The Twisted Tree: An Amazon Kindle Bestseller: 'A creepy and evocative fantasy' The Sunday Times

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I really enjoyed this. The atmosphere that was created was absolutely brilliant and had me on the edge of me seat. The pacing was not too or fast but just right and the suspense created added to the intrigue. The plotline was interesting and went in a direction which I didn't really expect but really enjoyed. The insta-love was so cringey and unnecessary, but it's YA so has to have romance right?! Also, the love interest was called Stig, which just made me think of the book, Stig of the dump Every. Single. Time. 😂😂

Also, amongst all these amazing female characters we have Stig. I adored Stig even though by the end I had no idea if he was who he said he was or not. I want to know so much more about him. Just one of the reasons I would love a sequel. I think one of the main things I like about Stig is that he isn't your average love interest, just like Martha isn't your average heroine. He's good looking but in his own way, he takes everything that is thrown at them and even though he struggles with it, he always helps Martha and wants to protect her. He marches into a snowstorm to help her even though he is scared. That's courage. But also...I mean did he do something to Nina? If that was her ghost, did she follow him there? Why? Does she blame him? Why? I need to know!!! I also want to know what happens next between him and Martha. Can she trust him? I don't know but I want there to be a future for them somewhere. It sets in Norway, in a cabin in the woods, where the cold season arrives. It’s a story about a girl name Martha, who have an ability to tell a person through their piece of clothes. It involves ghosts, creepy creatures, and a twisted tree. There’s a little romance which honestly make the whole story even better. I really hope that Martha and her mum do end up moving to Norway. I think it's what's best for them and they will be able to look after the tree and fix their relationship at the same time. This book is honestly excellently written. I loved the style, I loved the imagery, I loved the Norse mythology woven in. I loved Martha and her insecurities, and I loved Stig and how mysterious he was. I didn't know who to trust and what was real or imagined, and I loved it. I really enjoyed how the setting, how being in such close quarters, accelerated the building relationship between Martha and Stig.

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Stig and Martha – I really liked both of these characters, I felt like the author went outside the box for them. They were different, unique, had an interesting story and it was nice to see someone who was slightly alternative without being ‘OMG THEY ARE A GOTH’ Determined to understand her strange ability, Martha sets off to visit her grandmother, Mormor – only to discover Mormor is dead, a peculiar boy is in her cabin and a terrifying creature is on the loose. Four months ago, Martha fell from a tree in her grandmother, Mormor's garden in Norway. The fall left her scarred and blind in one eye, and ever since, whenever she touches people clothes, she has access to their feelings and their memories. Desperate to know what's going on, she has written to her Mormor for answers, without any response. When she realises that Mormor has been replying, but her mother has been burning the letters, Martha decides to fly to Norway to speak to her Mormor. Only, when she arrives, she discovers her Mormor has died and been buried, and a strange boy is living in her house. There's something strange out in the woods that her Mormor's neighbours warn her of with unusual fear - and also that her Mormor wanted the twisted tree in the garden watered from the well. When strange things start happening around the house - a spinning wheel spinning, a rag doll twitching, books appearing, and dark shadows moving - Martha starts to suspect that the unwatered twisted tree is at the heart of it all. I bought this book after seeing the cover on my Facebook feed. I'm a big book cover fanatic and I just love abstract covers. This one is so beautiful and I'm so delighted to be able to say that the story matched it perfectly. This spooky, grim, story is dark and twisted with just the right amount of angst for a YA novel. It soon turns out that something is lurking in the woods, something connected to the twisted tree in the garden. If they are to stay alive the pair will need to rely on each other and Martha’s new skill of being able to see things with her blind eye.

Events that added little to the story – there were a few things that felt a bit ‘non-eventy’ to me that dragged out that first portion of the story and kinda added to the bit above I know I'm not the target audience, but I love a ya fantasy, and was really looking forward to this! It felt very young ya/middle grade to me, and the writing was very immature.We begin by meeting Martha as she travels to visit her grandmother. Martha is blind in one eye after a terrible accident involving the tree at her grandmother's house. When Martha arrives at her Grandmother's she discovers a strange boy inside and that her grandmother has died. After Martha falls from a tree and becomes blind in one eye, she starts being able to tell things about people when she touches their clothes. She visits her grandmother in Norway to try to understand her strange new abilities, only to find a strange boy there, and a monstrous creature on the loose. This is catogorised as a "Teens and Young Adult" book so I'm certainly not part of the intended demographic but nevertheless as someone who enjoys a well written spooky tale I must admit that I found this a most enjoyable read. Combining such diverse themes as romance, disability, Nordic mythology, ghosts, monsters and broken families the story ultimately is about redemption and coming to terms with the past and who you are. It was the way the mysterious side of the story linked to the legends and the ghostly aspects which really made the book sing for me. The story of a girl who can tell things about a person just by touching their clothes made me shiver from the get go. Once this girl Martha gets to her grandmother’s cabin in the woods, I was on edge!