Bold and daring, chilling and mysterious,
A. Meredith Walters pens a dark, intense thriller that is utterly addicting.
You may notice me, but you will never know me.
I prefer it that way.
I am the daughter of a monster.
Born from blood and lies.
Dead before I have truly lived.
But Elian tells me that I’m different.
He tells me that I’m beautiful.
That I’m an enigma wrapped in irresistibly complicated skin.
Elian says that he loves me.
These words terrify me.
I can’t trust love.
Or hope.
Or truth.
Because I fear the beast inside.
It threatens to drown Elian and his sweet, unconditional love.
It’s a beast that will destroy everything.
I loved this book. I loved how bold it was. I loved that A. Meredith Walters took that daring step into another genre. I loved loved loved the beautiful writing that evoked unease, anxiety and terror in its prose. I simply loved everything about it. Yes, I am the girl who loves thrillers. Who loves it when books mess with my head. I devour the pages to see how it will end, how everything will ultimately unravel. Devoted readers of Walters should know this is not a romance… it’s truly a dark, intense, psychological thriller that is sure to burrow into your thoughts and heart, prickling goosebumps on your skin as buried secrets break free.
Layna Whitaker has perfected her facade. No one realizes the war that rages inside. The darkness that threatens to invade. She had been loved as a child. She had idolized her father who had colored her world with stories about stars. But one day, what she thought was her reality, shattered. Broke her family apart. Changed her in a way she could never reverse. Layna reveled in her solitude, as secrets, dark and bloodied and terrible, prickled just beneath the surface she projected.
And one day she met a boy with dancing green eyes who wore a facade too. A mask that hid beneath the laughs and the easy demeanor he showed the world.
Elian.
Elian had secrets of his own. Bloody, terrible, soul-shattering, maddening secrets. And in him, Layna saw something special that filled her in a way that was new. Elian too became fascinated by this hard-to-read girl who didn’t smile when she was supposed to, who was disconcertingly honest, who drew him in like a moth to a flame.
Their coming together was fated.
They clutched to each other in their dark delirium. Secrets threatened to break free… they would change everything. The question that danced through the story was who would be whose demise? It seemed as though things would end badly, or could two broken people find their own kind of normal with each other?
This story is twined with threads that pull from the past, secrets that hide monsters, truths that can shatter even the smallest pieces left of a person’s already-broken heart. The dynamic between our two protagonists is chilling. Gradually, we learn about each, guessing what would happen next.
As mentioned above, the writing is superb, lyrical, haunting. I was so wrapped up in the story that my mind conjured multiple scenarios of how it would end. In fact, my thoughts became so twisted I wanted even a twistier end. If you’re a fan of thrillers, you must read this book. I hope to see more of these kinds of stories from A. Meredith Walters, because I for sure am reading to devour more.
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
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