Saturday, March 6, 2021

Don't Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller - OPTIONAL


Don’t Tell a Soul
by Kirsten Miller, 384 pages. Delacorte Press (Random), 2021. $18. 

Language: R (52 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (parental death, drug use (off page), mention of suicide); Violence: PG-13 (sexual assault/attempted rape)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Bram finds that her life in Manhattan has become unbearable and decides to head to the tiny town of Louth to live with her uncle. Bram meant to leave the scandal and secrets behind, but now finds herself in the middle of new intrigue when it seems as though her uncle’s manor it haunted by its own mysteries and tragedy. His wife died in a fire supposedly set by her daughter, who survived, but is in the grips of mental decline. Then there are the stories of the Dead Girls. These are tales told of the many girls whose lives have been cut tragically short while staying in the manor that Bram now calls home.

What is set up to be a spooky gothic horror quickly turns into a bland story with numerous plot holes and twists and scares that fall flat. The main character is annoyingly overdramatic and teases the secrets and scandals of her past for far too long leaving the reader to lose interest long before the big reveals. The winter setting helps the creepy claustrophobic vibe, but with two separate stories that do not complement each other, the story sinks.   

Reviewer: AEB

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