Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers

Happy Halloween everybody! I figured that it was only fair for me to review one of my absolute favourite spooky reads that I've read recently. I mentioned it in my post earlier this month when I was talking about my top spooky reads for October, but this book really did just get me in all the right spots. Leigh Rivers is a brilliant author and I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this one, ‘Little Liar’, ASAP!  Lots of people have recommended the audiobook and I'm very interested in listening to it at some point but I'm yet to get around to it… very excited to get around to that at some point though!

She mentions that this is one of the darkest books that she's ever written in the page-long warning right at the beginning of the book, and honestly what better way to start this kind of spooky dark atmosphere? I really enjoy the fact that despite this being a very taboo romance that is definitely not for everyone, it is still well-written and very good quality.  Rivers takes no shortcuts to make sure that her book is absolutely captivating for readers who enjoy more twisted stories like me. Rivers’ writing style means that her well-building is captivating and her characters are perfectly charismatic and unnerving in all the right places. It truly is mesmerizing and this book was one of the ones that made me have to sit down and tuck in for the evening just to get to the end. 

The plot of the story follows two foster siblings, Olivia and Malachi, who have to navigate the dynamic between siblings and something more. Malachi is only comfortable around his foster sister and that quickly spirals into a deep and dark obsession that initially unnerves Olivia but she quickly finds herself in a position that makes her question what the lesser of two evils is. When Olivia's life is put at risk Malachi reacts accordingly and will bide his time, waiting for their reunion. His only concern: if his dear sister will have him back.

Rivers wastes absolutely no time in this book and gives us the perfect example of a completely morally grey character with a skewed moral compass. She keeps it quick and sharp letting us indulge in the dirty and dark side of both of these characters. I personally enjoy this book however I do give a disclaimer now to proceed with caution. This style is definitely not for everyone and that's okay! We all have our own preferences and around October mine gets a little spooky, but some of my other friends stick to the more cosy, which is perfectly understandable!

Happy reading,

Mei