Sponsored by Saga Press, publishers of Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun.
BLACK SUN, the new epic fantasy novel from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse, is “a must read for fans of N.K. Jemisin… and those who love George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series but want more diverse worlds.” Inspired by the indigenous civilizations of the Americas before European colonization, BLACK SUN reads like a political thriller mixed with prophecies, warring matriarchies, and forbidden magic.
Welcome to Read This Book, a weekly newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!
This week’s pick is by one of my favorite authors, perfect for this creepy season!
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Content warning: Child death, but I don’t remember anything else
Ruth Ware gets called the modern day Agatha Christie a lot, and while I agree that some of those comparisons are valid (she writes awesome mysterious books that don’t ever get too gruesome, and they’re absolutely addicting!), not all of Ware’s books are traditional mysteries. This novel is more along the lines of horror–but again, not gruesome.
The story follows Rowan, an overworked London preschool worker who lands an incredible nannying job looking after three young children in a beautifully restored Scottish manor with a high-tech home management and security system, deep in the countryside. Room and board is covered, and if she stays a full year, she’ll receive a generous payout. It’s her dream job, until it turns into a nightmare. The children don’t seem excited that she’s there, urging her to leave before she’s barely settled in. Then, the parents immediately leave on business trips, and she’s left alone in a house full of creepy sounds and unexplainable break-ins. As stranger and stranger things happen, Rowan finds herself reaching her breaking point, until a terrible tragedy occurs.
This novel is written in the form of a confessional letter from Rowan to her lawyer, so you start the story knowing that someone died and Rowan is being blamed for it–but no one knows if she’s truly at fault. This is a great framing technique that immediately sets the scene and gives the reader plenty of chills, and I love how the tension is slowly and then swiftly ramped up. I also loved how Ware takes a situation that seems like a salvation and quickly turns it on its head. While there is certainly a mystery at the heart of this book (what’s going on, and who—or what—wants Rowan to leave?), I would classify this novel as horror light, with a thriller-like plot, ideal for anyone who loves The Turn of the Screw or who has been enjoying watching The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix, but with an updated and technological twist.
Happy reading!
Tirzah
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