It’s such an uncomfortable feeling, not enjoying a book you predicted was going to be a highly rated read. And unfortunately, that was my experience with The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor. 

Following a highly publicized scandal, Vicar Jack Brooks has been dispatched by the church to minister in the small countryside town of Chapel Croft. The town has it’s own illustrious past: 8 martyrs burned to death 500 years ago and 2 girls gone missing 30 years ago. It’s a past that seems to still haunt Chapel Croft and the church’s mysterious parishioners. Jack and her daughter, Flo, are now stuck trying navigate this town steeped in secrets and filled with residents who would much rather those secrets stay buried forever. 

Upon reading the blurb for this book, I thought I was in for a twisty thriller. That’s not how I would describe this book. To me, it felt a lot more like a horror novel with some mystery elements. Thrillers, in my opinion, are usually fast-passed and engaging. When I reached the halfway mark and realized nothing much had happened aside from a mounting sense of dread, I finally understood that my expectations weren’t going to match the reality of this book. 

That being said, I probably could have still enjoyed this read were it not for the final “twist.” That last reveal was so outlandish and borderline ridiculous that it completely pulled me out of the reading experience and, quite frankly, pissed me off. No matter what genre you’re reading, most fiction requires you to suspend your disbelief to some extent. But there’s a limit to that, and this book absolutely crossed over that line. Not only was it extremely unbelievable; it also felt really unnecessary. I don’t think the plot would have been too effected had that last twist not been included. It felt like it was thrown in for nothing more than shock value, which was just super annoying.

I had a few more minor issues, which are (admittedly) a bit nitpick-y. As someone raised in a small town and who’s family was religiously fanatical, I think some minor details about various parishioners and their lives felt a bit off. Additionally, I don’t think Jack’s motivations were ever made clear or understandable, as they seemed to constantly shift or change as more backstory is revealed. Also, Flo might be a teen, and teen’s make terrible, impulsive, illogical choices, but some of hers felt... well, excessively dumb. 

I have one final concern I want to mention, but it does spoil some things, so I’m saving it until the end. 

I hate to be such a negative Nancy, so I do want to include some positives. The atmosphere was phenomenal. It was definitely creepy and the author did a great job creating that mounting sense of dread. Though the pacing was slower, I did feel like it was an engrossing read and I felt compelled to keep going so I could get to the end and figure everything out. I also enjoyed the discussion of nature versus nurture that seemed a theme throughout the course of the book. 

Which brings me to the last bit I wanted to talk about. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! You’ve been warned.