Book Review :: Don't Breathe A Word

Been reading a lot more lately.  Almost back up to my normal amount of reading.  :)

Don't Breathe a Word, by Jennifer McMahon

Synopsis:  On a warm Midsummer's Eve night, Sam's sister Lisa disappears into the woods near their home, claiming that the King of the Fairies was coming to take her to be his queen.  Fifteen years later, Sam and his girlfriend, Phoebe, receive first a telephone call from a girl who says "I'm back from the land of the fairies, I'll be seeing you soon", then a series of mysterious notes claiming the same thing.  Phoebe is sucked into a past that Sam has never before been able to reveal to her--she becomes acquainted with estranged cousins, long-lost childhood friends, and a potentially insane aunt.  The worst part?  Sam and Pheobe don't know what to believe when a girl covered in stick figure tattoos and not an ounce of body fat on her, especially when the girl claims to be Lisa returned from the land of the fairies--and the rest of the family claim a completely different story.  Could Lisa's mother and aunt have imprisoned her for fifteen years in a basement bedroom?  Or is Lisa telling the truth--is Teilo, the King of the Fairies, real?  And if he is, is he really as sinister as she claims?  Because Phoebe doesn't only have to worry about herself and Sam.  She has to worry about the new life growing inside her.

My Rating:  *  *  *  *

I will be honest, I couldn't put this book down.  The story was definitely right up my alley!  I could have been  Lisa, wandering around in the woods, claiming to have found evidence of fairies, taking sweets from home to leave as gifts to placate them.  It's certainly a page-turner.  If you like being caught up in a story like this that will keep you up hours past your bedtime trying to find out what will come next, this is a good book for you.

Dislikes:  Could have done without all the swearing; quite a few too many f-bombs for my taste.  Also if you're not into reading about what happens to many little girls when they disappear (read: get pregnant) then this might not be something you'd be wanting to pick up.  If you are willing to overlook those things and get swept up in the adventure and the thrills of a tale that tells a darker side of the fairy folk, this is a pretty good choice.