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Daisy Darker

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'Daisy Darker' by Alice Feeney is a gripping psychological thriller that unfolds on a remote island during a stormy night. The Darker family gathers for Nana's 80th birthday, only to find themselves trapped in a gothic house as the tide cuts off their only escape route. As the night progresses, family secrets, dark pasts, and hidden guilt come to light, leading to a series of mysterious events and a shocking murder. With a narrative that jumps between the present danger and the family's history, the story keeps readers on edge, exploring themes of family dysfunction, deception, and betrayal. Feeney's writing style expertly weaves together suspense, unexpected twists, and complex characters, creating a haunting and atmospheric tale that delves into the depths of human nature.

Characters:

Characters reflect a complex family dynamic but are viewed by some as lacking depth and predictability.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is a mix of poetic language and engaging, cliffhanger-style chapters, though some find it overly simplistic or cringed.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a dysfunctional family's tragic reunion during a stormy birthday celebration, filled with murder and dark secrets.

Setting:

The novel's setting on a secluded island during a storm creates an atmospheric backdrop that intensifies the narrative.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally fast and suspenseful, but there are critiques regarding occasional sluggishness due to narrative techniques.

Notes:

Daisy Darker is inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
The Darker family is dysfunctional and filled with secrets.
The story takes place during Nana's 80th birthday celebration on a small island.
A storm traps the family on the island, cutting off their only escape route.
Nana is murdered, and family members begin to die one by one amidst the chaos.
The book features poems that enhance the suspense.
Alice Feeney's writing style is praised for being engaging and haunting.
Many readers find some twists predictable, while others were surprised by the ending.
The novel's atmosphere is described as dark, moody, and occasionally quirky.
It is a popular choice for Halloween reading due to its mysterious themes and spooky setting.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for Daisy Darker include themes of murder, family trauma, and psychological distress, which may be disturbing to some readers.

From The Publisher:

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*

"Alice Feeney is great with TWISTS and TURNS." -Harlan Coben

The NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of Rock Paper Scissors returns with a locked-room mystery when a family reunion leads to murder in a delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller, as seen on the TODAY show.

"A dysfunctional family meets Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with a truly gasp-inducing twist. This is the book you've been looking for." -Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of 56 Days

Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. Now after years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker's entire family is assembling for Nana's 80th birthday party in her crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

But at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide goes out and all is revealed. As seen on the TODAY show and picked by Book of the Month, Daisy Darker's family secrets and Alice Feeney's trademark shocking twists will keep readers riveted.

Ratings (62)

Incredible (8)
Loved It (21)
Liked It (19)
It Was OK (8)
Did Not Like (5)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (113):

Read It (64)
Want To Read (40)
Not Interested (9)

8 comment(s)

Incredible
1 week

I was craving a good thriller and mystery and Dasiy Darker definitely deliverd. Love to read about a dysfunctional family as well as the feel of "and then there where none" kind of feel. I was surprised by the ending but absolutely loved it and that made it a 5 star read. I love endings like that but the whole point is not knowing that it will go that direction for it to fully hit so its rather hard finding those type of books.

 
Loved It
3 weeks

Storyline, plot twist, suspense

 
Loved It
5 months

the plot twist!!!!

 
Loved It
5 months

I like psychological thrillers because they give you that thrill usually without much gore and DD did that perfectly along with the twist and turns. I just knew I had it figured out by the end but there was so much more!

 
Incredible
6 months

A clever book, but also really sad. Great twist at the end.

 
Loved It
7 months

It was a really great story. I really like this author's writing style.

And Then There Were None is definitely one of my favorite Agatha Christie books. Over the years, I have read many retellings of her story. Some were better, some were worse. This one definitely stands out as one of the better ones, as well as more interesting and surprising. Though I don't quite know what to think about the ending. In fact, I'm not entirely sure if I liked it. But it sure was surprising.

I was into this book from the very beginning. There was something really intriguing about the main character, Daisy. I'm generally not a big fan of first-person narration, but it definitely fit this story. I didn't even mind chapters about the past, although I usually don't like them. This is a very well told story.

On the surface, this is a well-known scheme invented by Agatha Christie, or probably by someone else long before her, but there is something unique about it all. Maybe it's thanks to a group of unusual characters. Although it is difficult to like individual members of the Darker family, there is something extraordinary about them. The dynamics of the relationship between them is really fascinating. Especially that we observe it through the eyes of Daisy, the main character, who is at the same time part of the family and somewhat outside of it.

As I said, I'm not sure about the ending. And I think many people will not like it. I, too, was hoping it would all end a little differently. I believe that this is the weakest point of this book. But fortunately, it did not take away my enjoyment.

I believe this is the second book by this author that I read and I definitely like her writing style. She is great at building an atmosphere and an interesting storyline. I am waiting for her next books.

 
Loved It
8 months

Wow. And, wow.

 
Liked It
10 months

Twist

 
 
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