Synopsis:
A woman searching for her birth-parents unlocks the secrets of her horrific past, as she tries to stop the goblin within in this kaleidoscopic dark psychological horror about identity and belonging, with a dread-inducing climax you will never forget. Perfect for fans of Eric LaRocca, Daphne du Maurier and Catriona Ward.
Myrrh has a goblin inside her, a voice in her head that tells her all the things she’s done wrong, that berates her and drags her down. Desperately searching for her birth-parents across dilapidated seaside towns in the South coast of England, she finds herself silenced and cut off at every step.
Cayenne is trapped in a loveless marriage, the distance between her and her husband growing further and further each day. Longing for a child, she has visions promising her a baby.
As Myrrh’s frustrations grow, the goblin in her grows louder and louder, threatening to tear apart the few relationships she holds dear and destroy everything around her. When Cayenne finds her husband growing closer to his daughter – Cayenne’s stepdaughter – and pushing her further out of his life, she makes a decision that sends her into a terrible spiral.
The stories of these women will unlock a past filled with dark secrets and strange connections, all leading to an unforgettable, horrific climax.
Review:
Thank you Titan Books for sending me a copy to review.
I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand Myrrh kept me absolutely hooked throughout, I found myself staying up late to read just a biiiit more. Polly Hall is very, very good at writing hooks that will keep you searching for answers. On the other hand I felt like the ending fell a little flat, I just wanted things to come together a little more in respects to Myrrh and Cayenne’s stories.
The way Myrrh is written is jarring at first but once I adjusted to Polly Hall’s rhythm I found myself flying through the book. The goblin inside Myrrh interjects at opportune moments and I think it gave a really interesting look into Myrrh’s psyche. She may be thinking one thing but the goblin inevitably interjects with her deepest fears or wants. Cayenne doesn’t have this inside voice but this works really well as her story unfolds and its better to now know where it is going.
Coming in at just under 300 pages this is a pretty speedy read, which I really appreciated. I think it’s the perfect length for the story that Hall tells within it’s pages and the length keeps the story moving quickly. The story is mainly told through alternating chapters between Myrrh and Cayenne, with the occasional other women interjected throughout. I did have to keep reminding myself to read the names at the top of the chapter because I did confuse Cayenne for others a few times, Myrrh is really the only character with a distinctive voice thanks to the goblin.
I do think the ending could have been more cohesive. While the events at the end of the book fit the horror theme well I just wished that Myrrh felt more like a main character than just a character to tell the story. I definitely ended up caring more for Cayenne’s journey in the end.
I think this is another case of a book that is marketed as horror that is more of a thriller with some horror elements. This seems to be a theme in the horror I read recently and while I don’t mind it just means I expect more from the books than I get by the end.
Overall, I’d say pick this one up if the synopsis really speaks to you. I did enjoy reading Myrrh and the story is captivating, it just got let down a bit by how the stories merge in the end.
Leave a Reply