The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

Don't read this book if you're expecting to sleep well the night you do.  It's creepy, carries the weight of years of families living in Rowan's Glen, and it imbues its mood in you.  If you don't mind being a bit frightened, keep reading.

HMH Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 3rd.

The story starts simply enough.  It's the tale of a girl and her cousin and their life at school and home.  There are tales about things that happen in the woods and they are warned away from them. Ivy sticks close to her cousin at school because the other kids don't like those from the Glen.  If you get singled out, you could get beat up or worse.  Heather is a bit older and she's pretty.  She's also more independent and doesn't listen to the tales told by the grandparents.  She's even talking about leaving the Glen and moving on.  She has secrets and she doesn't live long enough to get away...  There's tie between Heather dying at the May Queen event and another death long in the past.

Ivy has the sight and can see death approaching.  She tried to warn her cousin.  Now she's seeing her own death looming.

This was an interesting read.  There is more than one killer.  Family and friends are involved.  Ivy feels like she fell down Alice's rabbit hole.  With all the nuances in the story, a budding romance, and murder in more than one era, you know you're not going to forget this book very soon.  It's a good read and more complex than I expected.