychic and reads tarot cards to her fellow students and she's dealing with a difficult home life and the lies she tells her best friend who is much more well off than her.

That description makes it seem like a boring book but it is more of a revenge, mystery and contemporary thriller with quite a few twists and turns, only the last of which I saw coming. It was an incredibly quick read which is what I needed as I read it when I had an awful cold and throat infection. I didn't like it as much as With Malice and I felt as though it was a little boring at times and it some of the characters decisions and the ending were a bit odd and didn't make much sense. Although I did like the mystery and twists, it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be - it's still worth checking out though!

Wow! There are so many twists in this novel, I'm not even sure I can write a coherent review without being spoiler free. So I apologize in advance for being vague, I just don't want to ruin the surprises for anyone.

Skye pretends to be a psychic. She does $10 tarot card readings at school, and makes her predictions based on careful observations. When another senior girl is found missing, Skye goes to the police with clues about what happened to her. We find out that Skye is in desperate need of money, and being involved in the abduction was an easy way to get some. She just has to keep pretending to be a psychic, and supply the police with carefully thought-out clues. But when the kidnapping drags on, Skye realizes she has no idea what she's really signed up for.

This was an amazing book. The plot is taut, the pacing on point, and the writing impeccable. There is twist after twist, and when you think you've reached the end, mystery tidily solved, you find out there's more!

I rarely do this with books I review from Netgalley, but I will purchase a hardback copy of "The Hanging Girl" when it comes out. It's that good!

The Hanging Girl is a YA mystery/suspense novel that revolves around the kidnapping of a high school girl. A classmate, Skye, is known to have a shady background with truth. She is also known for her tarot card readings. Skye gets mixed up in the case and mystery ensues (no spoilers here!). The story is well crafted and Skye is well developed character. Like most mysteries, you will figure out bits and pieces along the way, but there were some big leaps that were more surprising. A good read for anyone who enjoys YA mystery novels.

I DNFed this book due to not so great writing and overdone stereotypes.

The writing and characters were extremely infantile for such a 'dark' plot. It clashed and made the whole thing ridiculous to read with the only emotion being transmitted was that of pained disbelief.

Loved this mystery with a twist. Amazing characters and the plot was out of this world. I got lost with all the characters. Amazing

At first, it seemed like a typical contemporary YA novel, starting off with the protagonist at the end of her senior year wondering what's she going to do with her life. But then it started getting dark and creepy in terms of the "prank" committed in this book and instead of merely enticing me to read more, I also felt conflicted about how boring things would turn out compared to the leaps my mind would make. I know that the events in the book wouldn't match my theories, but at the same time, I wanted it to match the wildness of it. Even that big twist around the end was dulled by the fact that nothing was really done about it afterwards. Plus, the book as a whole left some open questions at the end that made the book seem less satisfying than it could have been, especially about the secondary characters...

Then there's the fact that I had little sympathy for the main character. Even after you learn more about Skye later on in the book, I still couldn't get rid of my dislike of her. To me, it's one thing to have a morally ambiguous character, but one without any sense of a code? That's really bad (in my opinion at least). Other than her fear, there was nothing that really made me connect with Skye. So after that really bad first impression, and all the other little moments after that, my views of Skye couldn't be salvaged.

Well, that's all I have to say about The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook. While I didn't like certain aspects of it, I think that anyone going in with an open mind would like this novel. And it did have unexpected twists and turns, I'll give it that!

I have been very interested in crime-like stories lately and was pretty pumped when I was approved to read this novel because it sounded similar to the tv show Psych's version of a psychic. I am always happy to read about another Shawn Spencer! This story starts out with teen psychic Skye Thorn giving someone a tarot card read. Skye is a very easy perspective to read from and I really liked her voice. She comes from a single parent home and her mom is kind of one of those spaced out moms who wants to be friends rather than a parent to their child. The story continues where Paige Bonnet has gone missing. Paige is the daughter of a judge who wants to run for Senate and a popular girl in the school that Skye never really spoke to.



I enjoyed the storyline very much, but I had problems with how characters were introduced and it seemed like they would get fleshed out, but it never actually happened. Some characters were more insignificant and didn't add anything to the story so it was confusing to get random bits of detail about people who weren't really part of the story. I was surprised by the twists and really liked them, but then the ending was very odd to me. I don't really understand why Skye chose to continue her future with the person she did. Overall, the plot was great (minus the ending), the characters were meh, and there were bits and pieces I had issues with throughout the story...like the random pop culture references that were out of place and talking about washboard abs even though there was literally no romance in the book.


Review will go live on my Goodreads and blog closer to release date.

Intriguing story so far of a girl called Skye way over her head in a prank that's turning sinister... Only part way though but good character and it is written brilliantly so far.

Okay coming up to half way now and I hate to ruin the story but talking about the first twist but I didn't see it coming. I hope the story continues to keep me fascinated and interested.

This have kept me guessing and I was often way off. Great story.

Skye Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl. It’s no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has some insider knowledge. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life. But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want and she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.

Holy smokes this is one fast=paced, enticing read! This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through! Another great hit for author Eileen Cook! Skye Thorn is a falsely self-proclaimed psychic who is now involved in assisting the police help them find a local missing teen. What she doesnt realize is that her involvement gets deeper into the mystery of the girls disappearance, and the stakes get hire as she realizes that the people involved are far more dangerous than they appear. A thrilling read overall, and I highly recommend for people who like fast paced thrillers.

“The Hanging Girl” was an intense YA thriller that was impossible to put down. Skye (Candi Skye Thorn) has had a tough life with her mother, who had her at 15 and works at Stop and Shop to pay (most of) the bills. Skye works at a diner, but dreams of moving to NYC with her BFF, Drew. She learned that pretending to be psychic will help earn some extra cash, and so does Tarot card readings for her classmates for fun. Although she believes it is all fake, her mother believes she has psychic skills and does “professional” readings.

Everything changes when a girl from school goes missing. Paige was the quintessential rich, popular girl. Using information she was fed from the kidnappers, Skye goes to the police to report her “visions” that lead them to investigate Paige’s disappearance. As the clues start stacking up, Skye begins to realize she is in way over her head. The book takes a lot of unexpected twists and turns and becomes a suspense/thriller/mystery that will keep you reading until the last page.

I don’t want to include spoilers, so I will not say too much more about the plot, but it was deliciously intense. Although I had some major things figured out pretty quickly, there were still others that threw me for a loop, and I really enjoyed the surprises. It’s an intricate plot that will keep you guessing. I really enjoyed this book and think it will great for anyone who enjoys YA suspense/mysteries- this is really well done!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. Unfortunately I was unable to download it in a readable format. I will however, be buying the book when it is published.

I could not open the protected pdf file and no mobi file was attached.

THE HANGING GIRL BY EILEEN COOK
Oh my this was a captivating read and I just could not stop turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. It was a totally absorbing read that I had a difficult time on one level to guess. Eileen Cook is a talented writer who knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Skye Thorn and her best friend Drew are getting ready to go to college in New York City. They are in their senior year of high school and Drew announces to Skye that she is concerned about Skye not having enough money for her own apartment so Drew cancels her Dorm to help out Skye. If they both get an apartment off campus together Drew thinks that Skye will be all set. What Skye fails to mention to Drew is that she has not saved any money. Skye lies to Drew about how much money she has in the bank.

The local golden girl goes missing. Her car is found at the airport by police parked in the designated long term parking area. Her name is Paige and her father is a judge. Police find some blood in the car. Skye is involved in the investigation because she is falsely claiming to be a psychic who sees visions. She has always been able to fake tarot card reading and claim she has psychic abilities outside her household. Her mother and grandmother claim to have these abilities but Skye will tell her mother to stop faking.

"I'd convinced myself that I wasn't really involved, that I was more like a bystander, but that wasn't completely true. I'd known this would happen when I left my answer in that book. I'd thought waiting was bad, but this was far worse."

Skye is no more a psychic and she does have some inside knowledge that Paige was going to be missing. Skye doesn't know just how dangerous the people are who she is dealing with. Her involvement was for Paige not to be harmed. Skye thought this was going to help her come up with the money she doesn't have so she can go to college and leave the town she doesn't like. This was supposed to be a harmless prank and nobody was supposed to get hurt. But this harmless prank could turn deadly if Skye doesn't figure out who she is dealing with and how dangerous they are.

Thank you to Net Galley, Eileen Cook and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.

This will go live on my blog on October 3. Kellyvision.wordpress.com

Skye has a semi-lucrative business going at school. For $10 a pop, she will use her psychic ability and Tarot deck to tell your future. (Yes, she's a fake.) This would all be fine except she gets involved after a popular girl goes missing---and it turns out she was kidnapped. Skye gives the police some key details that turn out to be correct. Except she's still not psychic. She knows because she's involved.

I couldn't stop reading this book! It's so clever and intricately done. Every time I thought I knew what would happen, I was proven wrong. It's a completely stunning novel, one that I hope everyone will read and discuss.

If you don't love Eileen Cook already, (a) examine your reading choices and (b) this book will change that. Highly recommended!

No modi kindle read file... no review from me! If you like people to review the book make it so they can read it!

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE HANGING GIRL in exchange for my honest review**

GRADE: A+++++
An infinity of stars

THE HANGING GIRL just might be a perfect book. WITH MALICE, Eileen Cook's last year home run was one of my favorites of last year, so my expectations were quite high for this years book. I didn't think Cook could equal last year, I hoped THE HANGING GIRL would be good enough for 4 or 5 stars.

When I received email notification I was granted the ARC, I felt like a lottery winner. My plan was to read slowly, to stretch out the pleasure. I even forced myself to take a break. Hours later, I failed in my efforts and finished this masterpiece.

Skye, a fake psychic, reads tarot cards for fun. Her mother, who believes she's psychic, couldn't read a sign if it said STOP at the end of a street. Skye hopes to save enough money to accompany her BFF Drew to college in New York City, but the odds aren't in her favor. Then Paige, one of the popular girls, is kidnapped and Skye has visions. Or does she? What starts off as a way to make some extra money for NYC, might just end up killing her.

THE HANGING GIRL never stops twisting and turning or surprising. Eileen Cook doesn't just twist for the sake of throwing surprises, each OMG-I-didn't-see-that-coming felt organic and necessary. I consider myself a savvy reader, but Cook fooled me every time.

Skye and honesty have a precarious relationship, but her heart is sincere and without malice (pun intended). Her prevarications stem more from self preservation than an intent to be deceitful. I didn't always agree, but understood her motivations. I liked her. A lot.

Cook set the bar high last year, and even higher this year. Her use of voice and pacing made THE HANGING GIRL unputdownable. My only criticism is that I wish she could write faster, so I wouldn't have to wait until I see what she does next.

My favorite pro-diversity moment is when Skye slams Chik-FilA as homophobic and lectures her mother for praising the fast food restaurant.

If you like mysteries, thrillers, strong female characters, great writing, heck, if you like reading THE HANGING GIRL is a must read.