Publisher: Chicken House
Author: Rachel Ward
Format: Paperback
Acquired: From publisher for review
Summary from Goodreads:
What happens if you’ve done something terrible? But you can’t remember what. And you don’t know how to put it right …When Carl opens his eyes on the banks of a lake, his brother is being zipped into a body bag. What happened in the water? He can’t remember And when he glimpses a beautiful girl he thinks he recognizes, she runs away. Suddenly he knows he must find her – because together they must face the truth before it drowns them.
The Drowning is very different from Ward’s first trilogy, Numbers, in many ways, but it is also very similar. The thing I love the most about this author is that we know what to expect and my expectations were very high for The Drowning. Those expectations were, however, were low compared to how much I actually loved this book.
After an accident that killed his brother, Carl has been left with amnesia. This meant that the reader gets to know the world that Carl lives in at the same time he does. I’m very fond of amnesia stories for this very reason because there’s so much opportunity for world building. And world building we are given!
I felt so sympathetic towards Carl. With his mother being an alcoholic, something I didn’t think was addressed enough in the book, his life was incredibly difficult. There are so many scenes within this novel when I just wanted to pull Carl out of the book and give him a hug. He really didn’t deserve the life he led.
This book was so, so spooky and haunting. It made a shiver run along my spine and I kept looking over my shoulder. The supernatural twist added is something that I really liked, even if I was a little creeped out at times (that was a good thing, though!).
I must warn you now of the following: Do not read this book in the bath or shower. You may be scarred for life. Water plays a really big part in this book, hence the name The Drowning, and so I don’t think you’ll ever see a lake in the same light again.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes something a bit spookier than your normal light and fluffy reads. Ward has created a world that I both fear and want to go back to add the same time.
A copy was received from the publisher for review. This affected my review in no way.
14 Comments
Pink Lady 631
3 May, 2013 at 6:00 amOh I really want a copy of The Drowning! I’ve heard great reviews and it looks like a creepy yet hooking read. Awesome Review:)
maya
3 May, 2013 at 9:03 amI’m reading this at the moment and it is quite creepy! Definitely not a read for in the bath 😉
Sarah (TotalTeenFiction)
3 May, 2013 at 10:59 amThat cover is creepy! I haven’t read the Numbers trilogy so I’ll have to look up that as well and check this author out. This one sounds like a great read, though. And I agree about amnesia plotlines – when they do it well it’s a great way to introduce you to a world without the description seeming clunky or out of place. Great review Lucy! 🙂
Lectus Read
3 May, 2013 at 12:00 pmIt sound interesting but… I usually avoid books about amnesia where the character doesn’t remember anything until the last 10 pages. Is this one like that?
So Many Books, So Little Time
3 May, 2013 at 2:25 pmI love Rachel’s other books so I’m really looking forward to glad. I’m glad it’s suitably creepy 🙂
Dabin Han
3 May, 2013 at 8:48 pmI will definetly avoid reading the book in the bath tub 🙂
I’m a new follower 🙂 (second one from the top) I found you via goodreads, follow back?
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Dabin Han
3 May, 2013 at 8:49 pmOh, I just forgot to mention, Don’t Forget To Be Awesome!
Nerdfighters unite 🙂
Rachel (Booktastic Reviews) :D
3 May, 2013 at 9:58 pmI read another review of this book a day or two ago and they also said how creepy this book was so I’m definitely intrigued now! I quite like reading creepy, supernatural books every once in a while – it’s really refreshing, hehe! ^.^ I’m glad you could empathise with the main character and be affected by him enough that you wanted to hug him. I like when the author makes the MC multi-dimensional!
Great review! 😀
Ruby :)
3 May, 2013 at 9:55 pmI’m glad you enjoyed this! I agree, the supernatural element was an awesome twist for the author to add. 🙂
Tilly Currer
3 May, 2013 at 10:21 pmThis looks spooky, it’s not something I normally read but it looks good. If I do read it, I’ll be sure not to do so in the bath, thanks for the pre-warning!
Great review! 🙂
Anastasia Demitra
4 May, 2013 at 3:42 amSecond time today I’ve seen this book around! The premise sounds amazing, but I’m a bit iffy on the amnesia aspect. Most books I read where the protagonist(s) have amnesia are either really cliche or extremely slow-paced. 🙁 I think I might have to give this a try, though! THE COVER = <3 Thanks for the heads up!
~Ana @ Characterized Book Reviews
Zoe Crook
4 May, 2013 at 2:53 pmThis is my next book to be read and now I am very excited! I have read the first few pages and wasn’t really convinced but after this review I’m not putting it off anymore. I haven’t read the Numbers trilogy either but they sound fantastic. 🙂 Thanks for the great review. I won’t read this in the bath… but how can you read in the shower?! 😀
Kezia D
4 May, 2013 at 2:32 pmI like books in male POV because honestly it’s getting rarer and rarer these days… I have never read amnesia books but I think I will give this a shot cause I like mystery and a bit of thriller books. 🙂
Jack Dwyer
4 May, 2013 at 7:58 pmI just bought this today. Looking foward to reading it, I like spooky tales.