This book was pretty interesting, told from three different perspectives and two different times as the main character struggles to regain her memory of what happened to her. While it was a little predictable, I also cared about the characters and while not a happy ending at least the loose ends were tied up.

now this book is a must read Heidi has lost her memory her best friend was murdered her sister was taken .but what happened and why cant Heidi remember . but little bits are coming back why did her best friend runaway why does somebody want Heidi dead what happened how all the pieces come together is just brilliant i cried .

Monstrous Souls is the debut psychological thriller by author Rebecca Kelly and if you’re after a pacy page-turner this is definitely for you!
Fifteen years ago, Heidi was subjected to a brutal attack that left her best friend dead and her little sister missing. Robbed of her memory, Heidi has always been frustrated by her inability to recall what happened, but now fragments of that fateful day have begun to return to her. With Heidi desperate to discover the truth, the police agree to reopen the puzzling cold case, but Heidi soon realises that examining her past will place her in peril in the present.
Kelly bravely tackles difficult themes here, but does so with huge sensitivity and care. Her elegant prose elevates this thriller above many of its peers and with a simple line she can land a blow that leaves you reeling - indeed throughout the book, it is these understated moments that convey the true horror of the events with greater impact than any gratuitous detail might, She deftly captures the raw emotions of those involved, and expertly portrays Heidi’s awful dilemma of wanting to remember, but being afraid to do so - especially as the part she played in the unfolding tragedy begins to emerge. With a twist you won’t expect and an end scene that might break your heart, this debut novel is one well worth reading!

This is a fantastic novel. It's a gritty psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. I read through this book so fast, I just needed to know the truth.

It covers some touchy subjects but does so in a respectful way.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book. Normally I don’t like reading through the killer’s perspective, but I thought that this was done very well. Normally it gives too much away for me and leaves me being bored. I felt the killer’s perspective helped eliminate some of the killer choices without making it overly obvious who it was. The ending was really good and heart wrenching. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Kelly is a talented writer and her debut novel, Monstrous Souls, is a well-written thriller that will appeal to the fan of the genre. The dual timeline of flashback is well-plotted and the pace will keep the reader hooked throughout. Difficult themes are explored by the author and they could be hard for some readers.

Beautifully written, slow burn, building to a explosive finale. Kept my interest all the way through. Heidi, the main character, is hugely sympathetic, and the friendship between her and Nina rings so true.
Enjoyed reading this immensely. Will be looking out for future books by Rebecca Kelly.

I received this book from
netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think that this is a great book - i’d definitely recommend it! Holly has severe memory loss from an incident that occurred when she was in her teens, which affected the lives of everyone around her. However, very slowly, her memory is starting to return, and the ramifications of this may spread wider than she can imagine.

It’s very well written, with believable, well fleshed out characters. They’re interesting and well described, no one is ‘perfect’ they have normal flaws and attributes which really added to the story. The actual story is well paced, there are twists and turns but not so many as to make the story unbelievable. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it!

From the dissociative mindscape of its opening chapter to the heartbreaking image of its last line, Monstrous Souls is as much a contemplation on Freedom as it is a compelling psychological thriller. Given its dark and intense subject matter, however, it should come as no surprise that Freedom is a relative term; a hard-fought compromise rather than a happy resolution.

No one epitomises this more than the novel’s central character Heidi Bevan who, after suffering a terrifying childhood attack that leaves her best friend Nina dead and her sister Anna missing, is further punished by the loss of her memory. Fifteen years later, Denise Gilzeen, now a senior police officer who cut her teeth on the case, is driven to re-open the investigation when Heidi begins to recover fragments of the attack, prompting a mutual quest for closure.

It’s a tantalising if not ultimately original premise, but what elevates Rebecca Kelly’s debut novel from the usual police procedurals, is her skill in exploring the relationships contained therein. The 2001 timeline - which charts Nina and Heidi’s peri-adolescent friendship - is especially good in this respect, capturing the nuances of teenage angst in all its painful glory: the scrabble for popularity; the fear of rejection or usurpation that gives rise to secrets and complicity. In this regard I was at times reminded of Bella Bathurst’s extraordinary novel “Special”. I particularly enjoyed Heidi’s inner tension at this age; torn between the safety of her loving, supportive home and her desire to sympathise with the circumstances of Nina’s less than ideal upbringing. The dynamic is ripe for conflict, which Kelly mines with great skill and sensitivity to catastrophic effect.

There is a definite assuredness about the writing; an accumulation of detail that creates a very vivid mise-en-scene without ever compromising pace. Her set pieces are both beautiful and immersive with one in particular - where a pursued Heidi is forced to conceal herself overnight in a forest - a masterclass in tension that really gets the reader’s heart pumping.

This is a quick and easy read; the chapter breaks mined for full effect to keep the reader turning the pages late into the night. Yet in spite, and perhaps because of this, I did occasionally find myself at one remove from the characters, rooting for their success yet almost from a distance. The unrelenting pace of the plot contributes to this, sometimes at the expense of more contemplative moments that would have benefited my investment in Heidi and Nina’s respective plights. As a habitual reader of literary fiction I claim these tics as my own, but given the quality of the writing here, it was for me, a notable omission.

Strangely, the closest Kelly comes to fulfilling this desire is through one of the other characters - ironically, the unnamed narrator of several chapters - whose sinister opening motivations become clearer and more sympathetic as the story unfolds. Though neither their identity nor their denouement came as a surprise, I found the gradual revelation of their narrative both satisfying and highly persuasive in its inner logic adding, as it did, to the overall theme of freedom versus psychological imprisonment and the idea that sometimes in life there are actually fates worse than death.

The novel in general is very good at avoiding cliches, with Denise especially, suffering none of the alcoholism-induced neuroses of similar characters in the genre. Despite this, it would have been nice to have seen her obvious selection as both female and a person of colour to have had some impact on the narrative, either via her professional interactions or, indeed, as a woman dealing with such a devastating caseload. It’s a shame that her seeming detachment, whilst an equally valid response in itself, was never quite explored enough for me to quite come across as a deliberate choice.

These are minor flaws, however, in a thoroughly compelling and well-written novel that absolutely marks Kelly out as an author to watch. Highly recommended to readers of psychological suspense and crime. Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers, Agora, for the ARC in return for a fair review.

Content warnings for references to child torture, paedophilia and murder.

The novel didn't start off as the page-turner it morphed into. Patience is required at the start, with a slower pace as the scene is set between 2001 and 2016. But the further you get, the urgency begins to burn and you won't put this down without finishing the second half of this taut, disturbing, and quite excellently written debut thriller.

Rebecca Kelly eventually creates the right narrative to keep you hooked until the final chapters, and forces so many emotions on the reader of sadness, horror, shock, and an element of satisfaction.

A highly recommended read. Bravo Ms Kelly.

Thirteen years ago an investigation began regarding a crime that took place on a late summer’s evening. Heidi was thirteen at the time. She suffered a head injury that caused amnesia. All she knew at the time was her friend Nina died and her sister Anna was missing. Heidi couldn’t remember anything that took place. After thirteen years some of the pieces were starting to fall in place.
Heidi is the key witness and the only one left with the knowledge of who did it. But she needs to trigger the right memories.
A cold case from fifteen years ago is reopened due to Heidi’s memories coming back.

Overall:
This didn’t have the best opening chapter for this type of story. It was a confusing starting point. I had to reference back a few times to grasp what I was reading and who the focus was placed on.
The chapters with the killers point of view was a great way to rule out the other many suspicious characters in the story. Yet at the same time it didn’t shed any light why Heidi continued living for as long as she did.
The information is there, but I wasn’t particularly fond of the delivery. Switching between the past and the present wasn’t the concern. It’s the way the author uses her words to tell the story. As the investigation progressed so did Heidi’s memories, yet the way the information was shared didn’t feel like an investigation. I didn’t feel like Heidi was triggering any memories but rather the author sharing the past circumstances and passing them off as recovered memories.
The premise seemed so promising. I love the concept but not the execution. I’m having a difficult time understanding why it took fifteen years before Heidi could remember anything when nothing triggered her memories. What was the trigger?
Everything

I have questions in regards to two characters and why they were not taken care of. Why leave them? The loose ends of keeping them doesn’t make sense. I didn’t get the closure I had hoped to gain from this ending. There were many unanswered questions regarding the minor characters in this book.

Rebecca Kelly had me with the first sentence. This was a pacy thriller eloquently written I could not put down. Truly delving into a subject that wants to remain hidden in society as well as by Heidi, who cannot remember what happened to her and her friends so many years ago.
Peppered with forensic science and mystery. A must read!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3284574609

A very impressive debut novel.

This story is well-written, fast-paced and gritty. Told partly in flashback and from different characters’ perspectives, there are many twists and turns throughout.

Very enjoyable to read, and definitely an author to look out for.

I just finished reading Monstrous Souls by Rebecca Kelly. A very good book about a very touchy subject but written in a way that leads up to a surprise ending you won't see coming. The last chapter tugged at my heart strings, saddened me because I was cheering for a different ending. I don't know how it could have ended any other way, not really, because the alternative is to horrible to imagine. I did not want it to end I was so caught up in the story and the characters.

4.5 STARS

Over a decade ago, Heidi was the victim of a brutal attack that left her hospitalized, her younger sister missing, and her best friend dead. But Heidi doesn’t remember any of that. She’s lived her life since then with little memory of her friends and family and no recollection of the crime.

Now, it’s all starting to come back.

As Heidi begins retracing the events that lead to the assault, she is forced to confront the pain and guilt she’s long kept buried. But Heidi isn’t the only one digging up the past, and the closer she gets to remembering the truth, the more danger she’s in.

When the truth is worse than fiction, is the past worth reliving?

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MONSTROUS SOULS is a dark, gritty read that centres around some very touchy subjects (TW: child abuse and neglect.) However, as soon and I started reading I knew that I wasn't going to be able to put it down...and I didn't. I read this one in one sitting! Kelly's writing drew me in immediately and kept me riveted for it's entirety.

The plot swapped back and forth between 2001 (the year of the attack) and 2016 (present day) and because of this there were some points where I, as the reader, knew more than Heidi did (due to her amnesia.) I really enjoyed watching her memories slide in to place - even when I already knew the outcome of a few, and felt like this was an excellent added twist. Although most of the reveals weren't mind blowing, MONSTROUS SOULS still kept me on the edge of my seat. And the ending? Yup. That last paragraph almost did me in.

Highly recommended if you enjoy dark, gritty thrillers (and can stomach some of the triggers.)

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for granting my wish and sending me an ARC!

Monstrous Spuls is a good mystery thriller with a main character on a mission!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Heidi,having lost her memory 15 years ago in an attack that left her best friend dead,and younger sister missing,is now starting to put the pieces back together as memories emerge.
Decent enough story,nice central characters,but I found it a bit too predictable.