When her identical twin Laurel dies, seventeen-year-old Willow s life falls apart. With her parents marriage faltering, she finds escape at her uncle Joe s cottage. But even as they begin to know each other, Willow is plagued with memories of her sister. Then, Lucas arrives in her life troubled, angry and with a dangerous past.Joe s cottage is idyllic, but the forest is filled with secrets. What is Joe hiding from her? What events have brought Lucas to her door? And who is the Slaughter Man who steals through Willow s sleep?As the lines between dreams and reality become blurred, Willow s torment deepens. It seems as if her only escape lies with the Slaughter Man.
The Slaughter Man by Cassandra Parkin was published by Legend Press in paperback on 16 September 2019. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review, and for inviting me to take part on this Blog Tour.
I've been a fan of Cassandra Parkin's writing for quite a few years. She's one of those authors who writes stories that linger in your head for days and days afterwards. Each and every one of her books are so very different, yet her own beautiful style shines through in each of them.
The Slaughter Man is really quite wonderful. It's a heartbreaking, yet quite frightening story of grief and loss, and how the strongest of emotions can affect a person physically.
Willow is bereft. Her twin sister Laurel is dead. She cannot cope. Her parents cannot cope, and despite the fact that her mother works as a grief counsellor, there's nothing that she can do to ease Willow's pain; because her own pain is overwhelming too.
Willow has stopped speaking. The reader is the only person who knows what is happening in Willow's head; what she wants to say, but what she cannot vocalise. Travelling along with Willow, privy to her innermost thoughts and her increasing despair is heartbreaking, but so beautifully detailed. It almost feels voyeuristic at times, as though we shouldn't be there and that we should let Willow heal on her own.
When Willow's Uncle Joe offers to take her to stay with him, it's a release for her, but it doesn't stop the intense and terrifying dreams that plague her. These dreams often feel as though they are blurring into reality and at times I wasn't sure if the characters she encountered were real or dreamt.
Willow, The Slaughter Man, Uncle Joe and Luca are four of the most incredibly drawn characters that I've encountered for a long time. Each is delicately and intricately described; dark and intense; emotionally draining and often disturbing. This astute and talented author deals with the darkest of themes within her story.
Highly recommended by me. Once more Cassandra Parkin has proved that she's a masterful and truly talented storyteller
Cassandra Parkin grew up in Hull, and now lives in East Yorkshire. Her short story collection, New World Fairy Tales (Salt Publishing, 2011), won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies.The Summer We All Ran Away (Legend Press, 2013) was Cassandra's debut novel and nominated for the Amazon Rising Stars 2014.
Visit Cassandra on Twitter @cassandrajaneuk
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