Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon (review #127)

Title: Don't Breath a Word

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Publisher: Harper

Genre: Fiction

Format: Review Copy

"Are you one of the chosen?"

I was pretty jazzed about reading this new novel by Jennifer McMahon. Though I didn't love her last book Dismantled, I did sense she was a strong writer and was curious about a new twisted tale by her. Don't Breathe a Word is such a mixture of genres. It is written as a strong novel but you get the twists and turns of a thriller with a splash of metaphysical, that almost lands it in the magical realism box. Overall, it was unlike anything I've ever read and it kept me pushing on to see what would happen.

In Dismantled I had a huge issue with the characters. Honestly, I didn't give two you-know-whats about them. In Don't Breathe a Word, I cared a bit more about what happened to these characters, mainly because it went back and forth in time and portrayed

them as vulnerable children.

Here is a brief description from the publisher's website:

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.

I read this in mid May right before I left for NYC so the fine details are a bit hazy but I know that I found it to be a page turner. The back and forth in time between the characters was not jarring to me. It brought the present and past together quite nicely. I was a little bothered with the magical aspect a bit because I didn't quite know what was reality or not. I'm not opposed to a little metaphysical action but if I'm not prepared for it, it throws me off a bit.

Rating: 4/6

I would recommend this to fans of Carol Goodman or Donna Tartt. McMahon has an edge to her writing and obviously has a love for a good ghost story. Spooky and a bit dark, this would be a better read for a dark October night, rather than a beach read. I've heard excellent things about her older novels, Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not to Tell. I'm intrigued with her writing enough to continue reading her. Her story lines are fresh and different and I like that.

Author Website:

Jennifer McMahon

Twitter @jennifermcmahon

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child