It’s no secret that C.J. Tudor has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors. So when this turned up in my Netgalley account, with no notice, and a week before the publication date; you know I dropped all my other reading plans to jump into this story!

I first read C.J. Tudor back in 2018 with The Chalkman. I was immediately hooked on her mix of slight paranormal mixed with a little horror and lots of suspense. It’s honestly my favorite combination when it comes to thriller books and while I’m a chicken when it comes to Movies & TV, the scarier the better when it comes to books. Tudor’s book really deliver for me in this aspect, and personally I think that The Burning Girls is my new favorite!

Reverend Jack Brooks, is use to be underestimated for being a women in a ‘man’s’ job. She’s also knows that small towns, such as Chapel Croft where she has just been relocated to, are filled with superstition. With her teenage daughter, Florence in tow, Brook’s almost immediately knows something sinister is going on in their new village.

During the persecution of Protestant’s, Chapel Croft was home to one of the most notable Protestant burnings. Two girls burned during this event are known to appear to people when to warn them of danger coming their way. The same way they have appeared to both Jack and her daughter within days of arriving at Chapel Croft. Has danger already found the pair or have they stumbled upon something new and sinister.

Told in two timelines and through the eyes of multiple character’s, if you don’t enjoy multiple POVs than this book won’t be for you. But if you are like me and love the added layers of distinct voices and experience than you’ll love this book.

With some Blair witchy vibes and toeing the line between horror and thriller, C.J. Tudor’s newest book is my new favorite from her. This story is all over the place, in a good way. The sheer amount of twists will keep you guessing pretty much the entire way throughout the book and leave you completely speechless at the end.


The Burning Girls comes out February 9, 2021. Huge thank you to Ballentine Books, Random House Publishing, and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this E-ARC!

I love books set in small villages where everybody seems to hide something. Plus, the theme of the Church makes the mood of the story creepier - there are talks about martyrdom, exorcism, people burned at the stake. It looks really dark, but the lighter tone of the main character - a bit sarcastic, and sometimes witty - makes the story really pleasant to read. Plus, the writing style is really smooth and the chapters short, the perfect mix to captivate the reader by the story from the beginning until the end, without letting them putting the book down. I didn't know what to expect when starting the book, but it surely wasn't that ending - I didn"t see it coming at all! I had zero suspicions et that is why I rated it 5 stars.

“If you see the burning girls, something bad will befall you.”

Those who’ve enjoyed Sharon Bolton’s “Blood Harvest” will absolutely devour The Burning Girls. The action doesn’t take too long to take place. I enjoyed the few creepy moments (disturbing-looking dolls, strange village traditions...) and the fact that there’s a little revelation at the end of every chapter that makes you anticipate the next. I’m not an avid reader of Tudor’s books but The Burning Girls is definitely better than her previous, “The Other People.” The reveal as to who the culprit is was a satisfying one. Looking forward to reading more of Ms Tudor’s work in the future!

I really liked this new book by CJ Tudor. I expected it to be gory like her last books, but it was definitely less gory. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but overall I liked the story and the main characters!

C.J. Tudor has a writing style that pulls me in. In The Burning Girls, the main character Jack is the new priest in a small town. Chapel Croft is a town that keeps its dark secrets. 500 years ago martyrs were burned at the stake, 30 years ago two teenage girls disappear, and recently the local vicar committed suicide. When Jack and her teenage daughter Flo arrive in the small town, they are aren't really welcomed with open arms. Strange packages show up on their doorstep. Odd comments are made by Jack's parishioners. People in Chapel Croft keep secrets and are protective of their own.

Although the book is centered around Jack and the church, it isn't a book about God or religion. The Burning Girls is all about the mysteries of Chapel Croft and the secrets it holds. The plot twist at the end was a surprise I didn't see coming. The author has a way of making you think about the story for awhile after you've finished. All the bits and pieces come together in the end with a purpose. Overall, a dark, compelling story.

At this point, C.J. Tudor has moved into my category of writers I consider "reliables." I may not absolutely love everything a reliable writes, but I know that I will at least like it a lot. And that's the case for this book. It starts with an intriguing mystery, then piles a few more on for good measure. And who doesn't like that?

3.5 stars

Vicar Jacqueline (Jack) Brooks has to leave her Nottingham church after a tragedy occurs in her congregation. Jack is temporarily assigned to the Sussex village of Chapel Croft, whose pastor recently died. When Jack and her 15-year-old daughter Flo arrive in Chapel Croft they're dismayed by the small nondescript chapel and their cottage next door, which is dilapidated and uninviting.

Moreover, Chapel Croft has a sinister vibe, in part because of its dreadful history. Five hundred years ago, eight villagers - including two young girls - were burned at the stake during Queen Mary's purge of Protestants. Now the incident is commemorated every year by the burning of twig dolls on the anniversary of the purge.

The town also experienced a more recent misfortune. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls, named Merry and Joy, vanished without a trace. The general consensus was that the girls ran away, but the disappearances cast a lasting pall over the area.

To add to the dark atmosphere, the villagers say the ghosts of the burned Protestant girls haunt the chapel, and if you see them, something bad will happen to you.

Jack and Flo's arrival gets off to a sinister start when the vicar is presented with an anonymous gift that turns out to be an exorcism kit. Soon afterwards, ghostly figures appear to mother and daughter, which teenage Flo - who's a hobby photographer - tries to capture on film....without success.

Jack wants to dismiss the phenomena as tricks of the light, but Flo doesn't buy it. As it turns out the paranormal warning may be legitimate, because Flo becomes the target of vicious teenage bullies and Jack is persecuted with sinister messages and a gossip campaign.

As they settle in, mother and daughter socialize with some of the locals: Flo with an outcast teenage boy named Lucas Wrigley, and Jack with a gossipy octogenarian called Joan and a reporter called Mike. Both Jack and Flo hear that disturbing things happen in Chapel Croft, and they soon come to see that this is true.

As all this is going on, a murderous ex-convict is released from prison, and starts to hunt for Jack. As the man makes his away across England, he leaves a string of calamities in his wake.

Jack and Flo are likable main characters. Jack is a modern vicar who sneaks ciggies, drinks an occasional glass of wine, enjoys modern films and popular music, and participates in the pub quiz; and Flo is a mature teenager who knows self-defense, can set up a photography darkroom; and doesn't complain TOO much about leaving her friends in Nottingham.

One thing I didn't like is that both Jack and Flo blithely walk into dangerous situations RIGHT AFTER they tell themselves that naïve girls in horror movies do this very thing. If it was me, and I was all alone - and creepy things were happening - I wouldn't traipse into a musty basement after hearing rustling noises, or search a dark chapel after I see flickering lights.

I also feel the story is over-complicated, with too much going on.

That said, I enjoyed the novel. Tudor is a master of surprises, and there are plenty of twists in this suspenseful horror/mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley, C.J. Tudor, and Ballantine Books for a copy of the book.

This was a creepy little mystery with some unpredictable twists. However, it lacked the edge of your seat moments for me that are my definition of a good thriller. I did enjoy that it had some history built into the story but not as much as I would have liked. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to escape from reality for a bit and for readers who enjoy suspense.

As the expression goes: the devil is in the detail and this thriller is all that.
   The strange death of the resident vicar in a village results in the transfer of a young vicar and her daughter to a stodgy old church to fill his position. As do most old English towns, it comes with its own history. While the circumstances that makes the town famous may be chilling, the town thrives on the notoriety of what happened.
   The new vicar immediately  finds herself in the roll of detective when a bag with the tools for an exorcism is left in her cottage. Was she supposed to perform one? Maybe it has something to do with the “visions” of burning girls they are both experiencing. But they know ghosts aren’t real, but are they? Seeing these Burning Girls are a precursor of trouble, so the story goes.  
   The disappearance of 2 girls and another vicar 30 years ago adds to the lore of this tiny village whose residents all seems to be in each others business……constantly.  
   Her teenage daughter seems to find her own share of problems. She has left a cosmopolitan city and now resides in an area with no internet, no friends and is trying her wings at independence. The one friend she connects with leads to more intrigue, dark shadows and abandoned houses.
   This book is like a snowball rolling down a hill…….there is a basic story but as it barrels along it picks up more characters and adds more back stories, more missing townsfolk, more “visions" moving faster and faster.  Maybe that was just me and how I was reading it because every new twist had me turning another page.

#BookReview "The Burning Girls" by CJ Tudor! (Thank you @netgalley @penquinrandimhouse #ballantinebooks for the gifted copy) 4⭐! Out NOW!!

This was my first book by CJ Tudor and I really liked it!! If you want a paranormal mystery that's really creepy, you'll get it in this book! Jack Brooks is the new vicar in town. She's moved to this small, secluded town with her 14 year old daughter Flo. This town has a haunted past and as they are finding out, people around here also may have something to hide. Thirty years ago, 2 girls had disappeared without a trace, and a few weeks before they arrived, the vicor of the parish hanged himself. Jack receives a strange welcome package , and exorcism kit, with a warning in it. She wonders what is behind all of this.

I really enjoyed the mystery of this story. I will say it took me to about 30% to really get into the story but it was so good. Definitely recommend it if you love a good creepy read with some great twists.

This was my first Tudor book and I’m not disappointed at all! This was a great thriller (almost borderline horror in parts) with a premise I really enjoyed and a twist at the very end I did NOT see coming!

[5 Stars]

-- thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review --

I got approved for this anticipated release right before it came out and rushed to try to finish it before release. Obviously, that didn't happen, despite my best efforts, but boy did I love this! I really enjoyed C. J. Tudor's other work 'The Chalk Man' when I read it last year, so hearing she was coming out with another mystery/thriller was quite exciting. This book centers on a victor and her daughter who relocate to a new town that has a lot of mysterious deaths + disappearances sprinkled throughout its past. The creep factor was definitely there, I got spooked out multiple times, and the twists were super twisty. I actually had a lot of fun trying to guess the reveals and am proud to say I was actually right about a couple of them! (I feel like that never happens lol). I also really liked the philosophical and religious conversations that are sprinkled throughout this because they added depth to the characters and the storyline. Overall, this was a satisfying read and I'm definitely going to make an effort to work through more of Tudor's backlist as the year goes on.

CW: suicide, murder, gore, abuse, assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, death of a child, and torture

This was such a scary, suspenseful, tension filled book! Jack and her daughter Flo have moved to the creepy village of Chapel Croft where something is not right. There are secrets and history and everyone is connected to the history. Very well written, this story drew me in at the beginning and didn’t let go until that final twist.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is beautifully twisted and impossible to put down. A Vicar named Jack (who is a woman, yeah, fooled me for a while too) who has secrets she’s running from a small village with a checkered past, and a mystery within a mystery clinging to another mystery. What could go wrong?

Vicar Jack Brooks and her 15-year-old daughter Flo move from big city life in Nottingham to a small village in the countryside because of a scandal she was involved in. This scandal is revealed throughout the book and of note, we learn early on that someone from her past was released from prison recently, which causes Jack some amount of dread. There is so much about Jack that I wanted to know and the reveals are very methodical and well done! She is a great main character.

The village they settle in, Chapel Croft, is the center of The Burning Girls, martyrs who were burned at the stake many centuries ago. Surprisingly, the village celebrates the girls - which sets a creepy stage for the book.

I think one of the best parts of the book is the eccentric characters surrounding Jack and Flo, and how the two of them awkwardly weave themselves into this broken little society. Jack can’t seem to help herself as she gets deeply involved in investigating a more recent mystery of the town, the disappearance of two teenage girls which happened a few decades prior to their arrival.

There is lot going on here, and it has the chilling supernatural undertones that Tudor works in all of her books. One trigger warning I would mention is that there is some serious bullying in Flo’s plot line. All-in-all a great read and well-designed mystery. Leave the light on when you read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for my ARC.

This was one of my favorite C J Tudor books so far! Its everything I love in a thriller. Its a fun fast paced whodunit with nods to so many horror tropes and movies. The mystery keep you guessing as the pieces fall into place. Cant wait for the next one!

Haunting, dark, and atmospheric, The Burning Girls is my new favorite of CJ Tudor’s works!! The characterization and plotting are both brilliant. I especially loved the main character, Jack Brooks, and her daughter, Flo. They are deeply relatable and they serve as strong female protagonists who go against the grain. The entire cast of characters is filled with complexity and flaws, leaving the reader feeling suspicious about everyone. There are plenty of little breadcrumbs and red herrings interspersed throughout the story so my theories about whodunnit were constantly evolving. The dark atmosphere and secretive setting also contribute to the unsettling nature of the story. Highly recommend!! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing me with an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐.5/ 5 stars

I used to read mostly thrillers and true crime - but took a bit of a break in 2020 to focus more on fun books in the fantasy and romance genre. The premise alone for this new book by CJ Tudor drew me back. I am freaked out by anything having to do with religious exorcisms especially in movies, so starting this book already creeped me out. This book takes place in Chapel Croft, a small village, where Protestant martyrs, including 2 young girls were tortured and burned at the stake under Queen Mary’s rule. To this day, the villagers burn little wicker dolls in honor of the martyrs. An unconventional vicar, Reverend Jack Brooks moves to the village to replace Reverend Fletcher, who died from mysterious circumstances. Upon arrival, Jack discovers someone has gifted them an old exorcism kit and finds those creepy wicker dolls all around their cottage. Jack’s daughter starts seeing the burning girls and a mysterious stranger lurking outside in the graveyard 🪦. The longer they stay in the village, the more they sense that the locals are hiding secrets and would do anything to keep them hidden.

This had all the foundations of being a perfect thriller, it’s fast paced, creepy, and nail-biting suspense. However, there is a LOT going on and the major twist ending was a bit lackluster as you kind of figure out what’s going on from the not so subtle hints. The characters were also kind of bland - you don’t really feel much for them. If you love a fast paced psychological thriller, then definitely give this a read, but didn’t love it.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

CJ Tudor is another excellent author who freely crosses genre lines, taking readers on a trip through mystery, thriller, adventure, horror and whatever else can be stirred in to keep the story and characters moving quickly. I've read several of her back library and found them all to be excellent reads but they will stir your heart rate.

As a pastor, Jack Brooks serves at the church's direction, taking her daughter where ever her next assignment should be. Her choices seldom factor into her choice of homes, but she loves her job and her parishioners and feels she can make a difference anywhere she lands. This time she is assigned a temporary post at Chapel Croft where the pastor before her committed suicide. She expects to meet some dark feelings but is unprepared for what greets her and her daughter upon arrival. The town has a history of death and torment that should have died centuries ago but remnants can still be found today.

This book has a definite "creep" factor and pulls in some serious teen issues through Jack's daughter and her friends. The story builds tension as we meet the characters and find their history woven into the fabric of the town. The danger to the "good" people ratchets up quickly and I jumped a few times when the action was surprising. A thoroughly engrossing story that you'll race to get to the ending. But then, that's what we expect from a CJ Tudor book.

Holy. Crap.
This is C.J. Tudor’s BEST book! I could not put this book down. Every time I thought I knew who, why and where, I was completely wrong. I loved the atmosphere and the characters C.J. has created. There were times I wanted to throw my Kindle in the freezer and leave it there, but I couldn’t put it down. I went out and bought the physical book because I wanted to have it on my shelf. I’m so happy I read this book! I have recommended this book to EVERYONE I know. This is probably my favorite book of 2021 and it’s only February.

First, I'll say The Burning Girls is a great book if you enjoy thrillers and are looking for an introduction into horror. What is the difference between a thriller and a horror novel?

Well, it can simply be semantics, but there are a few facts about this book that make it both.
Thrillers depend on the method of suspense that can be explained in the natural world. Does The Burning Girls have suspense? Totally....and it's very well paced. In both genres, the intensity builds as we approach a climax. 

Horror creates a sense of dread, fear and disgust. Did The Burning Girls give me dread, fear and disgust? Absolutely...and it was again very well paced. I don't think it was too shocking or too gruesome either. Horror also tends to include a supernatural element, which is a huge draw to me. The "killer" subgenre of horror doesn't usually do it for me so I would include those more in the thriller category. I enjoyed the paranormal element of this novel a lot. 

I wanted to include some background as to why I liked this book and felt like it was a wonderful blend of horror and thriller. I enjoyed the complex history of the main character, Jack. I found her incredibly likable. The villain of our story isn't quite who you would expect either. 

C.J. Tudor has a brilliant writing style and I can't wait to read more from this author. The multi-mystery plot was truly captivating and held my interest from the first page to the epilogue.