Summary from Goodreads:

On a soft summer night in Vermont, twelve-year-old Lisa went into the woods behind her house and never came out again. Before she disappeared, she told her little brother, Sam, about a door that led to a magical place where she would meet the King of the Fairies and become his queen.

Fifteen years later, Phoebe is in love with Sam, a practical, sensible man who doesn’t fear the dark and doesn’t have bad dreams—who, in fact, helps Phoebe ignore her own. But suddenly the couple is faced with a series of eerie, unexplained occurrences that challenge Sam’s hardheaded, realistic view of the world. As they question their reality, a terrible promise Sam made years ago is revealed—a promise that could destroy them all.

My Review:

Hello creepy fairy story.

This book is a thriller, no doubt about it.  It had all the elements of a creepy, spine-tingling terror, mixed with dark fantasy, mixed with just… strange family stuff that makes up the perfect page-turner.

Don’t Breathe a Word alternates between Lisa, 15 years before the present time, and Phoebe, in present time.  Lisa and Phoebe have a connection in that Phoebe had heard about Lisa’s disappearance and visited the house where Lisa lived, and while she was there she glimpsed Sam, her current partner.

Phoebe’s been through her tough knocks, but that’s nothing compared to the family that Sam comes from.  Filled with strange characters from Evie to his Aunt Hazel and his own parents, this story went from dark and spooky to incredibly creepy and twisted in a hurry.

I have one real complaint however, and it tends to be a common complaint with these types of books.  The climax is carefully worked toward in the first 75% of the book and it felt like the last 25% was just a haphazard rush of trying to spring the “TADA” on the reader all at once.  There was so much happening, so much that didn’t make a lot of sense and I’d have to go back and read it two or three times to understand the impact it was supposed to have.  I’m still not quite clear on a few things as well, which makes the resolution difficult.  I just would have hoped for a more clear explanation, or the same care taken to give it as was taken to build the story up to it.

I’m definitely interested in checking out more of Jennifer McMahon’s books, however.  I love getting caught up in a thriller and am always on the lookout for authors who craft an interesting story.

About the Author

• Jennifer McMahon’s website
• Twitter: @jennifermcmahon

For more reviews on Don’t Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon, please follow the book tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”