I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

 

Richard was just six years when his best friend, Melanie, disappeared. Her body was never found. Ever since, Richard has had company from a shadow. But then, after then years a new girl at school claims she's his Melanie. Richard doesn't know what to believe, and if she's Melanie, then who's haunting him?

 

This was a very quick read. I read the last over 200 pages in a few hours when I also did a lot of other things. At first I was not sure what to think about the story. The beginning is a bit weird and I didn't know what to expect. But after the first pages that feeling disappeared and I really quite enjoyed myself reading the story.

 

I was curious what was about to happen with Melanie, Richard and even the shadow. Some things were a bit simple though. I don't think that it would have been so easy for Melanie to return after all those years, without everyone asking a lot of questions. I also was a little bit disappointed by the ending. Everything fit in a bit too neat and literally everything was somehow connected. It's just a personal thing, but I don't really like it that way. Would still recommend though, it's a nice (different) ghost story.

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

I could hear the scratching wind, see the swinging moss, feel the heat create sweat on my brow, and fell in love with a monster.

Though, it all depends on how you define a monster. That's what this book is about. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book is thrilling and makes you think. It's thoroughly enjoyable, mysterious, dark, twisting, and so goddamn good. It stays good if you can't read it in a single sitting, and it certainly lingers when you've finished reading it.

I'm all about characters, building them, progress them, and making them come to life.I like to guess, wonder and try to figure out the mystery but I do not like it when I can see it coming so early.
I love the visualization, the feeling, the little details. I see things in my mind as I read and it's so vital that an author shows instead of tells, so that way I can really get into a book.

Basically, that's Henry Franks. It has everything I love, and I can't see a single downside. It's like the perfect book for me and I'm so thankful to have won it, to get to read it. I had an inkling where the book was going to go, but it didn't turn out exactly like I expected. I was gripped by the story and was attached to all the characters, in different ways. I could really see and feel the setting, and the characters.


I always say, adults should read young adult books too. It's not just for children, it's not junior books. There are so many great books that people miss out on just because of the genre. This is on my list of favorites. This book will get recommended by me for everyone. This is an example book of a great YA fiction.
-
-
As for what the other reviewers said, I do agree the ending unfolded so quickly. I was torn from wanting to read as quickly as possible due to the adrenalin pumping climax, and having to go back to re-read to keep everything straight. That of course, just might be my own hastened reading. I don't really have a problem with the quick ending, it was building the whole book and don't see how else it could have come out, except as a flood. That's just all IMHO of course.

With the paperback ARC I received I didn't have any format problems with the newspaper clippings. If there were other errors, I was so engrossed with the story I didn't get into my usual nit-picking mode. That was refreshing for me.

Review: Henry Franks is a strange boy. He’s lost most of his memory, dreams of a girl calling him daddy, cannot feel physical pain, and has rings of scars around his neck. Understandably, Henry wants to find out more about himself, his family and so on. With his kind of girlfriend Justine, he sets about uncovering family secrets, as a hurricane builds and a serial killer is on the loose.The mention of mysterious scars was what drew me into this. Around the neck. I really don’t get how anyone can be that badly injured around the neck and survive. Then I started reading Henry Franks, and found a lot more than that to enjoy.Henry is a very intriguing character. His dreams and his scares kept you interested, because there’s so many possible explanations and there’s lots of little revelations throughout that heighten the mystery. I really liked Justine because she’s smart and understanding, but I would have liked to see her develop a little more. William, the father, is a reclusive character with a LOT of secrets that get uncovered at the climax.The ending. Oh my gosh. All the revelations. I can’t tell you what happened but it was one of the most amazing chains of events that I’ve read for a long time. it’s very improbably, and it’s one of those stories that you really have to suspend belief as to what is possible and what isn’t (a slight shock after a fairly realistic story where there horror is more psychological). And I highly doubt anyone would have seen it coming.Or maybe it was just me being thick. The names! They should have been a bit of a giveaway, but there were enough other thing to put you off the scent. It’s really good storytelling.The narration to star with seemed a bit detached, but I soon got used to it and really attached to the characters.I enjoyed the development of the serial killer storyline. My first read of Henry Franks was with the Netgalley copy, which made it hard to pick it up (my kindle didn’t handle it very well) but reading the physical copy made me get how the suspense around the killer built up well. I especially like the fact that this storyline intersected with Henry’s family story.Overall: Strength 4 tea to a really good novel with roots in another of my favourite books, but a fresh perspective on it all.