Katrina Monroe

Graveyard of Lost Children is about two mothers and their infant daughters, one being the mother of the other. There is Olivia, the contemporary mother, who has recently given birth to a daughter, but something is off. The baby doesn’t smell right, she doesn’t seem right, as though she is a changeling. Olivia begins to hear voices and is haunted by the story of the woman in the well.

Shannon is Olivia’s mother who thought Olivia was a changeling and nearly drowned her a generation earlier. She is institutionalized and keeps a journal that gives us insight into her story.

So, today we know what post-partum depression is and could do something about it, but Olivia is too ashamed to ask for the help she needs, instead she seems ready to repeat her mother’s horrific act.

Graveyard of Lost Children begins with an excellent premise that would make a great film mainly because to finish with the obligatory two hours, a lot of unnecessary repetition would be cut. I confess I had to put this book down several times and, incredibly, because I was bored. The premise is full of tension and at times the book set my teeth on edge from the horror of what I suspected might happen. But it was repetitive and tired me out.

In the end, I felt there was a fabulous book that was about sixty pages shorter. What is sad, though, in spite of all the pages and pages of narrative, the ending felt rushed.

I received an e-galley of Graveyard of Lost Children from the publisher through NetGalley

Graveyard of Lost Children at Poisoned Pen Press | Sourcebooks
Katrina Monroe author website

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2023/07/18/graveyard-of-lost-childre...… (mehr)

Cursed. That's what Meredith and her mother and mother's mother and mother's mother's mother are. For as long as she can remember, she has been drawn to the water. It beckons to her and she even hears a voice whispering when she holds a shell to her ear. Now that she is a mother of a young daughter, Meredith is determined to protect her from this strange curse that has caused death, tragedy and heartache in all of her female ancestors. Will she succeed in breaking the chain? Or is all of this just in her mind? This book broke my heart over and over and over.… (mehr)

This is a Gothic mystery/thriller and a haunting read. It grabs you and sucks you right in and doesn't let go. Even now, a while after I've finished this book and read quite a few others, this story haunts me. This is everything I wanted in a gothic mystery/thriller and more.
The curse in Meredith's family is dark and depressing like most good curses are, I suppose. It's all so heart-wrenching and sad though. I wanted things to end differently than they did. I hoped things would end differently, but I suspected things would have to turn out the way they did in the end.
The setting was perfect. It was all so atmospheric, dark, haunting, and spooky. I had a hard time putting it down when I read it and read all of it in almost one sitting. I loved how well this was written and I would agree that if you like Silvia Moreno-Garcia, you'll love this one - it's a very accurate comparison.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read and review this hauntingly beautiful gothic tale. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (mehr)