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jane_kelsey's review
5.0
I have a lot of thoughts in regards to this book, unsure exactly of my rating but I believe 4.5 is what it will settle at. Had a few issues at the ending, but otherwise a great book.
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you so much to Kelly at Love Book Group Tours for the invitation to the tour and to Polygon for the gifted copy of the book.
I knew the book was about a girl Ellie who had left her home and family to start a new life but wow! there was so much more to it than that.
I loved tension that the author manages to instil in this story and the writing so descriptive that I had no trouble at all imagining that I was there at Rooks Scrapyard with Ellie and her dysfunctional family.
The story is written in the present tense but it also has flashbacks to Ellie’s teenage years which uncovers more about the history of her time growing up.
I really loved the character of Ellie she is strong and ballsy and I was willing her on throughout the book until the conclusion which I am not going to share as I do not want to spoil it for anyone.
Dark, manipulative and tense, a really excellent read that I could not put down and several times I shouted out loud at the end of chapters when they finished on a gripping cliff-hanger. I will definitely be seeking out Sandra’s other books.
One of my favourite reads of the year so far.
I knew the book was about a girl Ellie who had left her home and family to start a new life but wow! there was so much more to it than that.
I loved tension that the author manages to instil in this story and the writing so descriptive that I had no trouble at all imagining that I was there at Rooks Scrapyard with Ellie and her dysfunctional family.
The story is written in the present tense but it also has flashbacks to Ellie’s teenage years which uncovers more about the history of her time growing up.
I really loved the character of Ellie she is strong and ballsy and I was willing her on throughout the book until the conclusion which I am not going to share as I do not want to spoil it for anyone.
Dark, manipulative and tense, a really excellent read that I could not put down and several times I shouted out loud at the end of chapters when they finished on a gripping cliff-hanger. I will definitely be seeking out Sandra’s other books.
One of my favourite reads of the year so far.
portybelle's review against another edition
5.0
Ellie Rook is named for huntress Finella who is in a folk tale her mother used to tell her all the time when she was a little girl. Finella was strong and brave and could do anything and Ellie's mum instilled the idea in her girl that she was the same. Despite being close to her mum, Ellie could not bear living with her controlling father any longer and left to see the world. It would be the making of her, her mother told her. Now her mother has disappeared in circumstances worryingly similar to what happened to Finella in the legend. A phone call brings Ellie home to try to find out what has happened to her mother. She finds her father remarkably unmoved by the situation and seemingly expecting to fill her mother's domestic shoes.
As in Sandra Ireland's previous novel, Bone Deep, folklore and legend play an important part in this story as she weaves the story of Finella throughout the book. As I was reading, I could see that the story of Finella had parallels in Ellie's family. There was lots of imagery which Sandra Ireland incorporates beautifully, almost poetically, into the story. Water plays an important part with the waterfall, a river and a beach all being significant. Even Ellie's brother is called River. In folktales, water often represents death, rebirth and washing clean so it was entirely appropriate that water was so important in this book.
As Ellie begins to discover more about what has been happening at home while she has been away, Sandra Ireland creates a growing sense of danger which made for a tense read. Through her characters, she highlights impossible situations that people can find themselves in in their relationships and also how difficult it can be to get out, even though it seems the obvious thing to do to the outside observer.
This may be a relatively short read at just over 200 pages but my goodness there is plenty packed into it. As I read towards the end, I was turning those pages quickly as it headed towards a dramatic and climactic conclusion. A book with dark and dangerous secrets, I really enjoyed The Unmaking of Ellie Rook.
As in Sandra Ireland's previous novel, Bone Deep, folklore and legend play an important part in this story as she weaves the story of Finella throughout the book. As I was reading, I could see that the story of Finella had parallels in Ellie's family. There was lots of imagery which Sandra Ireland incorporates beautifully, almost poetically, into the story. Water plays an important part with the waterfall, a river and a beach all being significant. Even Ellie's brother is called River. In folktales, water often represents death, rebirth and washing clean so it was entirely appropriate that water was so important in this book.
As Ellie begins to discover more about what has been happening at home while she has been away, Sandra Ireland creates a growing sense of danger which made for a tense read. Through her characters, she highlights impossible situations that people can find themselves in in their relationships and also how difficult it can be to get out, even though it seems the obvious thing to do to the outside observer.
This may be a relatively short read at just over 200 pages but my goodness there is plenty packed into it. As I read towards the end, I was turning those pages quickly as it headed towards a dramatic and climactic conclusion. A book with dark and dangerous secrets, I really enjoyed The Unmaking of Ellie Rook.
chars_books's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jessica_watson's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
julia_may's review against another edition
4.0
Oh god, this is a tough book to review. I wanted to find out how the story ends but I didn't want to actually read it and kept putting it off. Why? Because of a pretty realistic portrayal of domestic abuse and that's tough to read. It is dark in a desolate, hopeless way (until it isn't and there is a glimmer of hope). It does an excellent job of invoking the deep-in-your-stomach dread and the sense that the situation is outside of your control and nothing will ever change... until it does. Until you do. It's emotional, it's raw, it's realistic. It will make you feel things, but they won't be pleasant.
ellarhadfield's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
acorn192k's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lily_phaeton's review
3.5
I read this in one sitting. the writing was gorgeous, but nothing really happened. I think i was comparing it a lot to gone girl, and it just fell a bit short.
feverdreamhigh's review
2.0
I was really enjoying this book until around 3/4 in, where the slow build gets derailed by a twist reveal that doesn’t add up. From then on it rushes through events that barely make sense and lack the tension that made this book so good, before clumsily ending with next to nothing resolved. And I’m real sad about it :/