A hauntingly beautiful book which offers a highly engrossing read… meet The Slaughter Man by Cassandra Parkin.

The plot:

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 her sister. Then, Lucas arrives in her life – troubled, anger 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 depends. It seems as if her only escape lies with the Slaughter Man.

There’s so many different messages for the reader to take away

I definitely went into The Slaughter Man thinking it was going to be a thriller, and whilst it did have the odd edge-of-your-seat moments, it was much different to what I expected – in a good way.

The story encapsulates stages of grief from different angles and perspectives, whilst also including other troubling topics/ inner demons and how some things are much more than meets the eye.

The writing is amazing; there’s so many different messages for the reader to take away in such a short read. There is one aspect that slightly annoyed me, but I know this is a personal thing and other’s might appreciate this – I get why it was done, but it would’ve finished the book off nicely for me.

I adored the ending, and as you got closer and closer, you were entirely blind as to how it would end. It leaves you confused at times which I thought was an incredible touch, especially when it got you closer to the story, and can be interpreted in different ways.

I was entirely invested in the main character, and I think that’s why the aforementioned point annoyed me so much. The Slaughter Man was not only engaging (I read this in one sitting), but also touching and *almost* made me cry at one point.

There’s so much to this book, from where it was set (I love a bit of pathetic fallacy), down to the minute details and exploration of a character’s feelings.

A definite 4-star read. That one aspect knocked it down a star for me – it’s one of those things where you can’t establish why it’s affected you this much, but it has.

The Slaughter Man, Cassandra Parkins, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository 

Pages: 285

Publisher: Legend Press

Genre: Fiction