It took me a long time to read because I never really got into it properly. I thought it addressed some really important issues such as sex trafficking and abduction but I just never got into it. I kept wanting to not go back to it but I also wanted to finish it to find out who was the ring leader and whether Anna was alive. For that reason I gave it a 2🌟 however I wouldn’t recommend it.

A dazzling crime novel. Totally absorbing and deeply disturbing.
Rebecca Kelly has tackled the horrific world of child abuse and murder in a brave narrative that alternates between events in the past and the present day.
The clever unravelling of the plot is crime writing of the highest order.

I loved the story line of the book and the way it was written but found it was slow to start with Heidi story and the ending felt cut short.

This book was well written about an uncomfortable subject. Although it does not go into too many details it lets you use your imagination for that. The book is focused on two families, one where the step-father is an abuser and gets involved in a pedophile ring and in the second family one of the daughters is a friend of the abused girl. Consequently because of her friendship she becomes entangled. The story kept me guessing and the ending was a surprise. If you can get past the subject it is a good book and worth a read.

Great book, once you get into it. It took a while for me to get stuck into this book however once in I was gripped. Brilliant writing and a brilliant thriller.

Thanks, Netgalley!

This is not just a thriller.

The way the book addresses aspects of the characters lives makes for a hard read in places because the subjects are painful but well written and thought provoking.

The characters are well developed and make the book a compelling read.

☆☆☆☆☆
This was a great story with plenty of twists. I found some parts of the story a little uncomfortable but the author has done brilliant at writing just enough so the story isnt graphic but enough you can use your imagination.
I would highly recommend this book, well worth reading.

Thank you to Agora Books for my invitation to the tour for this book and also for my digital copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.

The book starts in 2001 just after the attack on Heidi which leaves her with no memory her best friend is dead and her younger sister missing.

The book then switches between the present 2016 and 2001, Heidi is now an adult and after years of not being able to remember anything about the attack. She starts to have some flashbacks, small things to begin with but they get bigger. Heidi was horribly injured in the attack and left for dead.

There are people in the story from the past that do not want her to remember and are watching from a distance to see if she does and have plans to deal with her if she does.

This book is dark and you know from the beginning that it is going to expose a lot of bad things about what happened and the person who did it. It is an unsettling read but yet I felt compelled to read on knowing that it would probably be horrific. The conclusion was really shocking and I did not see that coming.

If you like your crime dark, twisty and unsettling then this is the book for you.

What a brilliant thriller! Heidi was the only survivor when her best friend was killed and her sister abducted. 15 years later she still has no memory of what happened. Monstrous Souls moves between the days around the murder and the present day so the reader some believes they know what happened, even as Heidi slowly regains some of her memory and the case is reopened. Rebecca Kelly keeps you reading on with short pacey chapters and keeps a great twist till the last few pages. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from this author.

One teenager murdered. One teenager catastrophically injured. One young child missing. An event with no obvious reasons, no answers and no guilty parties. Fast forward 15 years and the amnesiac injured teenager, now a young woman , struggling to achieve a semblance of normal life , starts to experience flash backs and fragments of long lost memories. Moving between two periods of time, we the reader join our terrified protagonist in her struggle with fragments of information in order to piece together a long hidden scandal of abused children, culpable adults and dysfunctional services. A race against time occurs as guilty individuals are determined to ensure they will take any actions necessary to ensure the facts remain hidden . Well written, accurately paced story that drip feeds actions and events from past and present accurately depicting the sheer terror of not knowing and then slow realisation of knowing and understanding the horror that destroyed innocent lives. Many thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this ARC .

This is one of those rare books that I wish I could give a bonus star rating to, the kind you stay up all night to finish.
An edge of your seat page turner start to finish with richly created characters and a fast paced ,albeit, horrifying story line.
Heidi doesn’t remember the night that changed her life, her best friend is dead and her little sister is missing. Now years later Heidi is starting to piece together memories of that horrifying day that left her scarred both physically and mentally. She is starting to remember the secrets between her and her best friend and she’s realizing that sometimes the monsters are closer to home and sometimes they come dressed as those you trust most.
This must top your read list! This was such a fantastic book. A+++

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley.

What a fantastic debut . This will be everywhere.

Dark ,chilling ,'tense and filled with suspense

This examines and explores every parents nightmare and the effect it has on everyone.

A great thriller that will grip you straight away and have you turning the pages to find the truth.

Published 25th june and i cant wait to read more from her.

This was a dark and gritty read. A girl who suffered a head injury in a violent attack is left with no memory, not just of the incident in question but also of the months leading up to it and a massive secret she shared with her best friend. After 15 years she begins to get flashes and sets out to discover what happened to her, her sister and her friend. The story flicks between the past and the present and we are sometimes given a glimpse of past events before Heidi remembers them for herself so we sometimes know when she's trusting someone she shouldn't or when she's close to finding vital evidence and doesn't quite get it. If it had been a movie I would have been shouting at the screen! We gradually discover a disturbing story of organised child sexual abuse and the corruption that allows them to get away with it. While the writing is neither graphic or gratuitous, the author manages to convey the deep psychological effects on the victims and their families.

I was a little unsure of Monstrous Souls as I'm not usually a fan of time shifts in case they make everything too complicated and confusing. I was happy to be wrong on this occasion though as it built the tension really well. I really enjoyed the book and there was a nice little sting in the tail I didn't see coming!

Fifteen years ago Heidi was attacked and seriously injured and has lost all memory of the event in which her best friend Nina was murdered and her younger sister, Anna was abducted and has never been found. She decides to visit Nina's mother and family and traces of memory begin to emerge. The more she remembers, the more she is a risk.. This is a tensely exciting story with plenty of "Don't go into the graveyard" moments. A cracking read.

This is a very good read. Realised childhood trauma slowly seeping into the present. Memories surfacing after years of trying. Family secrets,murder, a childs disappearence, this book has it all . Quite difficult to read in some parts because if the subjectt matter. I would read another book by this author

Wow...this book was GRIPPING to say the least. What a twisty, suspenseful read. It's definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy thrillers and crime novels, you'll eat this up. The book tells the story of two young friends, Heidi and Nina, and the terrifying, tangled web they find themself in. The book moves between past and present day as Heidi begins to regain her memories. This book is dark and twisty in all the right ways. So good.

Not a good one for me I’m sorry to say. I thought most of the characters were developing only to move the plot along and some of the things that happened completely made no sense. I will try to to do any spoilers but the lack of action from Mark was unbelievable and the stalker took his violence out on everyone other than the person he was concerned would talk.

Heart wrenching book that drew me in from the beginning. Storyline is not for the faint hearted but it's such a good read - would definitely recommend it.
Switching between what's happening now, to what happened back then helps paint a picture of what really happened that fateful day which led to one child dead, one missing,and one who do any remember a thing ....,. Until now.

Ten years ago, Heidi survived a horrendously savage attack, during which her best friend was murdered and her little sister went missing. Amnesia has plagued her, but now, she is beginning to remember… Monstrous Souls is a tough read in relation to the sexual abuse and trafficking of children, though it is extremely well handled by the author. A taut thriller, the reader journeys alongside Heidi as she discovers clues from her slowly re-emerging memories… and the truth that shocks her to her core.