I love YA thrillers and when I see a new one, I get super excited! It's been awhile since this one came out, but I'm happy I finally got to it. It's a solid YA thriller that I wish got more hype.

Im annoyed with myself that it took me so long to read this.

I really enjoyed this one. The mystery was really fun to try and figure out. I guessed it about halfway through.

The town of Burden Falls sounds like a great spooky small town. I think this would make a great show.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Loved the thriller/ mystery aspect as well as the characters and world building.I loved the story, felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you PenguinTeen for the earc in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. Once the slow starts begins to build up it's an exhilarating ride. The supernatural and thrill of the story kept me captivated. My first book by Kat Ellis and won't be my last.
If this book became a T.V show I would be excited to watch it.

Burden Falls written by Kat Ellis

In this YA Horror Thriller, 17-yo Ava Thorn lives in a superstitious small town called Burden Falls. The Thorn Manor overseas an apple orchard and sits next to a cursed waterfall where “Dead-Eyed Sadie”, a disturbing ghost with no eyes haunts. The Thorns are well-known in the town & has lived in that manor for centuries until it fell into financial ruin and since her parents died in a tragic car accident a year ago.

Her nightmares & mental health starts to deteriorate when her rival is brutally murdered, she becomes the main suspect. She starts to wonder if Dead-Eyed Sadie is real & has finally come to collect.

This is the best YA Horror Thriller I’ve ever read! Ava Thorn had such great character development & I really enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes. She has a ton of grit and tough exterior but she’s also quite vulnerable & experiencing PTSD from her parent’s death. Ellis wrote a spectacular atmospheric spooky thriller about a small superstitious town, dark family secrets, rivalries & paranormal events. I am looking forward to reading her other books. This book is dark, bone-chilling & disturbing & I’m here for it! Also I didn’t sleep for 2 nights.

If you love Riverdale and also love The Haunting of Hill House - this book is for you!

It has a bit of everything: romance, some snark, a bit of spooky and a lot of murder happenings. This book isn't necessarily for the faint of heart, so approach with caution and for preparing for a little of that spine-tingling scare.

Loved the pace of the writing and the development of the plot - this was my first from this author and I would definitely read again!

Mystery is one of those genres I love to dive into every so often! This definitely gave me King vibes with a whole lot of thriller. Kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot twist was insane! This took me out of a slump for sure!

Ava lost her parents and now she is losing her family's house and legacy to the family responsible for her parent's death. To make matters worse, she is struggling with school, her best friend and her beloved art. When someone dies in a horrific way and Ava finds the body, she is not sure what to think. All the evidence points to Ava being the killer, but Ava believes that the ghost of Dead Eye Sadie is behind the death and waiting for her next target.

I went into this story expecting horror but in actuality this is a mystery/thriller- which I am not complaining about in the slightest, just a comment. I will say that I was pretty sure who the killer was from the get go, (and I was right) but I enjoyed putting the pieces together to explain the why and the reveal. The ending did have a fantastic little touch to it that I didn't see coming and I loved completely.

After reading the previous book by this author I can confirm that she is fantastic at creating a creepy atmosphere, where the reader is lured into what is going on, completely on edge and freaked out, waiting to be attacked by whatever the story will throw out. I really like how she writes, creating tension and scary encounters without being super gory or even over the top, just the subtle touches you may not even notice when reading that make all the emotions and scenarios that much scarier.

Burden Falls is a standalone YA mystery that has hints of romance as well as paranormal that I really appreciated and helped to create a well rounded novel. I recommend this to anyone who likes a solid creepy mystery and maybe a few startle encounters. I look forward to more books by this author in the future.

This will definitely keep you guessing! It was eerie in all the right ways but it did seem a little slow at times. If you can push through the slowness you will enjoy it. I did have a panic attack while reading this so I would warn people about the graphic details before recommending. Any good murder mystery is something I will love!

(Also love this cover sooo)

This book follows Ava Thorn who recently lost her parents in a car crash, move in with her Aunt and Uncle, and sell her family home.

There have always been rumors in her town about a ghost named Dead-Eyed Sadie, who kills whoever sees her. A string of murders in the town all have one thing in common and Ava wonders if the rumors about Dead-Eyed Sadie are true.

Here's what I loved:
- The book was fast paced and never dragged
- The ending was HIGH STAKES! I loved it so much. This book was otherwise 3 stars for me (good, but not life changing) until the end. That alone bumped it to four stars for me!
- I did not see the twist of who the killer was coming at all, but it made perfect sense.

The one thing that I wished for was actually a little more creep factor. I never found it super scary, unfortunately.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the gifted arc!

Very torn on this one, to be honest.

The writing felt young and at times almost trying too hard to be edgy -- a lot of "praise satan" and "thank the dark lord," plus does any teenager still refer to themselves as "goth"?? -- and the mystery itself was a bit half-baked.

BUT it was a fun time. I genuinely didn't see the big twist coming (granted I'm super tired all the time so might have been missing the huge clues), and the climax definitely had me on the edge of my seat.

It's entertaining, easy to read, and generally a good time. I could have done without the random steps into the paranormal as that's just not my jam, and I wish YA thrillers didn't feel the need to also shoe-horn in a romance that doesn't fit in easily.

Overall? A fun summer read, but likely not something that will stick with me for very long.

It’s almost time for the spooky season, and do I have a paranormal YA suspense recommendation for you! Burden Falls is the US title and cover. It's Wicked Little Deeds in the UK, SA, and AUS. In true Kat Ellis fashion, Burden Falls (like Ellis’ debut, Harrow Lake, which receives a crossover mention) treats readers to some utterly delicious 80s horror movie vibes.

One year ago, Ava Thorn lost her parents in a terrible car accident that had some too-close-for-comfort parallels to the local legend of paranormal entity Dead-Eyed Sadie. One year later, she is losing not only her childhood but the family home. What’s worse? I mean, what could possibly be worse?! Thorn Manor is going to a Miller (the Millers are the sworn enemies of the Thorns; it’s been that way since… forever ago) — and not just any Miller. Madoc Miller. The Miller who caused the accident that killed Ava’s parents. Small comfort, Ava still has Uncle Ty and Aunt Caroline (now her guardians), and the three displaced Thorns move into a small, drafty cottage.

From page one, Burden Falls pulls you in with a story rich in eerie atmosphere, small town distortions, and complex family histories. There’s something rotten in the sour apple orchards, and soon after the Thorns are forced out of their home, the first eyeless victim washes up dead. The second victim soon follows, and police attentions shifts to Ava… as the prime suspect. Hang on to the edge-of-your-seat because the twists and turns just keep on coming, especially after the midpoint.

What’s more to love: the dynamic between the Millers and Thorns, especially the younger generation; the way friendships and their complexities are explored; the enemies-to-allies element; the creepiness virtually leaps off the page (prepare to sleep with a night light).

The queen of crossover, Ellis effortlessly combines paranormal with the elements of a YA thriller and a good-old YA mystery. A must-read for horror fans.

4.5/5 stars

I adored this story and highly recommend it to anyone who loves murder mysteries, drama and the paranormal. I started this story and could not put it down. I loved the twists and turns this story went and how it all made sense at the very end.

The character development of our main character, Ava is really great throughout the novel as she faces her fears and ends up breaking the cycle of hate that has cursed the Thorns and Millers for centuries. The plot development is incredible throughout the whole novel, especially in relation to Sadie and the murder mystery.

I loved finding out the family history of the Thorns and Miller's as well as how they are are related to the Sadie legend. I found the pacing was a very consistent and it really hooked me straight away. I loved how the descriptive tone use when adding atmosphere into the story and how every character had their own voice and personality.
Overall, I really loved this story and definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a spooky read or a murder mystery.

Harrow Lake is my favourite YA horror book! So I went into this with high expectations because I already read some reviews saying Burden Falls is as good as Harrow Lake.

This haunting story is about a superstitious town, cursed waterfalls and a feud. Its equally mysterious and chilling. Just when I was fully indulged in solving the mystery, a scene happened that ran chill down my spine. That’s when I knew I like this book too. You just cannot go wrong with the supernatural vibes. They always do good for the story!! Ellis has done great by giving equal importance to the story composition and the characters, it felt both character driven and story driven. Well weighted in my opinion because I was invested in Ava’s life as well as the mystery surrounding the Millers & the Thorns.

Overall, Burden Falls is a well rounded story that will appeal all horror lovers, especially the ones that look for a good supernatural mystery.

Thank you Penguin Teen via Netgalley for the arc

”She’s just a girl who had something bad happen to her. That doesn’t make her bad, does it?”

Someone with authority NEEDS to read this book and turn it into a movie. A small town, a spooky legend, MURDER, and a little bit of teenage angst. WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR? Seriously, what more?

I loved Burden Falls. The legend of Deadeyed Sadie, the tension between the Thorn and Miller families, the murders and the mystery surrounding them, the supernatural vibes, and just everything. I mean this is essentially a mash up of your favorite CW teen drama and a Supernatural episode.you’ve got Ava Thorn who has lost so much in the past year. Her parents, her home, her lust for life. Then, all these people around her are dying and all the signs are pointing toward her, well sort of. You just need to read this book. If you like horror reads that involve town legends and real life horrors, then you need to pick up this book. There’s also the lighter side that follows Ava just figuring life out after everything that’s happened and I think that gives Burden Falls such a great balance!

Riverdale meets Stephen King in the terrifying new thriller from the author of Harrow Lake.

The town of Burden Falls drips with superstition, from rumors of its cursed waterfall to Dead-Eyed Sadie, the disturbing specter who haunts it. Ava Thorn grew up right beside the falls, and since a horrific accident killed her parents a year ago, she's been plagued by nightmares in which Sadie comes calling—nightmares so chilling, Ava feels as if she’ll never wake up. But when someone close to Ava is brutally murdered and she’s the primary suspect, she begins to wonder if the stories might be more than legends—and if the ghost haunting her dreams might be terrifyingly real. Whatever secrets Burden Falls is hiding, there's a killer on the loose . . . with a vendetta against the Thorns.

This is a great horror book with mysterious plots and spooky storyline. I find it a lil bit slow but it was really a great read. If you like reading YA, Horror thriller and mystery, this book is perfect for you.

Happy Sunday y'all! Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours for having me as a part of the Burden Falls tour and thank you so much to Dial books for young readers for sponsoring this tour! If y'all haven't a) heard of this book or b) grabbed this book yet, definitely got on that (but first, read my review)!
Burden Falls 5/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
Content Warnings: strong elements of horror; in particular, there is some gore (relating to blood and eyes), death of 2 parents, gaslighting , and several deaths/dead bodies on-page.
Riverdale meets Stephen King in the terrifying new thriller from the author of Harrow Lake.
The town of Burden Falls drips with superstition, from rumors of its cursed waterfall to Dead-Eyed Sadie, the disturbing specter who haunts it. Ava Thorn grew up right beside the falls, and since a horrific accident killed her parents a year ago, she’s been plagued by nightmares in which Sadie comes calling—nightmares so chilling, Ava feels as if she’ll never wake up. But when someone close to Ava is brutally murdered and she’s the primary suspect, she begins to wonder if the stories might be more than legends—and if the ghost haunting her dreams might be terrifyingly real. Whatever secrets Burden Falls is hiding, there’s a killer on the loose . . . with a vendetta against the Thorns.
Oh man y'all this book was so creepy and thriller-y! I loved how I didn't really know who did it until the very end- like I had some guesses, but they were wrong and I of course completely discounted the person who had actually done it because of course that person couldn't have done it! I really love the world that Kat Ellis built around the town of Burden Falls and the feud between the Thorns and the Millers. And the way that she had masterfully shown Ava slowly becoming overwhelmed to a point that she wasn't super sure what was real and what was all in her head. I really liked Dominic- I did think it was a little weird that they were referred to him and his sister- who was 2 years younger than him- as twins, but that wasn't a plot point or anything. I was not a huge fan of Ford- I hated how he treated Ava. I know they had been friends for a while, but at some point, when a friendship becomes toxic, it's time to cut it loose. I really liked the pacing and the way the story was laid out- I was always on my toes and pretty much devoured the whole book in one sitting (I stayed up until like 1:30am finishing it). I didn't really think it was super scary or horror-y or gory, but I think my threshold for horror/gore is much higher in books than it is in like movies and stuff. Overall, I highly recommend reading Burden Falls! Grab it today: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound
About the Author:
Kat Ellis is the author of young adult novels Harrow Lake, Purge, Breaker, and Blackfin Sky, as well as a novella within the Three Strikes collection titled The Twins of Blackfin. 
Kat studied English with Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, then spent several years working in local government communications and IT. 
When she is not writing, Kat can usually be found exploring ruins and cemeteries with her camera. She is an active blogger, instagrammer and tweeter, and is represented by Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook

Ava has been through a lot in such a short time. Still reeling from the loss of her parents, when people around town start disappearing, Ava is at the center. While she’s not responsible, she wants to find out who is. As she starts a budding friendship with the last person she dreamed possible, she starts to see some light in her life. But it may not be enough as things are getting worse around town.

I suspect Ava has PTSD, though it’s never named as such. Her problems sleeping, the lashing out at her best friend Ford, and the anxiety lead me back to that. It makes sense considering the traumatic events of a year ago. My heart simultaneously broke for her in her grief and then cheered her on as she kept on, fighting for what she felt was right. Weaving an urban legend-esque spirit into this storyline, Ellis keeps you wondering if supernatural elements are at play. Burden Falls is a slow-unveiling mystery/thriller with elements of horror that keep the reader tense in suspicion. Overall, a super fun read. A few reviewers have mentioned Harrow Lake, so I’m definitely going to check that out now.

Burden Falls felt like a horror set in a small town, actually I imagined it close to a small town near me that has a bunch of apple orchards in the area. Ellis was able to provide this small town feel, with its own Lore that felt routed and believable. Despite there not being many settings, the ones we do venture into felt confined and creepy – only adding to this glorious spooky atmosphere.

Ava is our main character and the only perspective we get. Mainly staying in present day, with the odd flashback to important events, we learn as Ava learns and believe what Ava believes. In this haunting mystery, we start questioning what’s happening to Ava, and whether or not we can trust what she’s seeing. I loved the trickle of haunting images that we are exposed to through Ava, having me question whether or not there was a supernatural element to the book. I loved this element of questioning – it had me trusting no one, including our main character. Ava as a character was interesting, although not one I will likely remember for long. She loves art and aspires to illustrate her own graphic novels (LOVE). We focus mainly on the mystery and the history of her family/town so we don’t learn much about the side characters’ backstory. In the end, I was left wondering about things mentioned here and there about a side character because they were never explained – Ava never questioned anything more about it. This is fine, since this wasn’t the point of this story, but I was still left wondering.

This ended up being more gorey than I had originally anticipated, but I loved what was there. I felt the gore kept with the Lore and provided higher stakes. Although detailed, it didn’t provide more than what was needed to visualize the scene.

I was genuinely surprised by the reveal in this one. I trusted no one by the end, but did not see this coming at all!

If you’re wanting something creepy and haunted this Fall, then I highly recommend Burden Falls. The twists were surprising and the haunting elements left me questioning everything. I’ll definitely be keeping on eye out for more of Ellis’ work and plan to grab Harrow Lake soon!

I had such a great time reading this book! The build up, the pace, the characters and the setting… all of it combined set such a mood for this book. Truly such a great reading experience.

This was about family legacies, terrifying urban legends, and small towns with lots of secrets and rumors.

A year ago, Ava Thorn’s parents were killed in a terrible accident. Now, the person responsible for their deaths is buying the manor she grew up in. On top of that, Ava is plagued by the visage of Sadie, an eyeless ghost who is an old legend in their town of Burden Falls.

They say you see her before you die… and now people in town are dying and Ava is in the center of it all. And she is determined to find out who is responsible. With all the changes happening in her life, one bright spot in the darkness comes in the form of a new alliance… one she never would have assumed.

Reading as this mystery unfolds was the perfect thrilling crescendo. You just never know what is going to happen next or who to trust. Kat Ellis is such a fantastic author and I will forever read her books!