I found this book extremely hard to get in to. The writing was disjointed, it was hard to follow along. I did not like any of the characters. I just don't care. DNF @ 43.

This is a YA supernatural mystery which is easy to read so the story flows quickly. Set in an Australian town Swanston but referred to by the younger generation as Swamp Town and call themselves Swampies! Grace is a seventeen old who is ‘fearless’ and with a lot of attitude; however she is believable and the dialogue is down to earth and realistic. The story however is anything but ‘down to earth’ with twists and turns that keeps you in suspense but also keeps you reading. An unusual story told from the perspective of Grace....or more strictly speaking from inside her head!
Good YA novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Text Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book at first. I wasn't a huge fan of Grace at the beginning of the book because she was a bit obnoxious and self-centered. However, she gradually changed due to what she was forced to deal with over the course of the book. She came to appreciate the things that she took for granted in her life and became a stronger, more focused person.
I thought that the book had a good pacing to it with everything happening at the appropriate time. The haunting happened gradually which was shown through the changes that were taking place with Grace. I enjoyed the creepy tone to the story. It wasn't overdone and the author had an interesting take on villains and heroes in the story. Things are not always what they seem in the book and the twists that are included in the book make sense due to the clues that the author weaves into the story.
I may have missed it but I don't think that the author ever explained the how or why of how Grace ended up being haunted. Everything else in the book is explained really well and I appreciated the author's attention to detail.

When I started “Ballad for a Mad Girl”, I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for. I found it while shuffling through NetGalley and decided why not! It’s not like I had many other unread books lingering on my kindle–what’s one more?

“Ballad for a Mad Girl” tells many stories at once, but all are focused through the lens of Grace Foley, the prankster and risk-taker of her group. Throughout the story, Grace struggles to come to terms with the death of her mother, her newly-changing group of high school friends, and a cold case from twenty three years prior. What’s a high school girl to do except solve two murders and a disappearance, all while failing year twelve?

Overall, I found this book to be a solidly entertaining read, as evidenced by the fact that I read it while I really should not have been reading anything at all. I enjoyed our narrator and the multi-layered time frames, but found that sometimes, the intermingling story lines were just a little too pat for my taste. I’m all for consequences echoing down the decades and generations, but sometimes, everything seems just a little to closely woven together to be truly believable. However, this is a book that prominently features ghosts as a major plot point, so there.

Ballad for a Mad Girl, written by Vikki Wakefield, will be published on 30 November 2017 by Text Publishing. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

Ballad for a Mad Girl was an odd book. Good odd. Not Twin Peaks odd, but odd enough for me to stop several times and think, 'um, what?' Grace is almost 18, and at that awkward age where things are changing. School has almost finished, the friendship group that has been solid for as long as she can remember seems to be falling apart, and, her relationships with her father and her brother are strained. Different. Broken. Grace isn't sure when it all really started, but she knows a lot of it began when her Mum died. After this, everything changed a little and then a lot.

Grace was always a prankster, a risk taker. She pushed people's buttons with her nonchalant attitude, while in reality, her anxiety was teetering on the surface, always threatening to leap out of the shadows. Eventually, she realised she wasn't just pushing people's buttons; she was pushing them away. Grace and her family were dealing with grief while not really dealing with it at all. It's hard to deal with grief when you have more questions than answers ... when blame is thrown around like an unwanted, slowly deflating ball.

Grace is partaking in a dare, trying to beat the snobs at the rival school. These schools are rivals in everything, and Grace is used to the challenge; she thrives on it. But this time, something goes wrong. Grace is seemingly unscathed after the event, but she begins to see things, hear things. Things that aren't there. She realises she has to solve the mystery of Hannah Holt, the girl who has been missing for decades, to make it all go away.

Ballad for a Mad Girl deals with a lot of themes that, I think, are extremely important for the Young Adult reader, with one of the biggest themes being grief. Throughout this book, Grace changes. Grief does that to a person. It's like, before and after. Grace tries to cling on to things from her past, not wanting to lose other important things, but as she goes through the grieving process, she slowly learns to accept that things are constantly changing. Most of the time we don't see the changes, because they're subtle, like shadows out of the corners of our eyes.

There is a big supernatural element to this book, and it's hard to keep track of what is real and what isn't. To me, this didn't interrupt the main storyline. At times it contributed to the story, filling in missing pieces, but there were also a few, 'wtf moments,' where I was left wondering whether the event actually happened or if it was simply imagined. Knowing the ending, I'm almost tempted to re-read Ballad for a Mad Girl to see if I can make more sense of some of the more supernatural moments of this book.

3/5 stars. This is the first book I have ever read by Vikki Wakefield. It started well and I was looking forward to seeing where the story took me. There were however multiple points where I felt confused and a little bit lost. I am still not sure whether this was done intentionally to add to the feel of the book or not.

The main character Grace believable and relatable. She has had a difficult past and appears to be damaged as a result of this. She has concerning attitudes and struggles with maintaining relationships because of this. I liked this aspect as it gave Grace a more realistic personality.

I enjoyed that the relationships within the book, especially the one with her brother was so realistic. I have a brother myself and saw some aspects that I recognised.

In a typical mystery/thriller/slightly paranormal book, you never got the full picture until the end, and while I’ve read plenty of other books in this genre, I still didn’t see it coming.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I also found the ending to be satisfying if a little rushed, as though she had a word count to stick to. Honestly, I struggled with the pace throughout. Sometimes it felt as though the book was dragging on and then I couldn’t keep up. As with the confusion I felt reading this book, I am not sure whether the pace was intentional.

I read this book in one sitting, on a blustery night in the middle of autumn. I suggest doing the same. Wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket with a hot drink and giving this book a try. While it didn’t blow me away, it’s definitely worth giving a chance

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I found this quite a difficult read. Horror and suspense isn't my favourite genre but even so I found the authors writing style a little confusing. I found it hard to figure out how it was all going to come together. Was it mental illness? or was there real paranormal stuff? I am still not sure?? The story started well but dragged a bit. The characters had enough depth to believe in them

Ballad for a Mad Girl was a unique take on a ghost story. There were some things that I really liked about this story. I liked the twist about who the ghost really was. I also liked how the author was able to introduce some doubt about what was really going on with Grace after I learned more about her family history. I had a difficult time connecting with the story overall because of some of the lack of formatting in the ARC. I was also confused about where the story took place which affected my connection to the story. It wasn't because it wasn't set in the US , but that I didn't realize it was set in Australia until late in the book (I thought it was set in England). I also thought there could have been more closure regarding Grace's story and what was going to happen with her.

Rating: 3.5/5
*I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good book, the first book I have ever read by Vikki Wakefield but I will be keeping an eye out for future books by her.
There were multiple points throughout this novel that I felt confused, sort of unsure of what was happening, I believe this was the authors intent as it added to the overall feel of the book. The main character Grace felt authentic, and aside from paranormal aspects, I would imagine many people will be able to relate to her.
Vikki Wakefield has a powerful way of writing, the description was intense, there were aspects of this reminiscent of horror stories.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this it kept me guessing right until the end. This is the first book I’ve read with a what I would describe as strong gothic style, a style I really grew to like as I progressed through the novel. If you’re a fan of YA Mystery Thrillers then you just might love this one.

I loved this book. It captured my imagination in more ways than one, and I was really impressed with the overall effect it had. It's part ghost story, part thriller, part drama. Although parts of it are frightening, it's also a really touching exploration of the devastating effects of grief and how different people experience it. It's woven together so well - there are seemingly minor events early on that take on new significance later, and you realise that every detail is there for a reason.

I read it very quickly because I was so gripped by it, but I'd definitely like to go back and re-read it more slowly to fully appreciate the cleverness of the plot.

Thanks to a very blustery and wet Saturday, I read <i>Ballad for a Mad Girl</i> in almost one sitting. It was an entertaining and gripping read, with a couple of unexpected twists in the narrative. Would recommend for fans of supernatural thrillers, 14+

I didn't finish this book. I didn't dislike it, it just didn't catch my attention. I might try it again at a later date.

3.5 stars.

I was given a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book took longer than it should have done for me to read, but that wasn’t out of lack of enjoyment or a reflection on the writing. I was in a kind of reading slump. I feel like if I’d managed to sit down and read this book at the pace I usually read, I imagine I would have enjoyed it more, but it was still a good book.

Grace as a character is very unique and refreshing to read about. She’s a very damaged person as a result of her past and has a very dangerous attitude to the world around her. She’s reckless and, to an extent, self-destructive, but I think it was necessary to the story. However, there has been some controversy surrounding the ableist language in the title and scattered throughout the story so bear that in mind if you decide to pick this book up.

The plot was definitely creepy and immersive throughout, and there wasn’t a moment when there wasn’t anything happening. The narrative was ambiguous at times, which I know from other reviews was a little confusing, but I personally loved it because it was so unpredictable. One moment, the story would be calm and following Grace through very everyday events, and the next your heart would be racing and you’d be thrust straight back into the action. In short, this book gave me the creepy thriller vibes I’ve wanted from the books I read last month but didn’t get.

I also really liked the family aspect, especially the relationship Grace has with her brother. They still have their issues and aren’t poster children for positive sibling relationships but I feel like it was realistic and I really liked how it progressed over the course of the book. I love me some healthy sibling relationships.

The mystery itself was the kind that I like. It was twisty and complex without being overly so, and though you never got the full picture until the end, you could still follow the deductions Grace was making as she got new information. I also found the ending to be satisfying – halleluja!

This is the perfect book to pick up over Halloween if you’re in need of a spook. You could definitely read it in one night.

3,5/5 stars.

Ballad for a Mad Girl was definitely not what I expected to be. When diving into this book, I didn't really know which genre it was; and I was more than surprised to realise it was a mystery/paranormal-ish book. I have to admit that I was really confused at first, not knowing what was going on and where the story was going. But as I read, I started to get captivated by the story and its complex, lost and mysterious main character, Grace. Moreover, the author, Vikki Wakefield, has a really nice writing that will suck you in and let you wonder the same questions Grace has.
However, I had a few issues with it such as the pace that was sometimes a bit too fast or too slow for me, as well as the ending that in my opinion, was a bit rushed. But otherwise it was a really nice book, quite perfect for Halloween and autumn.

I was hesitant about this as i've read lots of books with a supposedly quirky, unusual and awkward main character and most of them are bad but this was such a wonderful surprise. I was hooked within the first few pages and spent my whole afternoon lost in this world. I heartily recommend this book.

This was a story about a girl who tries to solve a twenty-year-old mystery while dealing with a ghost lurking around and within her.

It is told in the perspective of Grace Foley. One night when she goes to walk the pipe, one of the events where the rival schools compete in. She's done it a million times before, but this night, something goes wrong.

Soon she is convinced that she is possessed by the twenty year old spirit of Hannah Holt and must solve her disappearance in order to be freed from her ghost. But when she tries to tell her friends, they don't know whether to take it as another of her pranks. With no one on her side, she's left to solve the mystery on her own.

Through the book, I started to question what I was reading. I mean, it seemed like Grace's life was starting to fall apart in any way possible, and I couldn't tell whether this was her doing or some ghost's. She definitely started out as an unreliable narrator, and it was hard to tell the truth from the lies.

I honestly trudged through three-quarters of the book. There was so much filler on Grace's school, and friend, and family issues. I mean, who really cares about Grace's missing axolotls (I'm sorry, but really). Maybe it was just me, but the mystery element also just didn't engage me at all. It felt like Grace was just going everywhere for answers and never getting a clear lead. It was only for the last fifty pages where things began to kick off.

I won't deny that I found the ending satisfying. It was and wasn't what you were expecting. Honestly, while I wasn't that attached to Grace or her friends, I really kept thinking about the fate of Hannah and William and how things could have been different. In fact, I think I kept going with the book because I wanted to find out what happened to Hannah. At least Grace's discovery did not disappoint.

I may have not enjoyed the book as much as I would have probably because it wasn't really been up my alley. But the main issue for me was the lack of suspense and rapid heart beating.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

I need to be honest it took me a bit more of a month to engage and finish this book. The premise is spectacular but the writing is a bit unemotional at the beginning, the main character annoyed me so much that I decided to read first another two books before finishing this one. But I was determined in reading til the end.

It’s a YA mixed with mystery and thriller possession with ghosts and all this hallucination things in it. Grace Foley is a daring girl, the one that always needs to show up, make everyone notice her and talk about her for days until something happens. She feels haunted, she starts having dreams and experiences that does not belong to her, it belongs to someone who died twenty-three years ago and she needs to resolve this mystery if she wants her life back. All of her friends don’t believe her now after all the pranks and stupid things she’s done, so she’s all on her own trying to figure everything out.

The beginning is very dragging and she is very very very annoying, but I was glad that I actually decided to finish it up the book. Slowly she starts to grow on you, her attitude starts changing and she actually starts caring about other people besides herself. I like when you can see the main character grow into a better person. And I love this paranormal stuff, in movies, tv shows and when it’s well written in books. The author has potential, she knows how to walk around the mystery of the murder without giving out too much until the time is right, I really liked it because it took me some reading deeper into the story to connect the dots and it was pleasant the final act.

I must say I didn’t really like her friends, maybe because you don’t really get a good glimpse of them before she really gets mad and with ghosts around her, but I wouldn’t like to have friends that would just drop me like a hot potato like they did to her. After all of her talking of their years and years of friendship I found it a bit cruel on their parts to do that even being as obnoxious as Grace were.

Grace lost her mother two years prior and she had to move out of her beloved home to a place she dislike. She only has her brother and her dad now but every single of them are fighting their own demons too busy grieving too.

She really outdid herself, going into extremes to just found out everything about the murder of the past. The ghost just do enough to clue her in but she needs to figure everything out by herself. I like this, I like the workout it gives your mind, a good old mystery where you need to really pay attention to the details so you can figure it out without the author simply putting right there in your face. After I got hooked in the story I just flew through the pages. I’m still on the fence about the ending but I find it acceptable to the story.

I’m glad she actually got better at the end of the book, seeing she’s not the only person she should care about, I really liked her maturity towards the end.

I’m curious to know if there will be more book with Grace as a main character but trying to help other ghosts around.

I know that the author is Australian which is very nice for a change of all the American ones we are so used to. She’s very promising, her writing can get better and her stories too so I’m excited for more books to come around here.

I am unable to provide a review at this time. Unfortunately, I DNFed this book in the first 18%. It just didn't hold my attention. I apologize for the inconvenience.

I love a YA book that doesn't obsess over teenage romance!

This was my first Wakefield book so I came in with no expectations. I love that this is a contemporary-style Oz book but it is also so much more. I love love love when I don't know what is going to happen in a mystery book. Because, I mean, isn't that the whole point? And I loved the paranormal aspect - while only moderately spooky, it fit the story and the mystery gloriously. AND I just love things creepy and dark.

This book was a great adventure and I enjoyed it a tonne. I wish, as a reader, I was moved to have an emotional attachment to the characters - particularly Grace. The fact that her entire body is falling apart and I still didn't really care...

I also just found that the ending was lacking. For a book which had such a thrill ride through many parts, the ending just didn't have a fantastic BOOM like I wanted. The ending to the actual mystery was slightly more final and satisfactory for me - but honestly not by much.

But I still thought it was a pretty great read.



Note: Thank you to Netgallery and Text Publishing for this ARC copy. This has not impacted on my honest review.

Well this was an absolute whirlwind and considering as I've just finished it... I'm utterly speechless but also want to discuss it. You guys know the feeling.

I went into this book with no clue what it was about and I thank NetGalley for the review copy. This book had me going, 'what the shit' almost constantly but I pretty much set a record for how fast I read it. Just absolutely crazy. Will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

We are first introduced to Grace and learn that she is trying to navigate life and her relationships after her mom passes away. What I wasn't expecting was a book that legitimately creeped me out to my core and I'm still not sure exactly what was happening. Ghost possession? Mental illness? A crazy imagination? I'm not sure.

First off the writing was absolutely brilliant. I've got sections marked on my kindle copy where I just favourited the authors beautiful prose. Sentences that had me gasping and metaphors and similes that gave me chills. The story was completely unique and I was riveted from the first sentence.

I only had two gripes about this novel which is why they aren't five stars. Firstly, I found the interactions between the friends and family to be lacklustre. I would have like a bit more delving into these relationships that Grace apparently is highly dependent on. Random friends just leaving the group and no discussions about a few very severe incidents that occur bothered me a bit.

The second was a bit of a deus ex machina situation. If it weren't for specific unrealistic things happening, which were only unrealistic because it wasn't as explained as I would have liked, then the story would not have come to its conclusion. I wanted more of Grace sneaking around sleuthing rather than hallucination, or whatever she was doing, the answers to the questions she so desperately wanted.