Sadly I just don’t think this author is for me. This was my second book by her and unfortunately I found no creep factor, the flashbacks to the main character’s childhood didn’t always feel purposeful and I was bored. I really wanted to love this one, and I tried but really, really just not for me. I hope others enjoy it!

Jennifer McMahon knows how to write a chilling book...with enough eeriness and fear-factor that keeps a reader engaged with both the story and the characters. Lizzie Shelley and her brother Charlie have made new lives since they were the children on the hill......and have new names to help them move on. But the monsters still call to Lizzie...and she has become a well-known monster-hunter. Lizzie and Charlie were raised by their grandmother, who ran The Inn--where she treated psychiatric patients with very unorthodox methods while furthering her study of eugenics. As Lizzie chases down monsters, she finds clues that will lead her to her most feared monster ...her sister. The dual timelines and excerpts from a book written abaout what was found at The Inn, lead the reader down a twisted tale where the children find their true stories, along with the reader. The "end of the chase" brings with it a few surprises and an ending that is both surprising and anticipated. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #ChildrenontheHill #NetGalley.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I think I found the writing slow and slightly too fantastical for a fiction book. It felt more like magical realism at the beginning, so I wasn't in the right headspace for it. Overall, it was just OKAY for me.

Yoooo Jennifer McMahon does it AGAIN. This was a page-turner and a twist that I DID NOT see coming. Highly recommend.

The Children on the Hill by @jennifermcmahonwrites

This book!!! This book! I went in basically blind other than seeing in a few other reviews that it was a Frankenstein retelling (which I’m embarrassed to say I knew basically nothing about). But, I think it made for an even better reading experience!

The pacing for this was fantastic! Creepy, dark, full of trauma and mystery, and so, so, smart. The writing, the chilling tone, the twist, the disturbing, unreliable characters, all made this one of my new favorites.

Excuse me while I go read McMahon’s entire backlist.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.75*

This was such an amazing book! The atmosphere, the vibes, the two timelines OMG! I devoured this book in one whole day!

This was my second Jennifer McMahon book and I'm happy to say that she is definitely a new favorite author. I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this book. I think that is something that Jennifer McMahon does really well. I also loved the two timelines. I found myself eager to read both timelines and really liked them equally. I had no idea who to believe while reading this, I found myself not trusting anyone. The one thing that I struggled with was the pacing. I felt that at some points the pacing was off but other than that I adored everything else.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I liked most of this book, and was glad that part of it turned out the way I predicted. But one of the big twists just didn’t feel like it fit the tone of the rest of the story.

In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, essentially creating a new genre and making her readers rethink what the word "monster" really means. This year, Jennifer McMahon, who always manages to keep me on the edge of my seat and is one of the only horror writers I will read, puts her own spin on that idea.

In The Children On The Hill, we're introduced to Lizzy Shelley, a modern day monster hunter, the kind you'd find in shows on the Travel channel. She doesn't entirely believe in the kind of monsters that she's hunting but she does believe in monsters because she's seen them in action. As we meet her, Lizzy is off on another chase to research a legendary monster who her sister may be using as the foil for her own monstrous acts.

Throughout the book, we move back and forth in time, between the children's search for the truth about Iris's past and Lizzy's search for her sister. McMahon also weaves in pieces from the children's Book of Monsters, excerpts from a book called The True Story of the Hillside Inn, and the voice of the monster, herself. Throughout, McMahon keeps building the tension, as she slowly reveals the truth about what happened in 1978 and the truth about the monster. All of it builds to first one big surprise and then a final twist I never saw coming. I know, I know, you're thinking that it's not the least bit unusual for me not to see the twists coming. But I promise you that you won't see that final one coming, either.

It's been a long time since I've read one of McMahon's books, although I've been meaning to pick them up again for years. This book did not disappoint and has been more eager than ever to pick up more of McMahon's books. They are just the kind of horror stories I can handle - loads of tension but not a lot of gore and always plenty to make readers think. But even if you're not a wimp like I am, I think you'll enjoy this one.

Creepy story of Eugenics experiments gone wrong. The author puts a twist at the end that isn't quite as shocking as it should be but the story holds together.

I absolutely loved this book! To be honest, I haven’t read a Jennifer McMahon book I didn’t liked. It was so suspenseful and was the perfect book to read in October. The perfect amount of creepiness!

I am usually a fan of Jennifer McMahon but I really couldn’t get into this one. The storyline wasn’t interesting to me and it had trouble keeping my attention. I will still try future books.

This might be my favorite book of 2022 so far. I ADORED it and all it's twists and turns. McMahon never disappoints. I love her writing style. I love a book that makes me want to turn on all lights and this hit the spot. I loved that you found out more and more of what had been kept from the children as the book went on.

I went into this one expecting a whole different story - I was surprised by the direction it took. I guess I should’ve known with the whole Frankenstein reference.

I really wanted to love this one, but I struggled so much getting into it. The first few chapters had me hooked, but that didn’t last long. I didn’t love that ending. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and they’ve both been three stars… I really want to love her books. There were some twists here and there that I thought were very well done. The story also dragged at times and was a bit slow.

Woah! This was super creepy, and I didn't expect that ending at all. Gave me The Haunting of Hill House vibes.

The Children on the Hill is my definition of a perfect thriller. It had me sucked in from the beginning, and I could not put it down. Jennifer McMahon does a fantastic job of revealing the twists at the perfect times. There were several surprises that I would have never predicted. I highly recommend this book!

This book starts off very slow moving which made it difficult to keep me interested. This was another book that I kept walking away from and then having to start over because I’d put off reading it for too long. It was a just okay book for me once I got to the end. I felt it was overly predictable (except a small piece of the ending, but I won’t give spoilers) and drawn out. I honestly wanted to just give up on this book. The novel follows Monster Hunter, Liz Shelley. It jumps back and forth between then and now. It also contains excerpts from a book she wrote on monsters along with her siblings as a child as well as a book written on her grandmother and her background by another author. In the past sections, a third “sibling” is brought home by grandma, Vi becomes suspicious about what experiments her grandmother is actually doing at her psychiatric hospital. Vi and Iris become close and start investigating together along with their brother, Eric. In the now sections, she has changed her name after the incident (which isn’t explained until the end), to Liz Shelley, and travels the country hunting monsters. She notices a that 10 teenage women have gone missing after claiming to meet monsters. I didn’t really get interested in this book until I was about 70% done and even then, it was only okay. I would give it 2.5 stars.

The Children on the Hill asks two big questions of it's reader. The first: are monsters born or are they made? The second: what makes a monster a monster? Is a monster a monster because of actions, appearance, behavior, or is it a monster based simply on other's perceptions. The Children on the Hill follows these questions from childhood to adulthood through the eyes of two girls.

The Children on the Hill has a twist that is so unexpected it will leave the reader reeling and rethinking everything they read throughout the book. Just when you feel like you know the answer to the two questions, the book will make you question yourself and your answers. They type of book that will make you want to read more from this author.

Very obviously inspired by Frankenstein, this is another Vermont-based creepy thriller/mystery Jennifer McMahon book (in a good way!). I liked the mystery aspect but the twist was a bit predictable. The 1978 storyline was much stronger, when it switched back to the modern storyline I think it lost some steam. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

This book was HIGHLY reccomended to me by @chapters.and.charcuterie
and now I'm reccomending it too!

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Children in the Hill, by Jennifer McMahon, is told in two time lines.

•The first, 1978: Violet and Eric live with their psychiatrist grandmother on the property in Vermont where she treat patients. Violet loves monsters so when Liv becomes a patient and opens up to Violet the three children set out to find out about Liv's past. They find more than they expected.

•The second, 2019: Lizzy Shelley, a monster hunter/podcaster/actress, is on the hunt for a monster that may have abducted a little girl. Shelley knows monsters are real so she tracks the monster sighting to discover what happened ti the child. In doing so she uncovers something shocking.

The Children on the Hill is creepy and captivating while keeping a youthful feel. McMahon creates a vivid settling with even more vivid characters. She hits on all cylinders: family, nature vs nurture, sibling relationships, psychology, paranormal, and reality/truth.

As I was reading I began thinking about how the story would play out. I did not see the ending coming at all and it was better than any of the ideas I came up with.

If you love thrillers this is a book you need to get your hands on sooner than later.


Thank you to @netgalley and for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 out of 5 stars

I have found that Jennifer McMahon doesn't disappoint me. She does a really good job of combining mysteries with a good amount of creepiness thrown in there for good measure.

I really loved all the twists and turns this ode to Frankenstein had. It is sure to keep you reading late into the night!