I’ve read a few Alice Feeney books and what I love most is that I believe I’ve figured out the “twist” early on, only to have rug pulled out from underneath me at the very end. I love it. But with Daisy… my “gotcha” moment came at around 20%. And it stayed. There was no additional aha moment. This book was incredibly well written and I still live Alice. I was just disappointed that she let me in on the secret from the get-go without much else by the time we said goodbye. ( )

A hodge-podge of themes from other books with unsympathetic characters. During the "characters being picked off one per hour" phase I felt for most of them that "first you think they're going to die, then you hope they're going to die". ( )

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Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. The youngest of the three Darker sisters, Daisy spends a great deal of time with her eccentric Nana, a children’s book author who lives at Seaglass, a secluded old house whose only access is during low tide.

Growing up, Daisy longs for the freedom afforded of her older sisters, Rose and Lily, and the attention of the neighbor boy, Connor, who seemingly only has eyes for Rose. Living with her heart condition, Daisy is smothered by Nancy, the girls’ mother, who, resentful of Daisy’s condition, struggles to love her youngest daughter as she does her elder children. Growing up with books and Nana as her only friend, Daisy yearns for normalcy. Sneaking out on Halloween in her thirteenth year, Daisy witnesses an event with her sister that will change the course of all the Darkers’ lives.

At the request of Nana to celebrate her 80th birthday at Seaglass, the Darkers converge and learn the secrets and lies each has been holding since Daisy was 13.

Alice Feeney is a wonderful writer and her books are quite enjoyable. However, for me, Daisy Darker is a bit too far reaching for my taste and by the end become somewhat of a disappointment. ( )

I wanted to like this. The idea of a dysfunctional family cut off from the world on a tidal island the night before Halloween deserves better. I was hoping for a different take on And Then There Were None, but this didn't work for me.
I knew the twist was coming and was hoping for something good cause the buildup was okayish. However, the big twist was foreshadowed from the start and felt like an easy way out, so I was disappointed. The little twists and family secrets were predictable. None of the characters were likeable or interesting and the heaviness of what they did was too much for the superficial level of character treatment they got in the novel. It just felt all out of balance with such a heavy topic at heart.
2.5 stars. ( )