Monday 15 July 2019

Gone by Leona Deakin Book Review*

You know when you finish a book and just can't stop thinking about it for hours afterwards? Well Gone by Leona Deakin did that to me! In fact I'm still going over it all in my head and I couldn't wait to share my thoughts with you.
book cover
'Four strangers are missing. Left at their last-known locations are birthday cards that read: YOUR GIFT IS THE GAME. DARE TO PLAY? The police aren't worried - it's just a game. But the families are frantic. As psychologist and private detective Dr Augusta Bloom delves into the lives of the missing people, she finds something binds them all. And that something makes them very dangerous indeed. As more disappearances are reported and new birthday cards uncovered, Dr Bloom races to unravel the mystery and find the missing people. But what if, this time, they are the ones she should fear?'

My review

OMG. What do I even say about this book that can do it any justice? I love a thriller, it's a genre I've reviewed many times before on my blog but anything with a psychological element too and I am in so when I read the synopsis of Gone I knew it would be one for me. It's taken a missing person story and flipped it completely.

From the beginning I was captivated by the story and the characters. I was intrigued by Dr Augusta Bloom who despite seeming a little closed off at first, clearly had more about her than just her job and I also loved her friendship with colleague Marcus who almost seemed like the complete opposite to her. I warmed to them both quite quickly. Early on we are also introduced to a young girl called Seraphine who has been involved in a suspicious attack at her school. Augusta is the one to try and figure out Seraphine's involvement and question if there's more to her than she's letting on. This is sort of an underlying story throughout that at times was a little easy to forget about but it gets very interesting towards the end as things start to tie together!

Now onto the game itself which is what starts this whole thing going. What would you do if you received a dare on your birthday? It genuinely makes you question how you would react in that situation and makes you think about your own traits and what sort of person you are. It's so cleverly written and I just love how Leona has taken something that has been written about so many times before and completely switched it up. Despite having lots of characters involved and obviously lots of psychological chat which could have easily been too confusing, it actually flowed incredibly well and I was honestly addicted to it. I got vibes of the film Nerve throughout because of the game and then nearer the end it had a touch of Killing Eve about it which makes for an interesting but brilliant mix!

For a debut novel I think Leona Deakin has proved she's a force to be reckoned with. It's full of suspense, mysterious from the very start and she made me doubt every single character at one point! It touches on some really interesting topics like the impact of technology and social media too which gave me something to think about. I think it's easy to forget sometimes what we put out there can be found by anyone!

Gone has an excellent premise which has been executed extremely well, it's like nothing I've ever read before. I really hope this is the start of a series with characters Augusta, Marcus and Seraphine, I don't want their stories to be over just yet.

Book reviews - Messy Wonderful Us by Catherine Isaac // Do Not Disturb by Claire Douglas

*I was provided with a copy for the purpose of this review. Gone is released in October if you want to pre-order!

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11 comments

Heather Nixon said...

I love thrillers but I haven't read any for ages x

Tiffany Timms said...

Thrillers are my fave at the moment! x

jennyinneverland said...

Okay this had me hooked from the blurb. I'll definitely be seeing if I can pick this up at the library!

Jenny
http://www.jennyinneverland.com

Tiffany Timms said...

Yay I really hope you get to read it! It's honestly one of the best I've read this year xx

AlishaValerie said...

This book sounds like such a good read, thanks for sharing! I'm sending you all of my love 💜

With love, Alisha Valerie x | www.alishavalerie.com

Daisy said...

This sounds like a really nail-biting book! It reminds me a little of a Sherlock Holmes mystery!

The game is on! xD

Daisy xoxo | TheDeeWhoLived

Tiffany Timms said...

Thanks Alisha xx

Tiffany Timms said...

Yeah it's such a good mystery! Really couldn't predict how it would go xx

Sophie said...

Psychological thrillers are some of my favourites to read and this one sounds right up my street. Sounds like it keeps you guessing and I love that x

Sophie
www.glowsteady.co.uk

Joy said...

This sounds right up my street. Thanks for sharing.

Lady Writes said...

This one sounds really gripping I think!

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