I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. Unfortunately, it was not for me. I have a hard time with supernatural elements in fiction and I did not realize this was the case in this particular book. The plot is intriguing and interesting, but I could not follow it. I will not post this review on Goodreads or Amazon.

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 found this book to be very hard to follow the storyline, it was all over the place. I tried multiple times to finish the book but couldn't even make it halfway through because it was impossible to follow the story.

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.

A Guide for Murdered Children is a masterpiece in the art of "What If?" What if there is a way for all the children who are taken from this world by monsters and suffer horrible deaths and indignities had a way to not only seek justice but also exact revenge on their murderers? What if there is a cosmic power that permits the spirits of these small victims to inhabit the bodies of newly dead adults and then mythically, magically brings them to a "moment of balance" where the child locates his or her murderer and then returns the favor? Sounds crazy, hard to believe, absolutely fantastic, right? Somehow Sarah Sparrow creates a world where the implausibility of such events is suspended for several hundred pages and makes it all just so. Into this world, she brings a hapless, semi-sober (sometimes, thanks to rehab), hapless detective who is out of shape, out of luck, and seemingly incapable of good decision making. This detective, Willow Wylde by name, finds himself head of a Cold Case squad, revisiting one of the most devastating points in both his career and his family history, working with two young detectives who are more than a bit odd thanks to that little ball of cosmic justice. Sparrow's writing is almost ethereal at points. In fact, it took me a little while to warm up to her style and to actually figure out what was happening. Honestly, I had to read the synopsis again as I questioned what I was getting into. But the world she builds, the characters she creates, and the good old fashioned detective work that takes place ground this book and keeps the reader turning pages. Thanks to Sarah Sparrow, I think trains will give me a spine tingle for a while and I will begin questioning adults who have bouts of childish silliness for many days to come. I enjoyed this novel immensely and found it a refreshing take on an old theme. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Mysterious, mystical, and unusual are all words that can be used to describe Sarah Sparrow's debut novel, A Guide for Murdered Children. Confusing, scattered, and dragging at parts are also words that can be used to describe this novel. I picked up this book as an ARC from NetGalley back in October. I had high hopes, I really did. A story about murdered children who come back to avenge their deaths? Magnificent! Unique! Sure to be incredible! 

A Guide for Murdered Children did meet my expectations in many ways. But it also missed the mark in others. Sparrow seems to get distracted from her main point, probably partly due to enormous cast of primary characters. Without warning, you jump from the perspective of Willow, to Lydia, to Annie, back to Willow, to Daniel, and so on and so forth. I lost track of the many characters whose perspective the reader ends up following at some point. 

This story has incredible potential. The overarching story shows what happens when a murdered child occupies the body of a recently-deceased adult, resurrecting the adult immediately after death. Together, the adult and child must find and act vengeance on the child's killer. More narrowly, the story focuses on Willow, an ex-cop, recovering addict, and porter-in-training; Lydia and Daniel, friends turned lovers turned tandem landlords for two murdered siblings; and a multitude of other characters whose stories all intersect with each other. For about 75% of the book, however, you as the reader are given no clue as to how these characters intersect. You're left reeling as you jump between perspectives, often with hardly a moment's notice. 

I think that if Sparrow had simply chosen a few of her main characters to focus on, A Guide for Murdered Children would have been much more understandable and succinct. At different points in the novel, I caught glimpses of a fantastic storyline, plot points, and direction. Sparrow is definitely a talented writer, and she has an incredibly unique idea in her hands. However, the novel as a whole needs some help. A little nudging and direction from an editor or experienced mentor would do wonders for her storytelling. 

While I can only give A Guide for Murdered Children 3/5 stars, I hope Sparrow will continue writing. I look forward to her next novel. While she has much room for improvement, I do believe that her gift for unique stories will be her aid in helping her grow in her storytelling ability. 

I received a free digital advance reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What if child murder victims could exact revenge on their killers? The premise to Sarah Sparrow’s A Guide for Murdered Children sounded perfect for serial killer/horror junkies like me! The story itself did not disappoint. With plenty of well-written characters and the crime elements, I was impressed with this novel.

It took me a while to get into the story; the reader is thrown into the narrative from the first page, which can be quite confusing. The plot seems jumbled and unstructured for the first 150 pages. From here, the story feels as though it could have been told without the first section, as this information could have been given in 1-2 chapters without confusing the reader. However, after getting to this point, the reader is certainly rewarded with an exciting narrative.

Willow is an ex-detective who worked in cold cases. He retrieves his job after multiple stints in rehab, where he works with two deputies to crack these unsolved mysteries. They are attempting to solve the disappearance of two children from Willow’s past. This part of the storyline could have been its own book, as it definitely had all the elements of a great mystery.
Annie is the ‘porter’ for murdered children who have returned to exact revenge on their killers. They inhabit the bodies of recently deceased adults, and live the adult’s life until they find their killer and have their ‘moment of balance’. This section of the story is inhabited by lots of different characters, which I enjoyed as the reader sees the journey taken by a few of the children. Annie goes through ‘haywire’ as she prepares to pass her position to the next porter. This causes most of the events in the narrative and makes the children do things that they would not normally.

If you can keep track of the characters’ storylines and enjoy lots of things going on, this book will be perfect for you. I really liked the story from Willow and his deputies, and felt that this had a brilliant end to it. Some of the coincidences were a little bit cheesy, and it often felt as though there were too many people involved in the ‘other world’ who were connected to Willow. In terms of characters, he was enjoyable to read; he does not always choose the right path, but is redeemable and knows his true place and purpose by the ending. I also liked the way Roy Eakins’ character was portrayed, as he was the perfect villain. Sparrow’s choice of when to reveal information about characters lent itself expertly to the narrative, as the reader only realises who is to blame when the author chooses for them to.

Sparrow’s writing appealed to me, as she described murder excellently, and made me care about the characters a lot. She builds tension brilliantly and does not bother with an overhaul of description. I think the way she avoids writing too directly about characters’ appearances is genius, as it means that the reader can interpret them as either the child victim or the adult host. I do think that a lot of the first section of the narrative could be cleaner, which could create room for more depth to some of the children’s backstories.

Overall, I would recommend this book to horror lovers who can handle a supernatural touch. I would not stretch so far as to say this would be classed as a fantasy novel, yet would also not discourage fantasy fans from reading it.

I received an advance review copy of A Guide for Murdered Children on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn to the wild and ingenious premise of this novel, made even more intriguing in contrast to the delightful cover. When I began, I was instantly reminded of Jonathan Lethem in the sharp, shocking writing style and the gritty horror mood. As the novel progressed, the author’s own style emerged distinct. However, I struggled to keep track of the panoply of characters - murdered children, their “landlords”, the rather unsympathetic detective. But there is payoff in the end. There is just something so satisfying about murdered children exacting revenge on their killers/abusers.

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

Not exactly what I expected. The story was original, that's for sure. Along with the cover, I was really excited to read it. Unfortunately, pretty early into the book I was so confused and didn't really understand what was going on. I got frustrated and honestly, I'm not sure why I continued. I guess I wanted to see where this was going. Overall I think my expectations were too high for this one and it fell short. It was hard to follow and didnt flow very well. I'm sorry to say it wasn't my favorite.

A Guide for Murdered Children is a supernatural-realism thriller centered around the belief that one day, a murdered child gets to find their moment of balance when they are resurrected into the body of an unsuspecting landlord who themselves have recently died.

First and foremost I have to say that I have never read a book like this before in my life. The concept was inventive and for the most part was executed very well. There was a perverse sense of justice to the moment of balance and the book stirred up issues of questionable morals, and I am a firm advocate of books that make you think no matter how weird the thought.

That being said, the book started on very rocky ground. The mystery that was trying to be maintained about the world of the story went so far that I was utterly confused and nearly stopped reading a number of times. Personally I don’t like not finishing a book so pushed through, but a lot of people won’t wait to get a fifth of the way through (which is where things started to get a lot clearer) before putting it down.  

Ex big city narcotics turned cold case cop, Willow “Dubya” Wydle is drawn back to the sleepy Detroit town where he used to live. His team reopens the case of missing brother and sister Troy and Maya Rummer that shook the town twenty years ago. Whilst solving that mystery Willow is also trying to solve one that has him drawn to a woman called Annie who introduces herself to him as The Porter. Willow is that tough corrupt cop that you’re meant to love despite his past, but in reality you don’t care to much about his journey and mostly wait in anticipation for the penny to drop about things the audience already knows.
 
The main arch was about tenants Troy and Maya finding out who abducted and murdered them so they can have their moment of balance. It was confusing at first differentiating between tenant and landlord as both hosted the same body and could come and go without any warning/trigger but it was smart once you got your head around the switcheroo’s. It wasn’t until two thirds/three quarters of the way in that anything really interesting happened, which was too far in. But once the clues started dropping and unexpected twists literally made me gasp, I couldn’t wait to read to the end.

The term “Haywire” was used as scapegoat for a lot of inconsistencies (which I can’t elaborate on without spoilers) and for me the book just left to many major questions unanswered that was blanketed by the continued message of the Porters to “Not ask the big questions” and to just “Trust and accept.” – Others may be okay with it but for me some sense of explanation – even a hypothetical one to Who is in charge of this whole Porter, Train, Children’s Justice malarkey?! would have been nice.

Something that I couldn’t understand was the way the characters spoke. Everyone seemed to have their own way of speaking which was more obvious when they interacted with one another, I found it very jarring especially as they were all from the same town and that it didn’t fit with the present day Detroit setting. Even Roy who was an ex-teacher spoke in fragmented and loopy sentences (perhaps it was a side effect but it was never commented on) that made him seem like he was from a southern bayou in the 1900’s than a former scholar. 

Lastly the ending had a nice sense of full circle completion, but it was definitely dragged out where it could have ended in a place where the audience figured out for themselves what was going to happen next instead of being shown.

Instinctually I would not recommend this book. On the other hand now that I’ve read it I want others to read it too so it can be discussed and also appreciated for how unique it is. Okay that’s all folks, but bear in mind that as this is an advanced readers copy, so by the time this book comes out (March 2018) some of my dislikes about it may have been ironed out.

'No: closure wasn’t relief or release, it was a balancing of scales, that’s all. When the scales were balanced, order and some kind of serenity returned to the world, in spite of oneself.' 

When I first started to read this novel, I was lost. I just couldn’t flow with it then I couldn’t really figure out what the heck was going on. Children are dead, we meet two young siblings Troy and Maya at the start pnly to know the will be snuffed out, then something strange happens to Deputy Lydia and her partner Daniel and everything turns bizarre.  By the middle of the book I’m finally moving along and realizing this is other-worldly. Children are returning to avenge their deaths in host bodies of adults, a sort of merging takes place but it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. The children have their own painful memories, fears and longings. What happened to them is disturbing. Willow is the cold case detective who has a connection to the siblings that seemed to have ‘dropped off the face of the earth’ in 2000, it was personal to both he and his daughter. Willow has always had a gift with visions and dreams, ‘spooky stuff’ that aided him. But nothing he has imagined can compete with reality.

The returning children of the deceased are called Tenants, they are merged with Landlords (adults) and I won’t give away how the adults are ripe for housing the children. They all have a mission, and a time limit to attain their ‘moment of balance.’ I realize all of this is gibberish until you actually read the novel. This is one of the hardest stories to review for me, it’s a very strange creation. A part of me felt horrified for the parents in the aftermath, then for the children who had to return and often I was dizzy with trying to keep track of everything that had happened in the past and how it tied into the present. I think my blood-lust for revenge on those who harm children in particular is off the charts, so I kept waiting to feel ‘all is right with the world, there is balance’. Of course, there could never truly be an equal balance, there is nothing in this world that can ever avenge the murder of an innocent, I’ll never be convinced otherwise. Still, there most be some sort of justice, someone must be held accountable, regardless of how many years have passed. Without answers, it’s just added, unimaginable torture for those left behind.

I was lost in several early chapters, the middle I started to get into the story and the end moved me, then I was wondering if this is intended to become a series for Willow? Not sure. I think some readers will struggle with it, it’s crazy but I can imagine this as a TV show, maybe it would be easier for others to wrap their mind around that way. There are a lot of readers out there into this type of fiction. I had a hard time with it but it is a unique story-line.

I liked it for it’s originality, and I certainly felt sorrow for Troy and Maya and wanted to see it to the end for their sake. Not my usual read.

Publication Date: March 20, 2018

Penguin Group

Blue Rider Press

A Guide for Murdered Children is a genre defying book.  I had no real expectations when I began reading it and was completely unfamiliar with the author.  I also try to avoid looking at reviews before I am finished with a book and have my own review mostly completed, so I had quite a lot of difficulty in getting into sync with the narrative and, frankly, understanding what was going on before about 50%.  The premise is quite creative, it's just that the prose was so very difficult for me to read and understand.  I didn't find the host (landlord) characters particularly sympathetic, and Willow Wylde (bizarre name) was off putting to say the least. 

The book -is- full of unpleasantness and rape, abuse, murder (of children and others).  It's ostensibly a revenge book, which would normally work for me, but in this case it's muddled and confused and I couldn't follow a lot of what was going on, and the bits I understood clearly didn't move me much.  There was a huge *squick* factor for me because the kids were 'rooming' with adults who were acting like adults...  if I had a child sharing my mind/body, I would be hyper aware of doing adult things with them present... 

As others have stated, this is a polarizing book.  Readers seem to love it or hate it.  I really believe the author has prodigious creativity and talent.  There is huge potential here.  With a gifted/committed editor this novel could be mind-blowing.

I could definitely see this book becoming a phenomenon and I feel like I probably wasn't cool enough to 'get it'.  (I admit, I've had problems with other books that my bookish friends *gasp* and swoon over).  Definitely difficult themes and a difficult narrative.

Stats:
Title: A Guide for Murdered Children
Author: Sarah Sparrow
Publisher: Penguin - Blue Rider Press
Publication: 20 March, 2018
500pages, Hardcover, audio, and ebook format

Three stars