For the first time since I can recall, I chose a book based on the title alone. Author, storyline, plot summary, genre, even cover art: I knew nothing about this book beyond its provocative title, A Guide for Murdered Children. As such, I had no expectations and no preconceptions, which is how I greatly prefer to approach new works. When the title became available through NetGalley, the wonderful service that introduces readers to new and upcoming books in exchange for a review, I was curious enough to take a chance.

What followed was a reading experience both rewarding and frustrating, as Sarah Sparrow is without doubt a strong and evocative writer. Because the prose and ideas in the book were so fresh and engaging, it was especially noticeable when the narrative occasionally faltered or the moments felt misdirected. This Guide concerns a burned-out, once corrupt ex-cop named Willow Wylde, who is just trying to keep his life together. After a series of hallucinatory dreams he meets Annie Balladine, a kind-hearted woman who seems to be leading a recovery group for troubled souls in the basement of a Detroit church.

The people at the meeting, however, need a special kind of guidance. Annie is a Porter, a person who first connects with her troubled clients in dreams, where they are child passengers on a metaphysical train. Each child is paired with a newly-dead-yet-living vessel (referred to in the Guide as a "landlord") to share a body, and together they work to find a "moment of balance": avenging the murdered child's death. Willow, understandably, has some reservations about becoming involved, but Annie is dying, the process is starting to go "haywire", and the group will soon need a new Porter.

There's a great deal to like here, and readers who enjoy dark fantasy and literal soul-searching storylines will find A Guide – which revolves principally around the unsolved murders of siblings Maya and Troy Rummer, and allows the victims to mount their own investigation – very satisfying. Author Sarah Sparrow's sentences flow with a grace and ease that is admirable, and she uses details to build the world of the characters and their inner lives that often provide a touch of poetry during both gritty and divine moments in the book.

That nimble, introspective writing, though, sometimes has a way of stalling the story, especially when it turns into telling the reader about characters instead of showing them through actions and dialogue. The first section of the novel was the most patience-testing, for two reasons. First, there are a lot of characters inhabiting the landscape, and a lot of threads to hold on to, and with so much presented in a flurry of events (including police shootings, child abductions, a death on a hiking trail, and other moments occurring in differing eras) I wasn't sure what to track beyond Willow Wylde's downward spiral. 

Second, the actual throughline of the plot – the major dramatic question where the reader knows what the characters' goals will be – happens only about 80 pages in, when the purpose of the meetings, the Landlords, and the Porters are revealed. Until then, there's a lot of reflective writing about characters, which, even though well-written, soon wears out its welcome, as with this passage measuring Willow Wylde's resolve:

The imbalance was… himself. He was his own cold case and didn't have clue one. He wondered if the solution to the crime of Mr. Wylde lay in the idea that hope itself hadn't died – yet – and laughed at the brilliant idiocy of that new notion. 

It feels like a draft brimming with too many moments, and with the focus misplaced or stretched in a couple of spots that reminds the reader how close to an amazing reading experience this could be with some streamlining and sober-eyed structural editing. One example that comes to mind is a multi-page monologue offered a murderer as he tortures a victim. Yes, the villain is loquacious and egotistical, but the spotlight is an odd choice when who the reader really cares about (and from whose point of view we should experience this heartbreaking moment) is the helpless person dying in front of him. What the killer has to say about his philosophy or methods at this point is moot, yet it goes on for pages.

Sparrow touches on some interesting themes, exploring by story's end the relationship between vengeance and forgiveness. The body- and soul-sharing, and the attendant rules both mystical and corporeal, call on a reader's suspension of belief, and I don't think it is too difficult to go with the karmic flow. (It helps that American pop culture, with entries from Here Comes Mr. Jordan to The Lovely Bones, has paved the way for such premises.) A Guide for Murdered Children reads like a First Novel from an ambitious new author, with all of the strengths and weaknesses that would accompany a story from someone with a lot to say but not always the experiential discipline to effectively say it.

Available March 20, 2018 through Blue Rider Press. I received an advance reading copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This book was quite a ride! It was a suspenseful read. Recommend!

I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise was different and interesting, but I didn't really care for this authors writing style. Also when they say it is an unedited copy of the book, this was is really unedited with lots of mistakes and weird page breaks and things that made it hard for me to read. I am glad that I stuck with it and finished the book, but I don't think it is one that I will recommend to others.

This book was super confusing and hard to follow.  I had a hard time reading, staying with it and finishing it.  A lot going on and a lot of characters.  The writing style was a little disorganized.  That said the idea of the story is interesting but the execution of it just wasn't that great....just not for me I guess.  Thanks for the ARC!

This was SO close to 4 stars for me but just not quiiiite there. Do I still recommend others read this? Yes! Here's why...

What I liked: awesome premise. The spirits of murdered children come back to share bodies with adults, in order to achieve revenge by murdering their murderer. Badass and unique premise. I also enjoyed one of the main protagonists, Willow. He was a well-developed aging cop reminiscent of some of Tana French's characters. Additionally, there was a turn of events at the end that I did NOT see coming at ALL, which was a delightful surprise. Well, it being a surprise was delightful. The actual event was sad for me as a reader. 

So why isn't this 4 stars, are you wondering? 
Somewhere around the 40% to 50% mark, I found the book to be dragging and taking too long to pick up speed. THEN at the end where lots of events and relationships were getting resolved, it felt rushed. So I would argue the pacing of this novel was inconsistent. I also wish the logistics of landlords/tenants were explored more. The details were pretty vague and maybe that's intentional since Annie's guidance as a Porter was also vague. But as a reader, I really wanted more "world-building." I was so in love with the premise that I wanted the mechanics of this supernatural world to be more substantiated. 

Again, would I recommend this even though I only gave it 3 stars? In a short answer, yes. My conflictedness above is arguably a testament to the book's own originality and complexity. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read and review A Guide For Murdered Children. The following is my honest review.

Before I get into it...Yes. The book does include murdered children, kidnap, and rape. It's right there in the title. I never thought it was gratuitous, but it is in there throughout the entire story.

I enjoyed it overall. It is definitely not something I would want to read again though. It did draw me in pretty early on and I finished it fairly quickly. I think what I liked best was that it definitely was unlike anything I read before. It had some very interesting ideas.

I wish there was a bit more to the ending. It seemed like it was leading up to something else, but just petered out. Some of the writing was a little bit clunky in bits, but not too bad. I think it needed a little more meat.

I'm really not sure what type of reader I would recommend this to. It's not quite a thriller, not quite fantasy, not quite sci fi. If the description appeals I say give it a go.

I so wanted to love this book. The cover is amazing and the premise seemed really exciting but this was kind of a mess. The writing was really confusing. I had such a hard time understanding who was speaking or who was acting because of the poor sentence structure. One scene would end before anything was clarified about what was happening and then the next scene would be something completely different. The concept is an intriguing one but very convoluted and complex and the writing style was just as complicated. Complicated is by no means bad but the idea should come through more clearly. I hope that this book gets a rewrite because I think it could be a really good book if it were cleaned up and more focused.

I really liked the premise of this book, and found the entire concept of landlords and tenants intriguing. I kind of have to laugh at anyone who found the book's concept offensive. IT'S ABOUT MURDERED CHILDREN. What did you think was going to happen? 

I thought the author did a great job of anticipating questions readers might have and proactively addressing him (like, "why are there so many murdered children in the area?" "what happens if you miss your balance moment.?") I also thought all of the references to pop culture were spot on (music, Stranger Things, Kary Perry, etc.). 

Some of the challenges I had with the book seemed like they could be solved with editing. For one, I felt like the book started off slow and was confusing at times (for example, Willow being at the BBQ where Troy and Maya were murdered had me lost a bit in time and space.) I also really disliked the switching between landlord and tenant names within passages. For example, in one bit "Maya" is saying something and then a paragraph later "Lydia." I get they're the same person, so it still makes sense, but it made me the reader have to slow down just to keep track of the conversation and I found that annoying. 

Lastly, two small quibbles.... 

When Willow visits Roy/Dabba Doo later in the book at one point he muses "Maybe Roy turned fag." That seemed out of character for Willow. He seemed like a pretty modern guy throughout the book, open to all types of people. He was also pretty chill and respectful to his lesbian friend. So to have him drop a slur like that out of nowhere just seemed odd, ugly and offensive. There's really no reason to call him a "fag" so why do it?

Secondly, as someone who is from central Minnesota I feel very protective of the Wetterlings. I thought the author did I fine job of mentioning their case, without getting too deep into specifics. However, when characters later visited, "Jacob's Prairie" (clearly a stand-in for St. Joseph where Jacob lived and died) I got a little grossed out. Call it "Bob's Prairie," "Darla's Prairie," whatever prairie you want, since it's fictional...just would prefer that Jacob's name isn't used. For some who is from here, that felt exploitative.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn in by the title and cover - it seemed like it would be right up my alley. At first it was slow going, the writing can be a bit all over the place and some of the characters are a bit unlikable. However, I decided to keep going with it, and I'm really glad I did. It's such a unique story, and it really picked up about halfway through. If it sounds interesting to you, I recommend you give it a try (and stick with it through a bit of a bumpy beginning).

A solid 3.5 stars rounded to 4 
Note: Rounded up due to intriguing and creative plot that had a great ending. Stars taken off for structure of the narrative.

Review not published yet - Closer to publishing date..

Imagine the world where the spirits of slain Children can return to exact revenge and to give closure to their cherished ones and finally "restore the balance." Justice in a world without any. 

Recovering alcoholic and ex-NYPD detective, Willow Wylde, aka "Dubya." is fresh out of rehab and about to take on the world without intoxicants. As a divorcee, Willow has one last attempt to be a father to his daughter and a grandfather to little Larkin. But Detective Willow is still unchanged, a collision of self and destructiveness as he tries to navigate his sobriety. Strange deaths are occurring in Saggerty Falls, and Detective Willow uses his experience attempting to piece together the crimes. What he learns is deadly, but what he becomes is reinvented.

The premise of the novel is that murdered children can inhabit a moribund adult body and exact revenge on the person that wronged them. There is a Guide Book and a structure of this society -The Porter (Annie, the guide), sentries (assistants to the Porter), roommates (child spirit), and landlords (the moribund adult body). And there is the train that arrives at the station with their Subalterns (train sentries). The children take on the ride to their final mission.

The novel is recounted in the third person and begins with a writing style is difficult to appreciate and appears to read as a stream of consciousness. Particularly, I grappled with the presentation of the first few chapters, trying to grasp onto words that seemed to be placed together with a forced atmosphere of chaos. Even though the pace is slow, the narrative jogs all over the place. There are alternating stories, multiple points of view, and timelines and there was a lot of details and characters. I was forced to read and re-read. The chapter headings and sub-headings were helpful but not always. 

But where the narrative fails in structure, it makes up in character development and imagination. I enjoyed Detective Willow, a character you can both love and despise at the same time. A loathsome man is attempting to redeem his neglected family at any cost. His love is palpable as he enters his sobriety. As a retired old cop, he takes a chance at getting his old job back but knows he is washed up. Middle age makes him feel invisible. But he has a gift of voices he has been suppressing. 

Other noteworthy characters in the novel are a murderous duo. Laverne and her husband's creepy rituals may keep me up at night. Although the descriptions of their killing are not gruesome, it is hair-raising and sinister. 

Finally, The structure of the spirit world was impressive world building. There was a feeling of strangeness, and it was believable. The transparent blue hue, the train arriving at the station in dreams, the whispers of instruction, the Tom Collins and a cookie on a tray, the integration of body and spirit;  and the spooky, surreal ambiance was on point.

Overall, there is a mystery, mysticism, and some gruesome brutality. A great concept to juxtapose the paranormal/science fiction genre with horror. It fell short in the structure, but the story still unfolds, and those bits are brilliant. 

Thank you, NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Blue Rider Press & Plume for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A truly unique premise, with characters that will literally "haunt you".  I read this book way faster than I had intended, but I just never found a good place to stop reading.  This was a wicked good story that had me gasping for breath several times.  Don't miss it!

I so wanted to love this book. The title, the premise, the genre; it ticked all my boxes.

Unfortunately I hated the protagonist. Unsympathetic and ultimately lacking in credibility for me.

I also found the writing somewhat awkward if not a little stilted.

Such a great idea though and I think that possibly it just didn't  work for me.

***DNF, but impressions are shared in the review. Will mention book in month-in-review blog post.***

I chose this book because:

Although I am interested in sci-fi, I’m not usually interested in supernatural stories. However, I’m always interested in how children and adults differ in how they see the world. I’m wondering about these children, with their lives cut short, whether they would wreak more havoc because they don’t think about consequences like adults do, or whether they’re more forgiving because they have big hearts untainted by the big bad world, or perhaps more likely a mix of both. And of course, the book cover grabbed my attention right away with that pink and those glittery stars and the Comic Sans, which I can’t decide whether I like or not. Usually Comic Sans is always a no, but Comic Sans is often used as a “fun” font for children by adults who have no aesthetic sense LOL.

Upon reading this book:

The thoughts felt disjointed and it wasn’t easy to figure out what was going on, even knowing what I knew from the blurb. As an example, one thing that might have added to the disjoint feeling was the strange use of words: some seemed very sophisticated (big) whilst others seemed very juvenile. There were too many different things going on.

I DNF'd this at 20%. I wanted to keep reading because the concept was so interesting! The aspects directly related to the concept, in particular Annie's character, I really enjoyed. However, I just couldn't connect with the other characters. The writing style was interesting and distinct, but I just didn't mesh with it. That's not to say it's bad writing (not at all!), but rather that BECAUSE the narrative voice is so distinct, I think it will be more polarizing. I think this book will definitely be loved by some people, but I just wasn't one of them.

I did not finish this book. The protagonist was unlikable and the story was boring,

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 20%

I was absolutely hooked by the title + the cover + synopsis. There was no way that I wasn't requesting this because it was going to be a surefire winner with me. When I was approved for the ARC, I was totally pumped.

As another reviewer so eloquently put it: "The cover of this book is incredible but what the hell is inside?" The writing style was absolutely chaotic and a complete mess. I'm sure there was a creative reason for it but unfortunately I wasn't able to follow and enjoy. I struggled to understand what was going on between the flipped perspectives and players. A promising plot that hopefully others will be able to decipher.

Heartbreaking, funny, touching, graphically violent at times, reminds me of the best of Jonathan Carroll.

A strange, dark, and fascinating read. Murdered children return in adult bodies to seek revenge on their killers. It's obviously rather fantastical, but there is a lot of interesting context there for loss, grief, depression, and closure. Strong character building alongside a fast moving plot. CW for murder/rape of children and adults.

I did not finish this book so I don't feel comfortable reviewing it. I will say the writing style was very chaotic and it was difficult to keep the plot straight.