Book Review: The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters
“Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face.”
There are a few things I absolutely adore when I’m reading horror, or thrillers: female central characters, some sort of coming-of-age or teenage tragedy aspect, and a chapter-to-chapter time jump. I got all three of these with Jeremy Hepler’s CRICKET HUNTERS, and I didn’t expect I’d be so lucky as to find another so soon. I’m absolutely ecstatic to say that Walters completely nailed every single thing I love in my thrillers on the head.
I started this book intending to only read a little bit of it before doing something else around the house, and ended up spending the next couple of hours binge-reading the entire thing. I was absorbed from the very first page by Heather and Becca’s friendship & story, and I loved every second of reading this!
The friendships between young girls can oftentimes be very fickle, but strong friendships and bonds can be formed early on. With Heather and Becca, we see both sides of this – their close bond and ties, and also the strength of those ties being tested by whispered rumors and giggles with other girls. When you’re a little girl, everything can feel very life changing and monumental, especially in regards to friendships and social situations – and Walters conveys that in such a believable way that there were parts where I really, really related to the characters & their worries and troubles from my own memories of being that age.
Becca is every popular girl you wish you were as a teenager, but there’s a darker layer to her as well. Although I won’t say too much to avoid spoilers, but I will mention a warning to those sensitive to household / domestic abuse, as the story does touch a bit on that subject. The Red Lady spirit that Becca believes in becomes a character in the story herself, with the small little stories about her that Becca tells to her friends. I did have a bit of confusion while reading on what was real and what wasn’t, and I think the unreliable narrator aspect of both the girls in the past (under the duress of being teenagers & their situations), as well as of current-day Heather (who, I will admit, was a little annoying at times with a couple of the decisions she made), really kept me on the edge of my seat, not knowing what exactly was going to happen until a sort of ‘big reveal’ near the end of the book.
I did enjoy the ending, but I almost wish for something a little different, just so the outcome could be one that made me less sad. Again, I’d hate to ruin the review with spoilers, so you’re definitely going to have to read this one so we can discuss it – ending included!
Overall, I’m definitely glad I managed to read this, and will be on the lookout for more by Walters in the future! If you have any suggestions for books in the same vein as this one, please let me know! I’d love to read them!
Rating: 5 Stars
Review by Cassie Daley
Twitter: @ctrlaltcassie
Website: letsgetgalactic.com
I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration.
