Well, I liked this a lot more than I expected to! This is one of my "catching up" Netgalley reads from waaaay back, and interestingly, one I added to my read next list without actually checking the synopsis to see what it was about. I went in thinking it was a YA fantasy then was surprised by the first few chapters where nothing seemed very fantasy-like. It was quite fun to go in blind and to be surprised as the book developed, so I'll keep it like that for anyone reading my review!

David is father to 3 teens, but at the beginning of the book has a call, that we learn he has been hoping for, to say that his 2 missing children have been found and he can come and collect them. The story quickly develops as we discover these are children from an affair and are similar ages to his current family, but that they've been living somewhat off grid for a number of years and have been subject to abuse. His wife is, of course, not pleased to learn of their existence but welcomes them into her home, while initially kicking him out. As they adapt to their new environment, big secrets are revealed, but not just about the two new children, about the rest of the family too.

I'll be honest, it was a dark read and some parts more so than others. Nevertheless, the story isn't slow - it has a good pace and I raced through it. There are some great moments that would match up to any thriller, and other more introspective moments where you get to know each of the kids. I enjoyed getting to know their characters.

I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series in future.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for a review copy of this book.

What was this? Are we really going to brush off the abuse? Are we? ARE WE? Let me be more clear: Are we going to brush off all the RAPE? ARE WE? Ok, let’s be monsters and brush it off, and let’s talk about the non-rape part of the story—it was boring. I’ve never been this enraged by a book in this way. There have been books that made me mad for how dumb they were or their lack of charm. Destruction is not a book I would recommend to anyone. What saddens me more is that this is the kind of book I’m going to remember with clear details.

I wasn't able to get engaged with this title, but want to try again in the future.