Book Reviews of The Sacrifice and The Twisted Tree

Two dark and absorbing young adult fantasy books to keep in mind.

Welcome!

I hope you’re all enjoying a lovely Christmas Eve, surrounded by family, friends, good food, fun—and many wonderful new books.

As I am way behind on book reviews, today I’ll be sharing two with you, neither of which are very appropriate for the holiday but.. they are great reads.

Enjoy!

Click on any book title or image to find out more about these books on Amazon.
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The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco

Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

First line: Nobody tells Hollywood about the screaming.

Characters: Real. Flawed.
Storyline: Intriguing. Unsettling.
Pace: Slow building.
Writing: Intelligent.
Cover: 4/5

POVs
One: Alon

There’s a mysterious cave on an island, Kisapmata, that even the locals avoid.
The Godseye.
It is said to hold a sleeping God.

“We believe that the world is nothing but a dream of the Diwata. When He wakes, the dream will end.”

All but a quiet teen, Alon, and his dog, Askal, who are known as the only ones to have gone inside the cave, have refused to step foot on the island.

“Everything on this island is an illusion,” I say. “It’s the people who decide what is real or not.”

When a film crew arrives on the island needing a guide, they offer the boy a fortune to show them around.
He warns them that they don’t belong, that it’s not safe, but no one pays him any mind.. until people start dying.

“What did you see?” he asks me.
I look back at the trees. “Consequences,” is all I say

My Review:

This book was the kind of creepy that would make a great movie.

None of the characters were particularly likeable, not even our MC, and still.. they fit.
The filming crew consists of a bunch of idiots who are told from the very beginning that they’re not welcome on the island but, no one really cares. Sounds realistic to me. In fact, most of the character reactions are pretty believable. Then the weird sh!t begins to happen, the pace picks up, and the crew begins to second-guess themselves—and each other. The atmosphere becomes a tense, weighted thing.
Disbelief. Suspicion. Paranoia. Fear. It all closes around you like a noose that won’t let go.

All made for a pretty good read.
Everything except.. I wasn’t really a big fan of Alon being labeled “nonbinary.”
Not because I’m against it or anything either, but because it seemed like something tacked on last minute, an afterthought to make the book more inclusive and that’s just not cool. What’s the phrase, “Kill your darlings?”

Now, the God? The mystery? The weird as all get out happenings that plague the crew? The trees? I was totally into all of that.
Forewarning for the faint of heart though.. maybe don’t read this at night, alone.
While the author is no Stephen King, (no offense,) the book does have its moments. Still, ‘The Sacrifice’ is a must-read for horror fans.

As a first-time reader of Chupeco, I’m impressed, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

Three and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐•⭐

First line: It started the day I fell from the tree at Mormor’s cabin in Norway.

Characters: Young. Lost.
Storyline: Creepy. Unusual. Interesting.
Pace: Steady.
Writing: Well done.
Cover: 3.5/5

POVs
One: Martha

Martha’s run away. She needs answers and her grandmother, Mormor, may be the only one who will understand.
You see, a few months ago Martha fell from the tree at her Mormor’s cabin, disfiguring her face and unlocking a strange ability in her.
She can feel a persons emotions, see flashes of their lives, all from the material of the clothes they wear.

“I’ve tried wearing gloves but it makes no difference; people’s clothes only have to brush mine for me to know their secrets.”

Only, when she arrives, she’s too late.
Her Mormor has passed away and a mysterious boy, another run away, has holed up in the cabin.
After a series of awkward moments and tense revelations, the two teens become friends.
But there’s more going on here than even Martha knows.

“Stig gives me a furtive glance and I wonder if he feels it too. The vast emptiness of outside crowding in – almost like it’s a living, breathing thing in the room with us.”

Her Mormor has left behind specific, desperate instructions that the tree be watered every morning. It must be done.
But she’s been gone for weeks and the twisted tree out back has sat dry, waiting.. and something stalks the woods.

“Sometimes I think the tree has always been on the edge of my nightmares, waiting to trip my feet and snatch at my hair.”

Soon, the two are caught up in a legacy of gods and monsters, and Martha must learn what her place in all of it, and quickly..
Before all hell breaks loose.

“The wind has died to nothing, as if the world no longer exists. Even the darkness holds its breath.”

My Review:

I have mixed feelings about this book in the beginning. It was somewhat rushed and the characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out but I quickly became immersed in all of the little details that make this story special. Plus, the promise of more books to come helped to soothe any small frustrations or questions I had.

I both liked and didn’t care for both of the teens here. They’re lost, insecure, and running away from something.. just as much as they are running towards it. So, they’re pretty believable characters. I didn’t even care that the shaky friendship between the two turns into something more rather quickly, no, you’re too busy being swept up in the nightmare that surrounds them.

There was so much about this book that was interesting that I don’t even see the 3.5 Stars I gave it as a low score, more of a step in the right direction. There’s potential here, the kind that makes me look forward to the next book in the series. If this author continues with the same compelling storytelling, and adds in some character growth, every book that follows this will only get better and better.

And that’s all I have for you today.

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my reviews, You be sure to stay safe and have an amazing time, yeah?

Merry Christmas!