Welcome, welcome all!!! Today’s the day for reviews- both here and at Ivory Owl Reviews! So do both Rhiannon and I a big favor- check out the reviews and if it sounds like a book you’ll be interested in- enter that big ole giveaway!
And now… without further wait…. I bring you my review of RUIN FALLS (cue dramatic music):
Photo Credit: Goodreads
When Liz and Paul take their children on a vacation to see their paternal grandparents, Liz feels a sense of worry. Mainly she chalks it up the fact that the kids have only seen the grandparents a few times and relations between son and father are a bit strained. But, because she loves her husband and feels this trip is important- they go. Liz has no idea of what kind hellish world she’s walking into.
On the way up there, hot and humid weather, hungry children and just getting tired of road-tripping, Paul decides that they should stay in a hotel room. Maybe even get a suite and rekindle some of that magic between him and Liz. The kids love the idea and Liz is also for it. The next morning, though, begins the nightmare.
The kids are missing. First, Liz is sure they just went exploring. Then, as the day goes on and facts come to light, she realizes that her kids are not exploring. They are with someone that Liz thought she could trust, forever and always. She never expected to feel this sense of violation, this level of trust broken.
As Liz comes to grips with who has the kids- she begins to wonder why. Why take the children? With a mother’s love- she knows she will find her kids- and find out why they were taken. From digging into an online world of people who fear the end of the world and are preparing to live off the land to finding clues at her inlaws’- Liz begins to put together the pieces. The how, the why, and the who- now she just has to find the where. Where are her children? And are they in danger? And more importantly- how far will the people involved go to keep her quiet?
Traveling With T’s Thoughts:
This is Jenny Milchman’s second book- and while I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her twice- this is my first book to read by her. (Too many books + too little time = not being able to read all the books I want in a timely manner. )
When Rhiannon (Ivory Owl Reviews) and I were discussing books for Book Talk- well, we were having a problem. It was just too many. But, seeing RUIN FALLS on my shelf and chatting with Rhiannon about the possibility of choosing that- and well, it all clicked into place. Plus, it’s October. We needed something thriller-ish. And boy, did we get it.
The good: Jenny Milchman uses tension very well. Early in the book, there are a few clues that will tell you this is not just an all American family- though, you might not be able to place your finger on exactly what is wrong with the picture. Secrets, secrets, secrets- Jenny uses secrets very well!
Other good things: While the cast of characters might be a bit much for some- stick with the story. They all make sense in the end. The connections are there, even if it does seem like an odd bird has wondered in the picture. What I really like about the characters is that each person knows something- so you read a few pages, you get a question…. You read a few pages more, you get an answer. Or a clue. Or something. You basically begin to feel like Sherlock Holmes walking around crowing “Elementary, my dear Watson” as the clues begin to take shape and you start to see where this is headed. However- don’t crow too loudly- because Jenny does have a couple of surprises- even after you think you know it all.
There is a chapter in this book that, I swear, it’s almost like the book is playing it’s own scary music. I’m reading and I find myself curling in a ball- wanting to know and not to know!
The bad: It’s more of a bad-ish thing- there was some hinting around about two characters that never really seemed to go anywhere. One could assume some things- but it was never really resolved or completely fleshed out. I do wonder if it was supposed to be more of a red herring- type thing and to distract from some future twists. Def not a deal-breaker, though.
Overall, with the short chapters, the secrets and the proper use of tension- Jenny Milchman has her a winner with RUIN FALLS.
*Ruin Falls was purchased for my personal collection of books. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.
Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,
Book Talk with R and T
Traveling With T 
Great review T! This is also my first Jenny Milchman book, but it certainly won’t be my last!!! Now I’m curious about what 2 characters you are talking about…
Thank you 🙂 🙂 I’ll cover the characters in the spoiler post coming up this week!