Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Blue Rider Press for the ARC of this novel in exchange for a honest review.

When I read the NetGalley synopsis this book was very intriguing: murdered children coming back as deceased adults to exact revenge on their murderers. Very original! Unfortunately, that original plot is the only reason this book earned a star.

The book is REALLY confusing. Honestly, I had to reread a lot of pages in order to figure it out. And I’ll give it to the book that it was formatted since it’s an I corrected proof but wonky page formatting doesn’t cause a book to be confusing on its own. There were some parts that were so confusing I just stopped reading and moved on. There were a lot of parts of the book that could be written a little more straightforward and still maintained the integrity of the book.

Second, some of the child death scenes are really graphic. I am not normally offended by sex or murder and I regularly read books with heavy themes but some of the graphicness was not necessary and seemed more gratuitous than actually contributing to the plot.

Lastly, the author had a strange writing quirk that really bugged me. Any time she mentioned a new city or suburb she gave you a point of reference to the most well known city but considering this all took place in relatively the same area it wasn’t necessary after the 3rd or 4th new city. Also, I live in the area that this book tales place and some of the information was incorrect but I’ll let her pass on that one since 99% of readers are not going to notice that one.

I really wanted to like this one but I just couldn’t.

Fabulous book. Thoroughly loved. Highly recommend!

Not my cup of tea I’m afraid didn’t like the way it was written, it never seemed to get going I tried to read all of it but I’m afraid I had to give up.

Hello Fellow Readers,

First off if you are triggered by mentions of rape, child abuse and such DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. With that out of the way, I wanted to like this book so bad! The synopsis really reeled me in, along with the title and great cover. I was impressed with the fact that this is a debut novel for Sarah Sparrow. However, the book did not live up to my expectations.

Willow Wylde, the main character, is your stereotypical cop. He drinks hard, is a bad father and has mental fantasies of raping his neighbor. Not the type of person I want to really connect within a book. Sparrow's writing at times felt disjointed and I had to reread sentences multiple times to make sure that I read it right. The writing combined with the confusion of characters speech and actions made this an incredibly hard book to read. I had to read the book in one day because I knew if I put it down I probably wouldn't have picked it back up again.

I was so disappointed with this book.

Well, this ARC request was clearly a mistake. The synopsis sounded interesting to me, but I couldn't read more than 2% because of the writing. Clearly not the sort I like.

The structure, organization, and pacing of this book were dreadful. The first 25% read like nonsense, and the details, once the story finally began, were muddy and infirm.

I tried several times to get into this book but I couldn't make it past 10%. I always feel terrible not finishing ARCs because I want to be able to give an honest review. Unfortunately this title was just not for me.

I wanted to like this book, but I just could not get into it and I tried many times. IThey synopsis of the book had me excited to read this book. It was just too much being presented and at times it was not clear. It just did not work for me. Thanks to NetGalley, the publsiher and the author for the ARC of this book in return for my honest reivew.

I have GENUINELY tried to get into this book. When given an ARC I always try my best to finish it in order to provide an honest review in exchange but I just couldn't get through this. I don't know what it was, but I had such a hard time sitting down and reading this. I had to DNF it at 15%

I tried really hard to get into this book because I've heard good reviews. It just wasn't my cup of tea, but I am sure there are many who will love it. Sorry.

I requested this book solely based on the title. How can anyone who loves mysteries and weird, supernatural stories resist a title like A Guide for Murdered Children?

We immediately get a thorough, no holds barred view of Willow, and he is a mess. Initially, I wondered who the heck is this person and what is going on? Didn't really seem like he'd be "hero" material, but apparently he was. I rather liked how flawed Willow's character was - it makes him a great person to for his job(s).

The story has a great appeal - what if children who were violently murdered could return to enact revenge? It enables the "landlord" (or the person who helps the child) to live awhile longer, and allows the "tenant" child retribution. An interesting concept.

My only complaint is they keeping talking about "haywire." Oh, it's time for "haywire." Let's chalk it up to "haywire." "Haywire,""haywire," "haywire." I should've counted how many times they used that word. AHHH!

Otherwise, it was a quite enjoyable read.

I wasn’t in the right mood for this book when I started it, so returned about 3 months later and boyyyyyyy am I glad I gave it another shot! One of the most original, haunting and heartwarming books I’ve read this year.

The link to the review will be added upon completing and polishing the review.

I just could not get into this book. It didn't seem to flow. I wasn't really sure what was going on so gave up. Shame as it sounded good.

I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for a review.

I gave this book three stars. Some things that I enjoyed about the book were that I thought the premise and the idea were definitely something different and interesting. I liked "supernatural" idea of the afterlife for children and how they were able to get peace and justice after being murdered.

Things I didn't like about the book was that there were way too many characters who each had two names and it was difficult to keep track of who was who. It is also harder when doing it on an ereader because you can flip back and forth. Also, some of the scenes of the murders were a little brutal to read. Usually I don't shy away from that stuff, but this seemed a little over the top.

Overall, it held my interest and kept me wanting to read until the end. There was not a big surprise reveal but it tied together nicely in the end. If books involving a little suspension of disbelief including a dark side are your thing, then I would definitely recommend it. If that's a little too much or too violent, then I would suggest taking a pass.

So mixed review alert....

I loved the blurb, loved the idea, loved the uniqueness of the book, but by god I found it confusing in places and hard to keep up with as sooooo much was going on at times!

Imagine if murdered children can come back and get revenge on the people that murdered them, amazing, great storyline it’s just the inbetween I struggled with.

Saying that I stuck with it and did enjoy it so don’t let that out you off, it’s dark in parts obviously rape and murder of children is never a nice subject but the end result when they get their revenge makes it worthwhile.

A totally unique book you won’t find anywhere else!

I couldn't finish this book I'm afraid...
I didn't get on with the writing style at all and despite trying my best, I just couldn't keep going.
There seems to be very mixed reviews about this!

The description of this book sounded good, but the actual story was bit confusing and could not keep my interest.

With such a whimsically morbid title it stands to reason we might expect something unusual. The basic premise this novel is that murdered children return to life by inhabiting a new and adult body at the moment the adult dies a sudden death. A sort of possession or channelling you will, though the host body dies as soon as the child achieves their purpose in visiting retribution on their murderers.

They are assisted by a so-called Porter whose psychic abilities allow them to assist the children on their purpose and guiding them.

The hero, or perhaps more precisely anti-hero of the tale is a former New York detective,, ageing alcoholic Willow Wilde.

Wylde labours under the crushing sense of failure that may afflict someone in late middle age, who know they have made a total mess of their life - including never having been able to solve the mystery of the disappearance of two young children from a barbecue party several decades decades ago.

But this case is now about to be reopened. Willow hs two young cops working under him who seem to have reasons of their own for being interested......

The old Porter Is dyiing and this now means that there is disruption to the old ordered things and questions bring asked about how reliable the guide for the murdered children really is. Mistakes are made too...

A Guide for murdered children as a novel seems to be as much about redemption as it is about retribution. Willow has,a great deal to come to .terms with.

Plot wise there' are real surprises at work, as the real villains get unmasked, bringing a welcome unexpectedness as the tale twists and turns.

A highly unusual. and interesting novel. Recommended.

Despite trying hard I couldn't get any further than 25% through this book. Too odd for me