Review: IN THE VINES by Shannon Kirk

Thank you so very much to Ashley from Amazon Publishing and Thomas & Mercer for providing my gorgeous free copy – all opinions are my own. 

Description: 

Family ties so strong you can’t escape…

Mary Olivia Pentecost, known as Mop, was born into one of the wealthiest families in the country—and one of the most guarded. Now, two years after her mother’s mysterious death, Mop is seeking closure on the disquieting tragedy by returning to the New England seaside estate of her cloistered Aunty Liv—once her closest relative and confidante. But behind the walls of the isolated estate, the shadows of the past are darker than Mop imagined. The puzzles of the family history are not to be shared, but unearthed. With each revelation comes a new, foreboding threat—and for Mop, the grave suspicion that to discover Aunty Liv’s secrets is to become a prisoner of them.

My Review: 

I am literally obsessed with this disturbing, mysterious, and chilling novel. The story centers around Mary Olivia Pentecost (aka Mop), who comes from an established, affluent family in New England. She was very close to her family, especially her Aunty Liv, until two years ago, Mop’s mother, Johanna mysteriously died by jumping off a cliff into the ocean behind Liv’s property and Mop hasn’t seen her aunt since. Mop has been in a terrible state, a shell of her previous self, so one day she decides to visit her aunt and makes her way into the estate, but what she finds is a world of insanity and dark secrets.

WOW, this book is highly addictive! The first few chapters left me in a state of confusion, but that is the genius of it. Right from the start, I had to keep reading because this book is SO damn good. The story is told from two perspectives, Mop and Aunty Liv, in alternating timelines with gripping storylines that concurrently come together to one magnificent end. It’s a compelling and intensely clever plot with characters I could not get enough of, especially Aunty Liv who is endearingly unhinged. Kirk’s prose is absolutely gorgeous – page after page of beautiful lyrical language and masterful storytelling. The gothic New England atmosphere is immersive with rich, vivid descriptions that I totally got lost in. With so many secrets and lies within this toxic family, you will not want to stop reading. IN THE VINES is unsettling, twisted, and a slow burn that you savor, but easily devour.

My rating is 5 out of 5 stars!

Click here to purchase on Amazon. 

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