Skip to main content

Cat Step by Alison Irvine

 

Synopsis: One mistake can unravel everything.

She only left her daughter in the car for a minute; just a quick minute whilst she ran into the shop. She barely thought twice about making the decision, but it soon began to consume her every thought. And not just her thoughts, but those of every neighbour, police officer and social security worker in a 15-mile radius. But this is her child. Surely she knows best?

After she'd made the move to a small town in Scotland, the rolling hills and blustery beaches seemed to be the perfect backdrop for her and her four-year old daughter, Emily, to start again. It wasn't always easy just the two of them, but Liz, was sure that she could manage this time. And now this?

Sometimes, one mistake is all it takes to unravel everything.

Cat Step is an intriguing piece as can what be only described as being a suspenseful dramatic rollercoaster, which you only begin to start breathing once you get off the ride. It is a book mainly focused on what happened before and the community hiding secrets. So who can you really trust? You can't even trust the main character, Liz.

It's hard to really describe how much of a rollercoaster this book really is. I mean it. I have never felt like I have changed perspective of who should be supported more than this book. At first, you decide that it is best to stick to Liz's story and her perspective of the events that begin to unravel. But there is always something nagging at the back of your head that something doesn't quite add up right. That somehow your rational thought is wrong all along. 

Throughout the book the most important themes are about how community perceives us and whether we are doing a good job as a mother. But who truly knows of the right way of being a mother? I think that this in some ways affects Liz more than it has to, to the point where it almost becomes scary to watch and you can't but help fall to the edge of your seat, in hope that what you are seeing would just resolve. In fact, it felt like it had the right amount of suspense to feel like a BBC drama, which is something that I would definitely sit down and watch. As it had the right amount of me gritting my teeth at some characters who I just want them to answer simple questions that have been asked by them.

The great part about this book is how tense and unsure you become of what might happen next. Liz is not the most reliable narrator and even she begins to keep secrets from those reading the book. But even as some secrets are then shared, we don't really know if this is an actual truth. It constantly keeps you guessing and sometimes not always finding the answer.

However, one aspect I wasn't too keen on was the ending. The ending, I don't know, just felt a little rushed. I became more frustrated than anything and felt like there was more of a story to tell. But I guess sometimes that is how life works out. We don't always have the ending that we thought that might happen. But I will leave that to the reader to decide whether the ending was a good one for them.

Ultimately, I want to rate this a four star. It was a good book. There is absolutely no doubt about it. This is a book definitely one for the bookshelf, as it is a gripping piece for those who love a book with anticipation and drama.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

This has been a long time in the making, but here it is. A court of Mist and Fury. I think that there is now the time to definitely say something about this, especially when the next book has already come out in the series. I genuinely do love this book. I think that it is much better than the first one in the series. This is mainly because of that in which the new characters are far more likeable, and those who we had been introduced to previously have been developed. For example, with Rhysand, I have found to be far more complicated than what had already been shown in the first book. In fact, I don't think that the first book did any justice for him. In any sort of perspective. However, it has also identified that Tamlin is not all that he seems, very annoying more than anything. I think however, that it is more due to the fact of that in which it feels like it was a waste to have a whole book with him in, now that the story has developed. In this next instalment, it carr

Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

It is back to Amanda Hocking this week, with her new book that I have recently been talking about, when reviewing her other series, the Trylle Trilogy. Although, this book is now in a new series, but set in the same universe. It is called the Kanin Chronicles... I must admit, when actually owning the book, the cover is very enchanting and beautiful. How for instance, the main character and protagonist, Bryn Aven, is at the centre of attention, with her coat covered in red. Whereas in the background, it is very muted colours, with the whites and blacks, but also having a sort of wonderland type of presence. Red to me also makes me feel quite uncomfortable and moreover is a colour for danger. So, onto the criticisms then! First of all, I don't know why but I felt a little bit out of place with this new world. Maybe it is because I read the other series in the same universe, I may have gotten used to them far too much. So when there are old characters appearing and being ment

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Publisher: David Fickling Books Date of Publish: January 1st 2015 Suitable for which gender: Unisex The book consists of two protagonists who are both suffering from two big secrets. There is David Piper; who wants to be a girl and Leo Denton; someone who just wants to be invisible. Somehow both of these two individuals come together and become very good friends in the process. It is really interesting as there is not much regarding the subject of the transgender community in modern YA fiction, in a way Ms Williamson has got some guts to base story around this topic. Not because it is wrong, but rather misunderstood. It has heartache and pain, as well as joy and happiness, which not only they experience, but you as well. I think that the time that it has come out is perfect, as it is an ever changing world, which has shown to become more aware of people around us and accepting everyone for who they are. We must always think about these issues like, imagine if you felt