I really struggled with this as it didn't seem to fit firmly in either young teen or older teen. This made it feel disjointed. I also had trouble warming to the characters as they came across as 14 year olds but were in fact meant to be 17. The crime/horror element seemed too gritty for a teen read.

I managed to get halfway through and was going to stick with it until the ultimatum by the killer occurred. This played all too neatly into the world of the main character and felt so unrealistic as to make me wonder if it was meant to be a fantasy read. I couldn't continue.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was very intrigued with the fact that the plot of this book is a historical fiction mixed with horror/thriller. I think bringing in true crime into books like this can be very interesting! I felt like I was missing some parts of the thrill but overall I did enjoy it. I thought the MC was pretty well written.

Maybe my expectations were too high based off the promising summary but I found this novel lacking in thrill. It is based on true accounts of an ax murderer in New Orleans Early 1800's and the families affected were all Italians. While it had a some description of gore, it is more a cat mouse search. And more psychological than thrilling. I also didn't get any character connection with the two MC.
*Trigger warning -The way the influenza portrayal was extremely close to covid in details so many people may be tired of that or it could feel to close to home if you have lost a loved one from it.
I read this as an ARC courtesy of Netgalley and the thoughts above are what I thought of the book.

A YA Mystery based on real life crimes in New Orleans. Gianna is a young girl leaving in New Orleans in 1918, and she has lots of worries. There's a war, her families store is in trouble and now there's a new illness. Oh, and there's an axeman on the loose. He's murdering people and the police have no leads. So Gianna does what any young girl would do, investigate the murders with her best friend. New Orleans is the perfect setting for this story, its rich in mystery and history. The story was interesting but not thrilling. I liked the characters and had fun reading it.

A paranormal thriller based on the real life mystery of the Axeman, a serial killer in 1918 New Orleans. The Axeman targets Italian families and attacks them in their homes with an ax. Gianna's family were one of the Axeman's earliest victims. Although her parents both survived, she has since been haunted with dreams of the Axeman. Over time, the dreams become more intense, almost as if she is in his mind. Can she solve the mystery of the Axeman and stop him before he hurts anyone else? Set during the 1918 influenza epidemic, a time that parallels our current time period a little too closely for comfort.

Fans of true crime and paranormal thrillers are sure to enjoy this one.

For some reason I had a hard time relating to these characters, however being a fan of true crime I loved the way the events played out! I believe I’ll have to buy a copy of this one for my sister

I didn't personally like this - I didn't connect to the characters, the murder visions just kept making me think of Malignant, and I don't enjoy reading books that take place during pandemics right now. I also thought a lot of the pandemic stuff was way too on the nose. Despite that, I still might recommend this to younger teens looking for alternatives to RL Stine.

As someone who has always had a keen interest in true crime and has been researching for years, I was delighted by the relatable turn of events.
I liked this book and will recommend it to my friends and followers.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.