ARC provided by Netgalley and Viking Books! 👌🏼

The Mortons is one of those books where the plot isn’t the star. It’s such a good time despite that, and darker than one would expect.

At its heart it’s a coming of age story, peppered with archery, forensics, and best of all, knowing how to clean up after a murder. The FMC has been raised to be Morton prodigy through and through, and the Morton way is simple: protect the family, preserve the family, and if someone threatens any part of it, even if its family, you handle/cull it. The family is obscenely wealthy, and they set things right, with murderous intent.

What makes it so compelling is watching her navigate life with this completely conditioned black heart, and then slowly albeit reluctantly, watching it go a little red. This navigation flows smoothly, even if demands blood and bodies along the way.

The conversations are genuinely wonderful to read. And the characters, spicy! Gertie is a delight every time she makes an entrance. There’s this dark comedic undercurrent running through everything that you don’t really care where the plot is going.

So far, I’ve never read anything quite like this. It’s dark and witty without ever being droll. Four bright stars!

The Mortons was an enticing read, an incredible page turner and a display of masterful story development. The themes of legacy and betrayal intertwined with emotive sub-plots really made me fall in love with the read and also our main characters, especially Jessica. It's dark, sinister and stormy, and feels like many of the beloved dark academia reads that people have already fallen in love with but also entirely unique. However, what really sets it apart is the character development, we watch Jessica come of age in a family that's taught her to harden her heart, murder and never look back, but what happens when a young adult discovers more than just lust but love.

The family dynamic was such an interesting read, so many quirks and skills that make The Mortons as a family entirely different from anything you ever will have read before, unhinged puts it lightly, some would say they're batsh*t crazy. This novel is absolutely brilliant, an incredible creation of plot, character and setting, whilst remaining dark, witty and emotional, I loved it.