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The Hanging Girl: ARC Review/Blog Tour


Author: Eileen Cook

Page Count: 320 pages

Genre: Mystery // Thriller // Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: HMH Teen, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Release Date: October 3, 2017

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SYNOPSIS

Skye Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl. It’s no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has some insider knowledge. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life. But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want and she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.

MILANA'S REVIEW

Last year a book called With Malice was released and I kept meaning to grab it and kept meaning to read it and I just kept meaning to. After reading The Hanging Girl I am definitely picking up With Malice ASAP!

From the first chapter with The Hanging Girl I was hooked! Cook’s writing is fantastic and makes your eyes flow rapidly from page to page needing to know what’s coming next. Along with the quick pace I found the main character likeable even though her decisions should make you dislike her! She’s quirky and strange but ultimately you find yourself rooting for her.

Let me just say this quickly before you read on for my Q&A with Eileen. THE PLOT TWISTS. I really didn’t see them coming, so many twists and turns and tumbles and hooks. Get ready for this one, YA thrillers are my new jam thanks to The Hanging Girl. 4/5 stars from me for The Hanging Girl! I wish it had ended a bit differently but that is purely preference on my part otherwise I would've given it 5 stars!

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Q: I myself have had my cards read once and it was a really fun experience. I loved the moody room the psychic worked in. I loved how when the curtain dropped as she came in the entire mood in the room shifted. Have you ever had your cards read? If yes, what was the experience like? If no, would you want to?

A: I have had my cards read. I’ve always been interested in psychics. All through high school Ouija boards were standard fare at a slumber party and I’ve had my cards read a few times by different people (with very different levels of ability!) I love the idea of this type of magic existing in the world. I had some things predicted that were bang on and others that were wildly wrong.

The initial inspiration for The Hanging Girl came after I went to a conference put on by The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. They’re a group of people who use science to investigate various topics—including psychics. The session I went to covered how easy it is to fool someone into believing you have psychic ability. I found that fascinating and filed away the information knowing it would be useful for a character and because I hadn’t realized how easy it could be to take advantage of someone who wants to believe.

I’m much more of a skeptic than I used to be with what I’ve learned. I wouldn’t say I don’t believe—perhaps the future isn’t supposed to be known.

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Grab yourself a copy of The Hanging Girl, it’s such a great October read! I know I’m grabbing a copy of With Malice this week. Also check out the rest of the blogs on this tour (see image above) for more Q&A’s with Eileen and their thoughts on this thriller!


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