I'm not a huge reader of the mystery / thriller genre, but the premise of this book was so intriguing that I found myself really wanting to read it anyway. And I wasn't disappointed! A Guide for Murdered Children shifts between many perspectives as it tells the story of the spirits of murdered children who come back to co-inhabit the recently deceased (think less zombie and more magical life extension) as they try to discover the identity of their murderer and achieve their mysterious “moment of balance.”

My one real complaint with the book is that it started quite slow and began by introducing the story and characters in such a sporadic and confusing way that it almost felt impenetrable to me at first. Fortunately, one I was able to dig a little deeper into the book the story started to take a more coherent shape and as I got to know the characters a little more (particularly Detective Willow Wylde and his two cold case protégés Lydia and Daniel) I was hooked. The idea of murdered children getting a second chance at justice / revenge is such a strange and fascinating concept and was very well executed in the book. Sparrow didn’t get too bogged down in the details of how or why it was happening and instead just focused on the story and the fact that it was. It’s probably fairly obvious from the premise, but it is also worth noting that the book gets incredibly dark at points—we’re talking murder and rape of both adults and children. It generally cuts away before showing anything too explicit, but it definitely skirts right up to the point of showing and doesn’t shy away from the horror aspect. Though unlike some books that use that kind of violence for shock factor, these issues felt more central and necessary to this book because of the plot—and they’re never brushed off or dismissed.

Overall, a really fascinating and well-written book. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone because of the subject matter and degree of violence, but for people who enjoy mysteries / thrillers or crime novels, this would probably be a great read.

A very unique read. The premise was new to me, as I have not read anything like this before. It was a great idea and drew me in. Sometimes I had to re read to check which character I was learning about but otherwise I found this book quite engaging.

I had a really hard time getting into this book, so much so that I didn't finish it. The story just didn't grab me, and the characters weren't that unique. I'm sure there is an audience for this. It's just not for me.

I would understand if people didn't like this book. It took me past the character introductions to start figuring things out. Once I understood how weird this book was going to be, I was spellbound. It's about murdered children who cohabit another body until they get their revenge. The other body belongs to another person who had died and came back to life for the purpose to help the child get revenge and once that happens, they both die. There are some decent twists. Throughout the whole book I didn't like the main character. Yet that didn't hamper my enjoyment of the book.

The title caught my attention, I mean, how horrible. The concept of the story is interesting, once I figured it out, the transfer of spirits of children that are killed into the bodies of adults who technically have died- prolonging the adults physical life and sharing consciousness in some weird ways. The idea is that the living dead have a chance to to 'balance' the crimes.
It was hard to follow the story and narration, it took a while to figure out what was what. Things go awry, of course and the plan is in jeopardy,
While I really do like the idea of murdered child having some way to right such a heinous wrong, there might be a better way.

I'm just going to take a moment to admire the cover, it's amazing. The retro feel really caught my eye, and then when I read the synopses I was hooked.
The premise of the book is that murdered children can be reincarnated into the bodies of the recently deceased (so recent that no-one knows they have dies) and seek revenge against the perpetrator of their crime. The process isn't as straight forward as it sounds though, and the children, in the body of their "caretakers" must go to a group meeting led by the "porter", Annie, and be guided through their adventure. Unfortunately Annie is terminally ill, and this means that the usually straight forward process has become erratic and she needs to find a new porter before everything goes "haywire" .

The book deals with dark themes, and is in turns heartbreaking and scary. The characters are all so well drawn. None of then are perfect, and are more likeable because of this. The killers are genuinely creepy (as they should be!) and the book is full of horrors.

Despite the nature of the book I really, really enjoyed it, as there is also an uplifting thread of hope running through the book. My only complaint would be that it was difficult to keep track of all the characters that the book introduces and at times the writing was a little confusing (maybe this will be amended before the book is released?)

I received an advanced copy for review courtesy of the publishers and net galley.

Siiiiiiiiigh

Don't get me wrong, I was really excited about this book. I love dark books with a hint of mystery and fantasy. And the contrast on the cover between the title and the pink background with stickers really set my hopes high. I was imaging a more modern version of the Lovely Bones. What I got was something very strange and sad... and not in a good way.

Going through some of the other reviews I noticed some people had problems with the narrative. It's told out of order and bounces around between a few of the characters. It reminded me a little of Cloud Atlas where I just pushed through and things started coming together. What bothered me the most was the constant reference dropping. The author would mention a Katy Perry song or some other pop culture reference, but it just started taking me out of the story. At one point, the author started going into so much detail about setting up a Casper mattress I'm still slightly convinced they paid her to mention the brand.

Overall, the book was okay. While not terrible, this book could be improved. I thought about how to rate this book in a couple ways. The crime/mystery aspect of it wasn't bad at all. I was interested in the characters and how the situation would pan out. But the fantasy aspect was confusing and felt forced. It seemed like the author set up a set of elaborate rules that she then bent to get the story to work. While fast-paced, the writing could be confusing at times. The concept at its core has promise but the execution left a lot to be desired.

The title of this book seemed intriguing but I think I could only get about five pages in before I was just so annoyed with it. The lingo used was very immature and I just couldn't connect at all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the premise of murdered children returning in the bodies of adult 'landlords' to exact their revenge on their murderers. Really well written.

At first, I was not sure why I asked for this book. I thought, "I'll just read till it triggers me, then I'll stop." (I'm a mom of 5) But then I kept reading. I was pulled along, pulled along, pulled along, and then, before I knew it, I was halfway through. Yes, it deals with murdered children, and yes, there are graphic parts. But it's also redemptive, and that's hard to pull off.

I like the way the author uses language. She places little Easter Eggs in there, and she uses beautiful and unique words.

Willow's angst was perfectly painted. I know how he felt throughout the whole story. There were a LOT of characters, and I found myself marveling at how well the author kept them separate and kept true to their personalities. So well that, at the end, I knew what had happened to Dixie before Willow did. (gut-punch)

I thought that the plot rambled a bit in places, but I didn't mind. I like an epic novel, especially when it's a little weird and a little supernatural. Though, it felt like it took a long time to get to the main plot, which was solving the mystery of who killed certain kids. And because there was so much going on, there were parts when I wasn't even sure that there was a plot. But I liked the story, so I didn't really care.

The way that the book ended made me think -- and hope -- that there will be another. Otherwise I have to rethink my opinion on the way that Willow soul-crushed at the end.

I tried reading this for a month. Everyday I would force myself to get further in the book. I kept telling myself it would get better, that the narration would settle out. The writing for the first 10% of the book is atrocious. I only got through it because I am stubborn. I started to see a spark of hope that I would find any enjoyment in the book when the character of the Porter was introduced. Around the time the Porter was introduced, the writing stabilized into something that could tell a story. That interest was short lived. I found no reason to continue it. I kept looking forward to the sections from the Porter's point of view, but then even those got dull really quickly. I was falling asleep, I was dreading reading, it was worse than when you are forced to read a book in class that you can't stand because the teacher has ruined it.

The premise of the book is really cool and the cover was explained, which only made me like it more. The actual book was not something I could read. In the last ten years I have only given up on two books. This is one of them. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't make it through another page.

A Guide for Murdered Children by Sarah Sparrow is one of those books that make you think while reading it. It is a soul-searching book about redemption, revenge and the ability to forgive. I actually almost didn’t ask for this book when I saw it on NetGalley. But it kept showing up. I had an email about it and it kept being the first book I saw on my Titles in My Category section on my NetGalley homepage. It was after the 3rd or 4th time seeing it that I gave into my growing curiosity and read the blurb. It was then that I knew I wanted to read it. When I got the confirmation email for the publisher, I got very excited and couldn’t wait to read it. But I held off because I had other books to review there were ahead of it. So when I did read it, I was more than ready for the story.

There are 4 separate plot lines in A Guide for Murdered Children. Each plotline was addressed in the book. I did get a little confused when the author changed times or characters. But that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of reading the book. I also enjoyed was how the author introduced each storyline. Then she weaved those storylines into the other ones. When all 4 storylines were brought together, well the magic happened. I couldn’t get over how well the author wove them together. It was flawless.

A Guide for Murdered Children is a mystery/thriller in the truest sense. This book kept me on edge with the mystery plotline. When it was revealed who it was, I was shocked but not surprised. I had thought that person was the killer since the middle of the book. But, what did shock me, was who the other murderer was and who the accomplice was. I was not ready for that reveal at all. The thriller part of the book had me on edge the entire book. I did not sleep well the first night I was reading the book. I kept dreaming about porters, train cars, and awful serial killers.

Willow, oh Willow. I didn’t want to like him. In the beginning of the book, he came across as a self-absorbed idiot who had gone through his 3rd attempt at rehab. I kinda wanted to punch him in the nether regions when it was revealed how awful he was. He made no excuses for being a d-bag and I liked that. What surprised me about him was that he was a medium. He heard voices, saw mysterious blue lights and felt pulled to do things that he wouldn’t do. So when he got involved with Cold Case, I was a tad surprised. I was even more surprised when the first case that he was drawn to was the case of two siblings, Troy and Maya.

Annie was the most serene character that I have read to date. She took everything in stride and was always gracious. Actually, she was known as “The World’s Greatest Volunteer” at the local hospital. I found myself wishing that I could meet her because she was lovely. She cared for the children on the train. When they found their landlords, she was there to guide them towards their moment of balance. So when it was revealed that she had troubles when she was younger, I was surprised. But seeing that it was connected to her ability to connect to the other side, I shouldn’t have been surprised. She was a willing mentor to Willow and dealt with his….problems…..with graciousness. So saying that I liked her was a bit of an understatement.

The saddest part of the book for me was the children and their landlords. I couldn’t understand why the children chose the people they did. But, after reading a few “takeovers“, for lack of a better word, I began to understand. I started to understand Annie‘s role in guiding the children and their landlords. I also saw the need for the guide, the meetings, and the parties when a child reaches his/her moment of balance. The guide explained what the child was going through, gave rules on how to share the body with the landlord and so on. The scenes where the children exacted their revenge were heartbreaking and disturbing.

The book focuses on 3 children and their landlords. The children are Maya, Troy, and Winston. The landlords are Lydia, Daniel, and Honeychile. While Maya and Troy’s landlords were adults, Winston’s was not. Honeychile was a 14-year-old who suffers from a genetic condition called cleidocranial dysplasia. According to Annie, having a teenage landlord is unheard. Meanwhile, Maya and Troy’s landlords are police officers on the same force. They are also in a relationship. I did think it was very interesting how everyone was connected. You need to read the book to find that out!!

While there is sex and romance in the book, it isn’t the main focus. Daniel and Lydia’s romance cooled off once the children took up house and realized who they were. Willow did have a relationship going with a neighbor of his, Dixie. Like I said above, sex wasn’t the main focus of the book. I was fine with that. I do like that the author chose to keep Willow and Dixie in a relationship until almost the end of the book. There is a small twist there that shocked me.

My complaint about A Guide for Murdered Children are not ones that will take stars off of my review. I did have some issues following the different characters around the book. Even when the author labeled the chapters and sub-chapters. That is on my end and like I said, nothing that will affect my review rating.

The end of the book was not what I expected. I was expecting an ending with everything tied up with a bow. For the most part, I got that. The serial killers were found out and the cold case of Maya and Troy were solved. As was Winston’s case. But, the author did something that I wasn’t expecting. She explored the aftermath of what happened during the book. Not everyone got a happy ending and that is what made the book for me. I am hoping that the author chooses to write another Willow Wylde book because I would love to see what happens with Willow and his Eskimo!!!

4 stars

My Summary of A Guide for Murdered Children:

A Guide of Murdered Children was a thrilling read. A very fast paced book, I was engrossed with it and the concept that the author wrote about. The plotlines were great and the characters were 3D. This is a book that I would recommend to any mystery fans.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language, sex, violence. There are a few very gruesome scenes of children and men being murdered.

I would like to thank Sarah Sparrow, Penguin Group, Blue Rider Press, Plume and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review A Guide for Murdered Children

All opinions stated in this review of A Guide for Murdered Children are mine and I received no compensation for this review

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

I was so looking forward to this book. The concept sounded original and fascinating but, unfortunately, I couldn't get past 12%. The dialogue was confusing, the storyline stuttered and I just couldn't bring myself to carry on with it. Shame really as the whole concept of murdered children coming back in the bodies of dead adults and exacting their revenge on their killers was something I was looking forward to reading.

Superb, fresh original plot. Clean, clear writing. This would make an amazing movie.

Concept was clever and interesting. It was slow and hard for me to get into.

This was a really interesting story.

What had me intrigued was the cover at first, but when I read the description, I knew I wanted to read it. The idea of murdered children coming back to inhabit the bodies of adults and take revenge on their murderers was really interesting. The book has so much more to offer than that, though.

The story follows a few different children as they come back to life and search for their killers. The children all cross paths with one another at one of the weekly meetings created to ease the transition between being a murdered child and a functioning adult. Annie is a porter and her job is to help the children make sense of what is going on along with help from the Guide.

To go alongside the story of the children coming back to kill their murderers, we have Willow "Dubya" Wilde and his battle with alcoholism. He has just returned to the force as a Cold Case Detective, thanks to his ex-wife, after a stint in rehab. But Willow isn't your ordinary recovering addict and there is much more to his story than meets the eye.

It was a fairly quick read and I found myself reading large chunks at a time with ease. I really enjoyed the twists and turns. A lot of which, I didn't see coming. I figured out who killed Troy and Maya, but was a little caught off guard by Winston's murderer. It all seemed to fit perfectly in the end, though, which was nice. All the children's paths cross not only during the meetings but outside of the meetings in their search for their moment of balance.

The story contains its own unique vocabulary too, which I liked. It's sort of like the wizarding world has their own language, so why not the world of the murdered children's souls?

Now warning to the faint of heart with this one, it's about murdered children. I know, surprise, right? Seriously though, there are some pretty graphic scenes when it comes to the children remembering how they died and taking their revenge. I feel like the title is pretty straightforward on that, but I've read book reviews in the past where reviewers were mad when there were graphic scenes. It is a bout murdered children, hence the title. So there, you've been warned.

The only thing I didn't like is that there are some unanswered questions about how it all works. Annie constantly answers questions by referring to the Great Mystery and Willow, in the end, does the same. What happened, though, to Dabba Doo? Did Winston receive his moment of balance after all? Why did Dabba Doo inhabit Roy Eakins? Was it all a result of the haywire?

My list goes on.

Despite that, the overall story was great. I found myself wanting to read it over the other books I'm currently reading, which there usually isn't one that take precedence over another unless it's a required book for a class. I wanted to know if my assumptions were right and, honestly, I wanted to know what happened to all the characters. Willow, Lydia/Maya, Daniel/Troy, and Annie all had me invested in their story.

I'm definitely glad this one grabbed my attention on NetGalley and thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC. It is always a pleasure to get my hands on something good to come.

Like I said, the concept was really interesting and I honestly hope there is more to come from Sarah Sparrow. Perhaps, a guide for murdered adults? Or a guide for porters? More from Willow? Just a thought.

This novel was a really confusing slow read which was a struggle to finish. It mixes up a few different genres, from horror, murder mystery and fantasy and in the end is not particularly satisfactory at any of them and falls between the cracks in the sofa. The concept of the novel is interesting enough and has a certain degree of originality, murdered children get the opportunity to inhabit the body of an adult within moments of that adult's natural death. They get a chance to obtain their "moment of balance" by tracking down and killing whomever it was that hurt them. The voices of the kids within the bodies of the adults failed to convince and this clever concept is seriously bogged down in sequences that meandered absolutely nowhere. Some sequences made no sense and to say it was confusing would be an understatement. Large chunks of the novel were written in a loose narrative style with a stream of consciousness which was very difficult to get into and was equally irritating.

The concept is that murdered children get the opportunity to inhabit the body of an adult within moments of that adult's natural death. They get a chance to obtain their "moment of balance" by tracking down and killing whomever it was that hurt them. So, in essence the adult and the child are both still in the body, in a symbiotic mission until the child is avenged. This book seemed gory and gross just for the sake of being gory and gross. I honestly couldn't get past the idea that there is a child inside the adult's mind, while the adult is still, for the most part, carrying on daily business, including being intimate with their spouse or partner. The very idea is repugnant to me and kind of shut me down for the rest of the book. There was a lot going on, very few smooth transitions, and a metric ton of characters. I really wanted to like this book because the idea seemed fascinating at the time, who wouldn't root for a kid getting vengeance on the sick, depraved soul of a child abuser and murderer? Many authors are able to seamlessly blend necessary abuse into their plot to further the storyline or explain a character's actions but the rape and abuse in this story just seemed gleeful and abhorrent. This one is a hard pass for me.

This is a hard one for me to review. I almost quit reading at 7%, and at 20%. The first 20% made no sense. I was just left confused. The rest of the story I felt I had to finish. All I can say was it was and "OKAY" book. Not good, not horrible in my opinion.