***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.

This book was an absolute mess in the best and worst ways. Trigger warning of rape and abuse to children, this book is about murdered children who come back alive to exact their revenge.

Thank you netgalley for an arc for an honest review because I have been wanting to read this book for a while. It was kind of everywhere. It had a lot of genres and ideas thrown in all at once and it was hard to get through a book like this.

The untimely death of a child is tragic, but in Sarah Sparrow's The Guide for Murdered Children those children are provided an opportunity to seek justice for their demise. 

In suburban Detroit, an eclectic mix of people meet up weekly as a support group, but it's not AA or any other typical adult support group; it's a group for murdered children whose souls have inhabited an adult, or landlord, and are working toward a moment of balance as they figure out who killed them and avenge their untimely end. Meanwhile, former NYPD detective Willow Wylde has moved back to suburban Detroit and has been offered a position leading the new local Cold Case unit, where he works with two deputies that show a keen interest in solving the Rummer case, to which Willow has a personal connection. Through the investigation's development, Willow learns about these strange meetings, uncovering more than the resolution of a decade's old case as he discovers the meaning behind his strange recurring dreams about blue-tinted people and a train. 

While there were some fascinating ideas and concepts presented relating to the supernatural elements of the text, the narrative takes a bit too long to bring together the threads of the story, unnecessarily drawing it out. There were areas where explanatory information is repeatedly presented as if it's new information and the balance between child-like and adult dialogue was lacking a believable finesse, which could be addressed with further development and editing. Ambitious in its attempt to incorporate different genre styles into one narrative, the story doesn't adequately do so, leaving readers without a cohesive or satisfying whole, but readers are instead instead left with a muddled and perplexing text.

Overall, I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Firstly thank you so much for giving me an advanced copy of this book however I would like to respectfully decline reviewing as I have only read a few pages and realised that this is not a good fit for me, the blend of mystery, horror, and supernatural just didn't work for me and I would rather not post a negative review. I wish the author success with this book regardless of my brief encounter with it.

As a mother of a scary autistic child (!!!) , this is not for me, couldn't read any more.

My sincere appreciation to Netgallery and the publisher for providing an ARC in getting my opinions. I have high hopes for the book but it has been a let down.

First off, the beginning is very difficult to get into. Took me awhile wanting to dive into the story.

Once I was getting used to the author's style and picking up the reading slowly, I thought I would like the story better but that never happened. There were some great moments but most of the time I felt confused. A very promising plot with interesting ideas but the author executed her visions only passably. As a thriller, it isn't exciting enough; as a mystery, there isn't anything mysterious like whodunit; as a fantasy, it isn't a pleasant/exciting fantasy read. I don't think the author tried to be ambitious, but the writing seems like she is trying too hard, at least, to me.

All in all, this is a less-than-pleasant-read and I mostly would not recommend it to my friends. I will consider to read it again and see if I feel any differently on my second attempt. Again, there are some redemption qualities to the plots and ideas so I am willing to give this book a 3-star rating. But a 2-star rating was my immediate response upon finishing the book.

The cover art, it is too cute and sweet and it reflects nothing of what readers should expect to read. Something innocent yet sinister should be used on the cover.

I will post the review on my goodread account few weeks before the publication date. I seriously consider giving the book a second chance before I post anything too negatively since, like I have mentioned, there are few redemption qualities to the title. Thanks Netgallery and the publisher again for giving me a chance to preview this title.

I read this over the weekend in the backyard, thinking it would be a good one. Wrong. I have no idea what was going on, I thought this would be psychologial/thriller, but it was a lot more fantasy than I enjoy. Sorry :(

I did not know what to expect from this book but I started reading and loved it right away.
It is a powerful story and there were moments that broke my heart.

I would like to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. There was so much going on that I didn't understand at times and other times I did. Even though it wasn't for me, I hope others will like it.

The cover of
This book is incredible but what the hell
Is inside?

I was immediately drawn to this book when I first heard about it. The premise left me intrigued, albeit unsure of the genre, so I decided to just jump in and see what I thought. While the story itself is unusual, I have to say that it is exactly what it says on the tin. Sparrow merges the unlikely combination of murdered children and whimsy, creating a unique and original story.

While I enjoyed many elements of the plot, I have to say that it took some time to get into the writing style. It seems a little stilted in places, particularly over some lines of dialogue. Overall, due to the subject matter and writing style, this is a book that I enjoyed but would not recommend for everyone.

Magical, scary, heartbreaking, literary - these are just a few of the adjectives I would use to describe this book. A GUIDE TO MURDERED CHILDREN has a truly original premise and it was a joy to wander through the first few chapters without knowing exactly what was going on. There is nothing obvious about this book. The book is chock-full of intriguing characters and a complicated and original plot. It will appeal to both lovers of Alice Hoffman and Stephan King. Can't wait to read what Sarah Sparrow writes next!

Somewhere, A Unicorn Is Crying

** Trigger warning for violence, including the rape, torture, and murder of children. **

For the children, when your time is done, it is VERY important to THANK YOUR LANDLORD—they’ve been such CARING roommates!!! Remember, without THEM, you would never have been able to have your moment of balance. For the landlords, when YOUR time is done, THANK your BODY!!! (For the wonderful times it provided.) NEVER FORGET that it gave you so much more time than your child-tenants had! And THANK the FRIENDS and FAMILY that you LOVED . . . and thank this beautiful BLUE EARTH. — from “The End” (the Guidebook)

— 2.5 stars —

Something strange and awesome is happening in the small town of Saggerty Falls, Michigan – and in towns both large and small all over the world (presumably). The spirits of murdered children (“tenants”) are returning to this beautiful blue earth, temporarily inhabiting the bodies of recently deceased adults (“landlords”) in order to exact revenge (the “moment of balance”) on their killers. They are guided through this adventure by a psychic mentor (“porter”) – in this case, one Annie Ballendine, a former teacher who was institutionalized after she began to hear voices. Annie was rescued and trained by Jasper, the porter before her; and, as her cancer returns, Annie knows that the time is nearing for her pass the baton to her successor. But how will she find this person, while also dealing with the “haywire” events that presage a Porter’s passing?

Depending on how compassionately the narrative is crafted, rape revenge stories are some of my favorites (quite possibly because rape carries so few consequences for the perpetrators here in the real world. Fiction is often much more satisfying.) Mindy McGinnis’s THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES has become the gold standard for me; Alex Craft is the ultimate antihero, and the book does an exemplary job deconstructing rape culture. I envisioned the titular murdered children as miniature Dexter Morgans-in-training, crammed into the meatsuits of unsuspecting (but ultimately game) adult humans. Like Alex, but with even more personal vendettas. Maybe even with a splash of Chucky from CHILD’S PLAY in there somewhere. In other words, horrible and magnificent. Yes, my expectations for this one were through the proverbial roof.

Which made the fall that much more painful. A GUIDE FOR MURDERED CHILDREN is…I hate to say it, but it’s a hot mess. Books that span genres can be exciting, compelling, and fun, but the blend of mystery, horror, and supernatural just didn’t work for me. Sparrow can’t seem to decide what she wants this book to be. There’s a lot of needless hand-wringing – by the wronged children, no less – about the futility of revenge, and doesn’t murder (in some cases, very clear-cut cases of self-defense) make them as bad as their killers? I suppose most rape revenge stories tackle ethical dilemmas such as these, but the many plot twists thrown in to facilitate the soul-searching in A GUIDE FOR MURDERED CHILDREN make everything so darn tiring. By the time we get to Lydia’s monologue to Willow, I was just like “can we not”? More Punisher, less Daredevil, please. I mean I think we can all agree, since we’re talking about pedophiles and child killers here, right?

Since many of the characters are children posing as adults (or enmeshed with them, might be a better description), the dialogue is…tricky. Sparrow makes them seem a little too juvenile – overly-innocent, maybe, given what they’d been through – and the dialogue often feels clunky and overdone. On the other end of the spectrum, many/most of the characters occasionally think in $10 words that seem completely ill-fitted to them.

I didn’t really connect with any of the protagonists, and I outright despised Detective Willow Millard Wylde. Like, are we supposed to root for this guy? Willow is a walking cliché: the corrupt narcotics officer who steals from dealers; the disgraced, hard-drinking Big City Homicide Detective; the crappy “wh*ring” husband; and the even crappier absentee father who tries to buy his daughter off with a puppy. (Adopt, don’t shop.) Dude is a straight-up womanizer who basically fantasizes about maybe raping his new neighbor. (“Willow flashed on pushing her against the living room wall and sticking his tongue down her throat. He wondered if she’d submit. How long would it take for her to push him away? Would it be a push? Or a kick in the balls?” Make no mistake: What he is describing is sexual assault.) But they hook up and fall in love, so I guess that makes it okay.

And then there’s the matter of his boss covering up multiple cases of police misconduct and brutality. I’ve never been a big fan of this trope, but even less so considering what’s going on in the news. Like, I get that surface appearances are hecka different from the meat of the matter, but Owen doesn’t know that. Yet he agrees to a whopper of a lie so that Daniel can go out a hero cop – and to save the department’s reputation. This is gross, and it’s gross precisely because it’s the sort of thing that happens all the time IRL.

The most generous thing I can say about A GUIDE FOR MURDERED CHILDREN is that the idea was intriguing enough to keep me reading from beginning to end – not once did I consider DNF’ing. Otherwise it’s a pretty disappointing example of great idea/poor execution. I can only hope that the finished version will be a little more polished (I read an early copy eight months prior to publication).

** Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley. **

1 star

We open our story with Willow Wylde, a man who called himself “Dubya” long before George Bush had done so. He is an alcoholic who is drying out in a rehabilitation center in the Sonoran Desert after breaking his hand punching a wall in a bar. He was a cold case detective before he hit bottom.

And then the book loses it.

To compare this writer to Stephen King is a travesty. Obviously David Cronenberg has never read Mr. King. The only reason I picked this book up was his statement, so I am majorly disappointed. I’ve never read Shirley Jackson, so I can’t comment on that. This book is disjointed, hard to follow and just plain bad. It is poorly written and has no plot. The book is so hard to follow that it’s not worth the reader’s time to try to sort it out.

Thanking Penguin Group Blue Rider Press & Plume for forwarding to me a copy of this book to review.