Amanda Jayatissa

In nineteenth century Sri Lanka, daughter of the village Capuwa (demon priest), Amara, tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been happening around her village. Most of the villagers around the island have been influenced by the new religious practices brought in by the British Colonizers, but that doesn’t stop them from still calling on Amara’s dad whenever supernatural occurrences happen. But now, someone (or something), is viciously attacking the men and instead of asking for show more Amara’s father’s help, the villagers begin accusing him for it.

Amma is used to keeping to herself - the relentless bullying and accusations of witchcraft are never ending. She sets out to try and clear her father’s name herself, but begins being haunted by dreams that predict dark forces, that also leave her waking up in random places throughout the island as she sleepwalks. She can’t shake the feeling that all of this is connected to the night weeks ago - when she was recovering from a strange illness and woke up scared and confused, to her mother frantically saying, “No one can find out what happened”.

I don’t read horror that often, but after reading the marketing promos for it and seeing it was both based on Sri Lankan folklore and had “female rage finally being unleashed” as a highlight point, I was sold. And this didn’t disappoint.

The storyline of watching Amara from an innocent young girl turned to a rage filled woman was impressive and believable. It made the ending of the story a bit complicated because you both saw where she was coming from and kind of had to take a step back and go, “Whoa”. I haven’t read anything from Amanda Jayatissa before, but I will be adding her other two to my ever growing TBR list.

As I said before, horror isn’t my forte, but I think those who are looking for a unique and page turning, historical Sri Lanka horror, will greatly appreciate this one. There are some gory moments, but nothing that I thought was super crazy or intense, especially for a horror novel.

*Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review show less

Fast and fun mystery thriller that will keep you guessing!

I really enjoyed this well-plotted and twisty tale of a Sri Lankan wedding gone wrong. From the start, when Amaya decides to attend her former best friend's celebration, the narrative is such that the reader can't wait to read more to find out what exactly is going on. Told from several points of view in a bit of a time shift fashion, it also includes excepts from interviews done by the investigation team.

Amaya and Kaavi used to be show more as close as sisters but they stopped all contact years ago so Amaya is quite surprised to get an invite to the social event of the season in Sri Lanka where they grew up together. The kicker that gets her on the plane back home is that Kaavi is marrying Spencer, Amaya's old boyfriend from their college days. This can't happen and Amaya is determined to stop the wedding. Everything comes to a head during the days of preparation and, when Kaavi is missing on the big day, all the clues point to Amaya being responsible.

Half the time while reading I was not sure what was going on. So many secrets and lies and manipulations behind the scenes. I loved it! Amaya seemed a jealous, self-harming, psycho mess but she was certainly resolute. Kaavi, the indulged princess of her wealthy family, appeared to be set on the marriage, and her parents and sister were leading her through all the festivities with a dogged purpose. But when things started to go awry, everything exploded in a spectacular fashion. What a great ending. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. show less

What is it about unlikeable main characters? Is it because readers waste no time in empathizing with them, so the story moves forward easily? Paloma is troubled. She should have had the ideal childhood. Adopted by a San Francisco couple from a Sri Lankan orphanage, she should have had the ideal childhood. But she remains aloof from friends, easy to anger and has turned to alcohol to help her survive. The reader knows she has hidden something terrible from that time in the orphanage, but show more Paloma’s narration is so unreliable, its not till the end of the book, we know what it is and that not all her hallucinations are that. She is in danger and this twisted psychological tale will rivet the reader to the end. show less

Ugh, I wish I was one of those glowing reviews for this one- that was so impressed by the twists and just loved all the shocking turns. But I'm not - this one was a chore to get through. The pace felt slow and I didn't feel any tension. Amaya was bland, confusing and just inconsistent. Kaavi and her family were just as bland and inconsistent. Honestly, if none of them made it to the end and it was just one big empty wedding hall, I probably would have given this another star. Wish I'd loved show more it - instead I'm just glad I'm done. show less