I have been fortunate enough to receive a advance reader copy of this book Violet and I would just like to say to all authors and publishers that as a reader first and foremost aswell as a book blogger these arc copies are an honour and a privilege to receive and I truly appreciate each and every book and I hope my merge efforts to review and promote goes someway to helping get these books the exposure they deserve, so, Thank You ( )

Many years ago Kris lost her mother to cancer while at their family lake house. Yet she remembers the lake house as a place of comfort. It is for that reason that she packs up her daughter Sadie and heads out to this long abandoned home in hopes of helping Sadie recover from the recent loss of her father. Time may have colored Kris's memories because they are far more cloudy than the waters of the crystal clear lake.
I picked up this book not only because of the description but because I loved the author's previous work "Kill Creek." After reading Violet I can now say that Scott Thomas is on my list of must read authors. Violet took me to a place of great emotional turmoil. It is a story of love and loss, and much of the first half focuses on the way our own minds try to deal with traumatic events. Gradually this story moves from unnerving to frightening as Kris Barlow remembers her past through her daughter's eyes. There is something at the lake house that Kris has forgotten, but it remembers her, and has been waiting for her return.
5 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy for review. ( )

Well damn. That was a letdown.

When I saw this come out, I was so freaking excited, because [b:Kill Creek|34065268|Kill Creek|Scott Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490250721l/34065268._SX50_.jpg|55075669] was one of my top three horror reads the year I read it, and working in a bookstore, it's still a novel I constantly and consistently recommend.

Unfortunately, I won't be doing the same with this one.

This book takes far, far, far, far, far too long to get going. Thomas starts with some description, then promptly loses the plot for most of the first half of the book while he details every...single...tiny...unimportant...boring-ass...thing that happens...aside from the horror. Seriously, as someone else quoted, he doesn't let you know someone brushed their teeth, he takes you through the whole routine. He mentions that someone brought non-perishables to the summer home, and had to pick up some perishables. And then tells you exactly which ones she selected. You're given precise menu orders when they go out to eat.

It's dull. It serves no purpose. It's not necessary to the plot at all. And, to be honest, it felt like a lot of padding on what proves to be a fairly light story that likely should have been either a short story, or a novella at most.

Along the way, you get to meet an assortment of assholes who live in the town (only one of which transcends his assholery), before you meet a couple of nice ones. Then Thomas subjects the reader to untold pages of house cleaning, because, you know, that's always interesting. Seriously, in the first third, there was one tight little paragraph where there was a beautiful mother/daughter bonding moment that...of course...didn't get the super-detailed effect, then we were right back in the mire.

It takes a solid half of the novel for the central storyline to even begin to kick in and, unfortunately, while I was not quite past caring yet, he unfolded it so damn slowly that I got there. I got to the point where I truly did not give a flying rat's ass about what was happening, who it was happening to, or where it would end up.

Truth be told, I initially gave this a 3-star rating, but as I relive the story here, I'm dropping it to a 2-star.

I can't believe this is the same guy that created Kill Creek. This is not good. ( )

3.5/5 Stars!

VIOLET is the second major release from Scott Thomas. The first being KILL CREEK, which I adored. I liked this book as well, but not quite as much.

Kris Barlow and her daughter Sadie have recently suffered a tragedy that will change their lives forever. Sadie has now gone from a lively young girl to a quiet withdrawn one. In an effort to take their minds off things, Kris decides that they will spend their summer at a cabin on Lost Lake where she used to go as a child with her parents. They discover the home in a serious state of disrepair which keeps them busy for a while and Kris begins to see positive changes in Sadie's behavior. When they go into town, though, they get strange looks; one townie even tells Kris she needs to keep a close eye on her daughter in this town. Not long after that, back at the cabin Kris hears Sadie talking and giggling and thinks she is finally on the road to recovery. But is she really? Will they get the emotional healing they were seeking? Why were the townsfolk acting so strangely? You'll have to read VIOLET to find out!

I love a slow burning story, (see my reviews of Straub's GHOST STORY and/or Thomas Tryon's HARVEST HOME), and this one does start off slowly-but I was all hey, no worries, it's cool. But about 100 pages later I wasn't finding it so cool. Don't get me wrong, time was spent describing the town and its residents, (fine) the complicated goings on within the Barlow family, (fine), but the incredibly detailed sanding of the deck and the cleaning of rooms? Not so much.

If I set that aside and just focus on the family mysteries and how they unfurled, I feel more satisfied. Mr. Thomas had me intrigued with the story, which is why I kept going, but even in that area, I felt like it took too long for anything of substance to happen. Lots of teasers and a little foreshadowing will only hold me for so long. When the action did start though, I was glued and I dug the denouement in a BIG WAY(!), I just felt like it took too long to get there and It pains me to say it.

One thing that worked for me on all levels is the music featured. (Kris finds an old mix tape and plays it almost continuously when working on or in the cabin). For me, even when the music wasn't mentioned, I was still hearing it in my mind, playing behind the scenes I was witnessing. I thought that was done deftly and I appreciate the skill required for it to blend in the way it did.

I seem to be in the minority on this book as most of my reviewing clan seem to have loved it. All I can say is, please remember this is just my opinion, and if you were thinking of giving VIOLET a try, please do! I probably just read it wrong. I DO recommend this book, in spite of the things I've mentioned, but I was hoping so hard to LOVE it, and it just didn't happen.

Recommended!

*Thank you to Inkshares and to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*




( )

Let me say first that I have been looking forward to Scott Thomas's next book since the moment I finished reading his first book, Kill Creek. In the meantime, I began to worry if Violet would live up to what I wanted it to be? So while I was so excited when I was approved by NetGalley to read this, I was nervous. What if Scott Thomas had a sophomore slump? What if he's a one hit wonder? Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Violet, and Scott Thomas, exceeded my huge expectations.

Violet is an achievement. The tension is set from the very first page. The first, probably, half of the book is ALL foreboding and anxiety inducing set up. After all, you know that there's this imaginary friend/ghost that's going to show up and you're just waiting for it to happen. Violet is like the shark from Jaws, you don't meet her until well into the story but you can FEEL her presence over the entire plot. She's there, in the darkness, watching, waiting, wanting to play. When she does show up, she SHOWS THE HELL UP. I could not put Violet down for the last half of the book. She sunk her hooks in and I needed to know all about her. I needed to hear her song until the end of the epilogue.

This book is better than Kill Creek and Kill Creek was my book of the year when it came out. You need to read this brilliant, scary, beautiful book. Get it in your brain. ( )