Book Description
Trapped between life and the afterlife, three women meet and share their stories while discovering the truth about the men in their lives—and about themselves.
Suspended in an eerie state of limbo, an entity called the Gatekeeper tells Nikki, Ronnie, and Mrs. Hawthorne they are on the cusp of entering the afterlife—but only if the women can persuade him that in their earthly lives, they knew the meaning of love.
Fragments of their memories return, plunging them back into their pasts, and forcing them to face the desires, disappointments, addictions, lies, and obsessions they battled in life.
But before time runs out, will they find the answer to the ultimate question: what is love?
Book Review
Title: The Storytellers
Author: Caron McKinlay
Publication Date : 16th May 2022
Pages: 317 pages
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
My Rating : 5/5
Review for 'The Storytellers' by Caron McKinlay.
Read and reviewed for Caron McKinlay and Bloodhound Books.
Publication date 16th May 2022.
This is the Caron McKinlay's debut novel.
I was originally drawn to this book by its pretty cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bloodhound Books. I have yet to read a book published by Bloodhound Books that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 47 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Liverpool, Edinburgh and Blackpool, UK 🇬🇧 and in Mondello, Italy 🇮🇹 . The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited and holidayed in Blackpool and going again this year so am intrigued to see if there are places I recognise.
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonists are Nikki, Mrs Hawthorne and Ronnie. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.
WOW!!! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT TWIST!!!
This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and put you in the storyline. The descriptions leave you feeling the sand on your feet and the wind in your hair.
The storyline was captivating from the first page until the last and I was completely invested in it. It was absolutely rammed full of romance, deceit, heartbreak, tension, twists, suspense and everything you could ask for in a page turner. I must admit it was not quite what I expected after reading the synopsis. I'll be entirely honest and say when I read the synopsis I thought it sounded interesting but wasn't entirely sure whether it would be too "scifi" or "fantasy" for my liking. However, it wasn't what I expected and I absolutely LOVED IT. The book starts with 3 women who meet a Gatekeeper who tell them they cannot move on until they can prove they know the meaning of love. You then hear the life stories of these 3 women until it comes to the end with two MASSIVE twists which completely shocked me!!! It is getting harder and harder to surprise me the more I read but you managed to completly blow my mind so a MASSIVE WEEL DONE Caron!!! I am ABSOLUTELY gobsmacked that this is your debut novel!!! Reading it you could never tell as it is written as exceptionally well as if you had been writing for years and the storyline was unique and absolutely gripped me!!! I just could not put this book down and finished it in one sitting. I have never read a book like this one and I have read hundreds of books so this is a massive accomplishment in itself!! The way it was written genuinely felt like I was siting next to Nikki, Ronnie and Mrs Hawthorne while they were telling me their story on the beach as if I was the gatekeeper myself. I loved the fact that it was set in different locations and I really enjoyed exploring different areas with Nikki, Ronnie and Mrs Hawthorne by my side. I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie. This may be the first book I have read by Caron and the first book you have written but it most certainly won't be my last and I hope its not yours!!!
Do not start this book until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!
The characters were all realistic and strong and I was completely invested in them throughout. My heart went out to Nikki, Ronnie and Mrs Hawthorne time after time as she went through so much tragedy and heartbreak and I really hoped that they finally found happiness. They all had their own unique personalities and although I didn't agree with how they acted at times I did feel sorry for them. Ronnie had done so well for herself but lacked any self respect for herself. Graham iss an absolute douche bag womaniser with his pathetic excuses. I was gutted about a certain part involving Tom and had really hoped it was a dream. However, should I really have been that shocked? Mrs Hawthorne certainly wasn't. Nikki was a sweet young girl just starting out in life and got swept away in romance. I did find Gio hilarious when I first met him but won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I adored Paola and her daughter Francesca who were both so friendly and sweet as well as being amazing friends to Nikki, everyone deserves a Paola in their life's! I did feel for Mrs Hawthorne at times along with Charles who was sweet but sadly stuck in the past. I won't say anymore about them as I don't want to give too much away. Regardless of what I thought about who, each character worked perfectly to make this an absolutely unputdownable page turner!!!
This has got to be the best debut novels and most unique book I have ever read!!!
Congratulations Caron on a MASSIVE debut success and I would like to welcome you to my favourite author list!! I cannot wait to see what your amazing mind comes up with next!!! Here's to your next success 🥂
Overall an absolutely unputdownable, unique page turner with explosive twists you will never see coming!!
Genres covered in this book include Metaphysical Fiction, Psychological Literary Fiction, Romance, Visual Fiction, Psychological Fiction and Literary Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as absolutely anyone looking for a unique page turner which will blow your mind!!!
317 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@CaronMcKinlay @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @BloodhoundBooks
About The Author
Caron grew up in a mining town on the east coast of Scotland where her dad would return from the pit and fill her life with his tall tales. She never thought about making a career in writing – that was what posh people did, not someone from a working-class council estate. However, her father’s death was the cause of deep introspection and her emotions gave birth to a short story, Cash, which was published in the Scottish Book Trust’s anthology, Blether. This gave her the confidence to try and believe in herself. When not blogging, reading, and writing, Caron spends her time with her daughters. She doesn’t enjoy exercise – but loves running around after her grandsons, Lyle and Noah, to whom she is devoted. Caron had three childhood dreams in life: to become a published author, to become a teacher, and for David Essex to fall in love with her. Two out of three ain’t bad, and she’s delighted with that.
Purchase Link
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Storytellers-Caron-McKinlay-ebook/dp/B09XTMQSDD
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