Wicked Little Deeds is the perfect book to read now if you already want Summer to be over and Autumn to arrive!

So where to start?

Wicked Little Deeds is set in the small town of Burden Falls, and with such small communities everybody knows one another which leads to long time grudges, knowing everyone’s business and weird superstitions and supernatural occurrences!

Thus, we have Ava Thorn. A notable member of the Thorn family who have been around for centuries in their big Manor and being by Burden Falls waterfall, where many a story has happened with a certain creepy figure being at the heart of it.

Dead Eyed Sadie, a ghost who only shows when the Thorns are about to die, who showed when Ava’s parents died and someone seems to be copying her death with the murders of local kids, and soon Ava is suspected to be the murderer.

Reading the story feels like balancing on a wire, making the reader doubt whether the deaths, and all the events have a reasonable explanation or could it be supernatural?


It is such a slow, and intense plot driven story that will keep you guessing on who is the culprit, and I absolutely adored how Kat Ellis doesn’t need to develop the characters more than necessary to tell the story, allowing us to bask in the creepiness and the actions of the characters and how they’re deaths cause ripple effects throughout the community!

The other brilliant thing is that Ava ends up being friendly with one of her nemesis family- The Millers. These two families have always had bad blood, and always steer clear of each other yet we find their lives intertwining more and more as the plot goes on giving such an intriguing look into overcoming these initial grudges and creating something steady out of such tragedy!

If you love Harrow Lake, and are a fan of books that confuses the reader and the main character, leading to a slightly unstable narration, then I really recommend Wicked Little Deeds!

Burden Falls is a town with ghosts particularly the superstition surrounding Dead Eyed Sadie, a shadow that plagues the Thorn manor, it's estate and Ava Thorn. Ava's dealing with a lot, her parents died in a car accident a year ago, her family have been kicked out of their home and the man behind her parents deaths, Madoc Miller, is moving in. When a classmate is murdered, Ava becomes the prime suspect and must catch the killer before she becomes their next victim but is Dead Eyed Sadie behind the killings?

I remember Harrow Lake getting a ton of hype last year so when I saw the opportunity to join the blog tour for Kat Ellis's newest release, I jumped at the chance. I've been in such a mood for thrillers and mysteries lately and this story definitely scratched that itch. Someone described this book as Riverdale meets Bly Manor and I think that perfectly captures the creepiness of this book coupled with the teen drama.

Sometimes you just know you're going to like a book from the very first page and this was one of those books. Ellis perfectly sets the tone introducing us to the centuries old estate and the ghosts that haunt both the house and Ava herself. The writing here is incredibly readable. So fact paced, you'll be flicking through the pages through sheer intrigue but the development of the plot isn't sacrificed. Ellis's writing style emits the feel of classic 90's teen horror films, Burden Falls is the quintessential creepy community and the perfect setting for a killer on the loose.

Ava has all the makings of the perfect final girl; she's smart, curious, stands up for herself and of course, has been through her fair share of trauma. I was really rooting for her throughout the book, she definitely has her flaws but her resilience was unbreakable. Ilove a character that is pushed back so much but still gets up every time and just keeps going. We've got a nice little supporting cast too, Ava's friends supported her throughout her quest for the truth and the burgeoning romance in there was sweet but didn't overshadow the murder and mystery.

The plot itself is just really, really fun. It takes a lot of horror tropes and the entertainment of urban legends and keeps it fresh and immersive. It's got slasher elements, ghostly stuff and a family curse, so many twists and it all pieces together really well. I did guess what was going to happen by the end but I still think it was a clever way to conclude and it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.

Overall, I really liked this atmospheric and thrilling read. It didn't scare the pants off of me but it was gripping and had the right amount of gore and mystery to keep me hooked for the entire time I was reading. There's plenty of suspects to keep you guessingas well as a strong, gutsy heroine. Kat Ellis is definitely a contender to keep up with the likes of Karen M. Mcmanus in the YA horror/mystery genre and I'm looking forward to diving into her backlist as well as future books.

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I was really excited to get a spot on @thewritereads blog tour for Kat Ellis's new ya thriller Wicked Little Deeds, I read Harrow Lake last year and absolutely loved it so was keen to see if this would be as good. And I wasn't disappointed, it's descriptive, action packed and fast-paced. I loved that Ava wasn't a clear cut, innocent victim. She's flawed and that made me root for her more. Ellis manages to evoke the same level of nervousness as if I were watching a creepy horror film and there were parts I could imagine so clearly as if it were a movie, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up more than once! My theory on who was the killer changed numerous times although I did partly figure it out before the reveal, but that didn't take away any of my enjoyment. This book is so much fun and has the perfect level of scares that my Point Horror loving, 11 year old self would have relished. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ellis writes next.

Burden Falls did not disappoint, and I read it in one sitting. Kat Ellis has a knack for creating uncanny atmospheres that draw you in and refuse to let you go. The small-town atmosphere, family history, and legacies make this a creepy book.

We’re following Ava who recently lost both of her parents in a vehicle accident. She is grieving, and to make matters worse, her Uncle Ty is forced to sell the family home, which has been in their family for centuries. The Millers, who have always despised the Thorns, purchased it from Ty. Madoc Miller was the one who collided with her parents’ automobile, killing them. So, Ava isn’t doing her best right now, dealing with so much, but then one of the Millers appears.

Kat Ellis has created a strong protagonist that is able to stand on her own. I usually read horror for adults, but I appreciate reading about powerful adolescent characters. The intricacies, the responses to circumstances. Ava is an example of such a character. Her precious has been through a lot of sorrow and suffering, yet she has remained a strong character. She made mistakes like any other person her age, but despite her age, she sought to correct them. She has a maturity far above her years. Her reactions to certain occurrences made me like her even more.

Then things start to get out of hand, and Ava is singled out as the prime suspect. What is the explanation for this? Everything begins on the anniversary of her parents’ deaths in a vehicle accident. Eva isn’t sure if she’s being watched or if she’s seeing things. The author handled extremely delicate subjects with grace and clarity. If you appreciate spooky young adult horror, add this to your TBR list right away.

Burden Falls is brimming with creativity. Intelligent and fast-paced. A brilliant and amazing novel.

Thanks to Penguin Random House for the eARC of this book, and to The Write Reads for organising this blog tour. It has not affected my honest review.

Content Warnings: grief, parental loss (on and off page), violence, gore, murder, hallucinations, non-consensual drug use, fire.

One of the things I absolutely love about Kat Ellis’s writing is the way that the supernatural and natural are threaded together so thoroughly that it’s impossible to know for sure whether there is something supernatural at work, or if it’s the unreliable narrator playing tricks on you. This gave me the same nervous tension that Harrow Lake did, and I love it. It made the whole book a real page turner because I needed an explanation urgently. The audiobook also nails this dramatic tension, so I highly recommend it if you like audiobooks!

I loved Ava’s perspective. There were so many things about Ava that I adored, but I have to point out that the depiction of her grief was incredible. It felt so raw and real that I wanted to wrap her up and look after her. I didn’t even know I had a maternal instinct until I met Ava Thorn. It felt really authentic to a traumatised teenager trying to cope with the worst event in her life. I loved the way that she struggled to separate hallucinations, dreams, memories and the truth. It made for an unreliable narrator that I wanted desperately to believe, because I wanted Ava to get answers as much as I wanted answers myself. She’s a strong character in impossible circumstances, aka my favourite kind. Nic was the perfect mirror to her. Both of them are working through violent death and the grief associated with that sudden loss, and the way they played off against each other felt perfect. I adored them both, and their romantic tension was pitch perfect.

Speaking of a Thorn and a Miller, the Thorn-Miller rivalry was everything to me. I love a good rivalry, and this was so interesting. The way it complicated Nic and Ava’s relationship, and the investigation itself, was so fun to read. I liked the way it played out, and, without spoilers, the things we found out about the origins of the rivalry had me shocked. It was amazing. There were so many complicated relationships in WICKED LITTLE DEEDS, and I really liked the way that Ava and Ford’s friendship was so messy. Growing apart as teenage friends is a whole other type of loss, and that was really clear here.

As for the twists and turns of this thriller – oh my goooood. I love it. I loved it. When I hit the final twist, I actually put the book down so I could tweet about how shocked I was. I didn’t see it coming at all and I’m usually pretty good at putting things together in thrillers. This time? I’d put all the clues together backwards, and the truth threw me for a loop. It was a fantastically tense ending, and there was an open endedness to it that was deeply satisfying but will be lingering on my mind for a long time.

Thank you to The Write Reads gang for organizing this tour, and thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free digital copy for this review.

I don’t know how to start my review of this book. It made me feel…a lot. We enter the life of Ava almost a year after a traumatic event. An event that has left her scarred both physically and mentally. She’s not only burdened by the sorrow and heartache this event has left her in, but she’s also burdened by the realities of life. The expectations of moving on and looking forward to the future. It’s clear from the beginning that she doesn’t really have a lot of things planned out…at least…not anymore.

In the wrong hands Ava would quickly become an annoying character, and there were times where I almost wanted to slap some sense in to her. It’s clear this girl is struggling and I feel for her. Other than Ava we are introduced to a wide variety of friends, classmates, family and family non-friends. They all have good sides and bad sides, which I enjoy – nobody is inherently good or bad…except – of course – for whatever might be causing trouble in Burden Falls.

“I don’t always want to. I don’t want to be the friend who always leans on other people. The one who always brings their problems to the table, and nothing else.”

This book hit a bit close to home for me. Even though it’s almost ten years since a traumatic event in my family, I still struggle. The circumstances aren’t exactly the same, but I could recognize quite a bit of the feelings that are described in the book. I did end up crying while reading the book, and I cannot promise that I might not be crying a bit right now. Despite the extremely well-written depressive stuff, Wicked Little Deeds is a gripping thriller with the struggles of an uncertain future, growing up and finding your way, and all of the wonderful and at times stressfull and exciting relationships you get along the way. There is also a supernatural aspet to the story. I highly recommend this book.

I really, really enjoyed this story. It definitely stems from a tragedy that Ava has to deal with throughout the whole book, because losing both of your parents in a car accident is never easy. Soon after the accident, she found out that there was practically no money and had to move out of the manor she grew up in with her Uncle and new Aunt. But what’s worse about having to leave your childhood home that’s been in your family for generations after generations? Having the person’s family responsible for the car accident that killed your parents move into it. Scene after scene, things for Ava get difficult. Her best friend starts hanging out with the Miller twins (the family from the car accident), people around her are dying, and she’s starting to hallucinate. If you are expecting the same creepy atmosphere from Harrow Lake, you won’t get it. But I think the atmosphere created for this book, and the story of Dead-Eye Sadie fits in perfectly. There was so much that was done right and it really kept me interested. Typically, in books like this I focus so much on the who done it part but I was so enthralled with the plot that I really didn’t focus too much on that. I was just experiencing it alongside Ava. The ending was really, really good and the little extra touch at the end made it that much better.

Ava was an interesting character. Overall, I liked her and could honestly feel for her. She was trying to make the best situation out of what had happened. The fights with Freya really don’t seem out of the ordinary and I can’t blame her for how she handles them either. What I really enjoyed what the relationship build up between Dominic and Ava. It progressed really well and it just made everything come together. Personally, this wasn’t a big character driven story but more a plot driven one. If the plot and the writing weren’t as good as they are, I don’t know how much the characters could have led. But, they told the story that needed told and did a good job at it!

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Wicked Little Deed (or Burden Falls) by Kat Ellis was a really fun read. I enjoyed the atmosphere build up and the stories that helped build it. While it wasn’t really a dark atmosphere, it definitely gave off those horror vibes that I absolutely love in movies. Even though I enjoy a good who done it, this book didn’t make me focus on that actual part but more so on the whole experience itself. That takes a lot to do and Wicked Little Deeds does a great job on succeeding. Ava was a good protagonist and overall, I enjoyed her character. The relationships that she built helped the plot of the story but this is more of a plot driven book than a character driven. I would recommend this book if you enjoy horror with a good who done it along with some ghost stories.

Wicked Little Deeds by Kat Ellis, a splendidly creepy YA thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat with nerve-wracking excitement!

As my introduction to the author, it will not be an understatement to say that this novel had a lasting impression on me. Even though I enjoy thrillers, horror is not a genre I normally turn to. However, the Wicked Little Deeds seamlessly blends paranormal elements with suspenseful storytelling leaving the reader anticipating more.
From the outset, the aspect of this novel that hooked me was the evocative writing style. It was able to manifest a vivid portrait of the tragedy shrouding Burden Falls and deliver a lifelike reflection of the circumstances that have befallen the Thorn Manor and its owners. It skillfully creates a sense of mystery and foreboding!

The supernatural is reinforced through descriptions of the chilling quality in the mist surrounding the waterfall, reminiscing the metallic scent of sour apples in the dense orchards, the ominous recurring appearance of evil eye carvings around town, or the curse associated with the Bloody Thorns. The horror lies not so much in jump scares but in making its insidious way into the most mundane situations, until one finds it impossible to distinguish between what is reality and fiction.
If the clues sprinkled in throughout the progression of the plot are paid close attention to, one can catch onto the solution of the puzzle readily enough. The author successfully brings the story to a full circle. Apart from a somewhat slow start, once we are suitably transported into the rumour infested small town linked to Dead-Eyed Sadie, the plot picks up its pace and at no moment is the mystique lacking.

Noteworthy themes include the rather poetical interpretation of our perception of spectres, in seeing them as guardians watching over us as opposed to malevolent spirits out for revenge, their depiction is unsettling in both cases, to be honest!
The complex nature of both friendship and enmity delineated through the narrative, makes us ponder upon our personal beliefs and practices in conjunction with these concepts. How these relationships evolve over time or concerning the individuals involved is often contradictory to our assumptions.

Narrated exclusively from the perspective of the 'poster girl for goth chic', Ava Thorn, we follow the story of a young girl grappling with grief as her world turns upside down. Her acute sense of loss and creative outlet to process these feelings make her a relatable character.
Even in the direst of circumstances, her ironic humour serves to lift the tension. As is true of any well-rounded character she is not without flaws, prone to trust her instincts a little too much and 'quick to judge'. However, her determination to never let herself be undermined give her a unique strength.
Her character arc is marked by the crushing of previously held notions through each discovery she makes. Along with Ava, we become privy to the full picture rather than the skewed viewpoint as a result of a first-person narrative, but this stylistic choice makes those scenes all the more heartbreaking and impactful.
I was not expecting any romance going into the book, so its eventual development felt like a bonus to an already intriguing turn of events.

In conclusion, I believe the biggest compliment an author can pay to any genre is by inciting within a reader not only a desire to explore more of their works, but also an appreciation of the genre as a whole (especially for one which had hitherto been avoided by the reader), and Ellis was able to achieve just that with Wicked Little Deeds.

I don't have the stomach for eye-related gore so this should have been an early DNF. But I couldn’t stop reading. The story itself is so dark, twisty and compelling that I needed to push myself through the eye gore on almost every page and the pay-off was 100% worth it.

This is a thrilling YA horror with strong mystery elements to it. It’s set in a small town with lots of creepy backdrops like big old houses and haunted waterfalls so it’s incredibly atmospheric at times. There’s also a lot of local folklore woven into the story – similar to Harrow Lake. As you’d expect, there are a lot of red herrings, twists and suspicious characters. And while I did piece together some parts of the puzzle relatively early on, the big picture BLEW MY MIND.

Aside from the eye stuff that I mostly managed to block out, I didn't have any real criticisms. One thing I will say though is that the cover made me think that this was going to be more witchy than it was. Still, I wasn’t disappointed because this book is fantastic. It's not particularly scary but it is super creepy so it'll make a great spooky season pick!

I’ve only ever read one other book by Kat Ellis and that was Harrow Lake, which really scared the crap out of me. This novel thankfully didn’t scare me as much as Harrow Lake, (sigh of relief) but Wicked Little Deeds is a really creepy, mystery thriller. Very creepy.

Ever since Ava Thorn survived the car accident that killed both her parents a year ago, she continues to struggle with getting back to normal. But her life is tainted because of her family name. A curse is said to befall the Thorn family. That if they see a vision of Sadie (a woman who died centuries ago at the property of Thorn manner) then they are destined to die. Sadie is now a legend and a kind of creepy town mascot, who had her eye’s gouged out and disappeared.

Ava is drawn to the legend of Sadie and feels quite protective of the story, so when her uncle sells Thorn manner to the man she blames for the death of her parents, Ava is horrified. Things get a little more creepy when Ava starts to ‘see’ things and when bodies start to emerge with their eyes removed, Ava becomes a suspect as all evidence points to her, rather than the ghost of Sadie. After all ghosts aren’t real, right?

The writing is seamless and paced perfectly to reflect what the reader needs to know and when. The story gives you enough of the mystery unravelling, but weaves in enough of the creepiness, which casts doubts about what you think is actually happening. The perspective may only be from Ava’s point, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get an all rounded view of what is happening. As this provides us with the right depth to create that atmosphere of fear emanating from Ava.

I actually enjoyed this novel and will perhaps read more of Kat Ellis’ novels.

This book begins with Ava Thorn, her uncle and his wife having to move out of their family's generational home. Things haven't been good for the Thorns for a very long time, with people rumouring that the Thorn's are cursed. The Bloody Thorns. This is all happening almost exactly a year following the accident that killed both her parents, and she won't be able to forgive the man she holds responsible, Madoc Miller. When she finds out that is who purchased her home, she is livid. If things can be any worse, she also has to look at both the Miller kids every day in school. Ava is seething. But when a body washes up at the bottom of the waterfall by Thorn Manor with their eyes missing, everyone starts to whisper about Dead Eye Sadie, the ghost who haunts the Thorn family...Looking for her eyes. But then the body count continues to rise...First the girl in the waterfall, then Freya Miller, then Ava's best friend, Ford. Kids start to whisper. Is it Ava? Is she the one killing these kids and taking their eyes? Is she a killer? Can Ava get over her hatred of the Millers to work with Dominic to get to the bottom of this mystery?

I loved this book, is it supernatural? Is it not? I'm not going to tell you but this book is one of those 'everything isn't as it seems' type of books. I enjoyed the main characters of this book and believe me, that can make all the difference. This mystery wasn't boring nor was it too much. We got a nice dollop of character development as well as our mystery. I will say I did predict a massive part of this story fairly early on, though did not predict the WHY behind that event, but I won't say that ruined my experience with this read. Overall, I think this story was well written, well thought out and executed excellently. This is a book I'm glad to have read.

Well this book was a little bit creepy wasn’t it. I don’t know about you but I got too scared at some points I had to keep putting it down. However I was so gripped by the storyline I had to pick it up again and keep reading it. I felt so sad for Ava as a character as she had to deal with loss, grief and hallucinations. I also feel like this book was slightly darker for a YA thriller but it could be me being a wimp. I am really intrigued to read more books by Kat Ellis going forward.

I loved this, a really spooky gothic book with some great twists and turns and of course, a family history. I liked Ava and wanted her to do well. Thank you for having me on the blog tour!

One thing I’m finding more and more when I read, when I really like a character, all I want to do is protect them, and each awful thing that befalls them – from something minor to larger events – makes me wish I could just grab them and give them a cwtch. For me, it’s a sign of a well written character when I feel like that, and Kat Ellis achieves that brilliantly here with her main character, Ava.

Ava could have easily come off as a spoiled brat, but Ellis manages to make her a character all readers will relate to. When the book starts, Ava is moving out of her family home, her uncle and aunt unable to maintain the upkeep on the manor that has been in the family for generations. The home of the ‘Bloody Thorns’ is purchased by the same family they have had an ongoing feud with for so long no one can really remember the cause.

Here’s the thing that sticks out to me. Ava goes through A LOT right at the start of the novel. She’s still dealing with her parents’ death a year before, and as she tries to adjust to a new life, her best friend appears to be taking steps to deliberately upset her. Throughout all this, Ava is convinced she’s seen the manor’s resident ghost, Dead Eyed Sadie, who Thorns usually see right before they die. As in Harrow Lake, Kat Ellis blurs the line between reality and fantasy, giving us characters who think they can see the whole picture before they really do. It’s a technique that works well, and makes for fantastic POV throughout the book, as we try to see what Ava can’t, or as we discover there are some things she misunderstands.

I really liked the supporting cast here, too, and the various characters really made this feel like a town, rather than just the place where the story is set. There are nice little quirks, too, like the drawings of evil eyes throughout the town, or how the whole town seems to believe in Dead Eyed Sadie.

Ava has a life outside the plot, with a part time job, friends and school, and there’s a sense of the ‘real life’ and the events of the novel almost intruding on one another, neither allowing Ava to devote her full concentration to one or the other. It makes for a good balance, with a romance adding to that sense, too. The romance in this book was sweet and written well, and I really enjoyed those scenes, as they also served as a reminder – like the rest of her life – that Ava really is just a teenage girl trying to handle a deadly, complicated situation.

Ellis has done an excellent job here, giving us a vivid, real setting, teenagers still trying to figure out their place in the world, and a sympathetic, flawed protagonist who many YA readers will relate to. There’s even a reference to the events of Harrow Lake, and it works really well. Wicked Little Deeds is a great read, reminding me in parts of Fear Street, Riverdale, and The Haunting Of… series, and it deserves to have an adaptation of its own.

I absolutely loved this book. Ellis is great at creating a dark atmosphere, and Wicked Little Deeds draws you in instantly, keeping the reader hooked with the characters and effective build up of tension. If you enjoy Horror, this is going to be a book you’ll want to pick up.

Chillingly Entertaining…
Chillingly entertaining YA suspense to give thrills and spills with a frighteningly authentic atmosphere. A small town drenched in superstition and complete with cursed waterfall and macabre town mascot. What secrets are held in Burden Falls…? Keep those lights on….!

Ava Thorn is an orphan, she tragically lost her parents and is now living with her aunt and uncle. Financial difficulties means they have to move from her childhood home. Life isn't so sweet for Ava. So when she then becomes prime suspect in a murder case she knows she needs to fight her corner. But are all that are in her corner on her side?

With an underlying theme of spooks and paranormal. I loved the legend of Dead Eyed Sadie, it bubbled under the surface of the plot. The question is is Sadie a true story? What happens if you see her 👻

Wicked Little Deeds is a YA story and there was plenty of teenage angst and drama involved. I believe this story is also perfect for those that are new to thrillers and crime mysteries.

Many thanks to The Write Reads for my opportunity to be on this #UltimateBlogTour and to the publishers for my gifted digital copy.

As someone who is quite new to the thriller genre in general, 'Wicked Little Deeds' felt like the perfect introduction to reading novels with this theme.

'Wicked Little Deeds' is described as being reminiscent of Riverdale, and the comparison sticks. But Kat Ellis is, in my opinion, more successful. She weaves together a story full of ghosts, murder, mystery and teenage angst that had me desperate to read on.

Our story follows Ava, a soon-to-be eighteen-year-old who is still dealing with the trauma of being involved in an awful accident one year ago. Her nightmares appear to come to life when Sadie, a terrifying urban legend surrounding her family’s manor home, starts appearing to her. As students at her school begin to turn up dead, and evidence points towards Ava, she becomes determined to get to the bottom of things.

There are a number of characters important to this story, yet Ava is, of course, the main focus. As a result, we hear about characters that seem fascinating, yet aren’t always fully fleshed out. I would have loved to get to know Daphne, Carla and Nic a bit more.

Nevertheless, Ellis does an incredible job at keeping the reader engaged. She throws in tidbits of information that will have you trying to beat Ava to solving the murders, whilst also throwing you off the scent just enough to maintain an element of surprise throughout.

As a first foray into reading thrillers, I found 'Wicked Little Deeds' to be a great start. It was fun, fast-paced and intriguing, yet it didn’t feel clichéd or over-done. Ellis has whet my appetite for more creepy stories and I’ll be sure to check out her other work too.

The book was such a good read.Recently I have gotten very much interested in reading mystery and thriller. So this book came at a great time .

The story follows Ava Thorn who has survived a very bad accident which after a year still gives her nightmare and also her uncle and aunt are selling off the family home, because they are not financially doing good.The Thorn family has a lot of stories which are associated with them and the manor. Ava is dealing with grief of losing her parents, and knowing that the family is being sold to someone the family doesn’t have a good relationship with breaks her heart more. I liked how her character was so trusting but as the story developed, as there are murder happening in the town.She knows she has to do something. And her friends are shown to be so supportive and to be there for her. And help her deal with a lot of problems.

The story was so well crafted that I couldn’t put it down. The plot and everything coming together at the end was such good writing by the author. Absolutely loved the story and how it incorporated family history and story together.

At the end I would just like to say go and read the book. It will keep you at the edge of your seat the whole time.

“Wicked Little Deeds” was excellent. It has the perfect YA suspense novel with a touch of a gothic, supernatural murder mystery.

To begin with, I have to commend the author for writing the story so creatively. The author spins the tale in such a crafty manner that you don’t know what will happen. There are so many twists and turns where you cannot predict the story. Also, people who you would never think of being killed end up with shocking deaths one after the other. The author makes you think if a supernatural force causes the murders or if someone is behind them. Furthermore, I am not giving any spoilers, but the ending completely threw me off and shocked me. I love when stories come up and surprise me in the end, and this book delivers this flawlessly.

The author also wrote the characters nicely. I liked Ava in the lead and the various emotions she has to deal with when the murders occur. It’s not easy for her because the detectives also find her the prime suspect. There are some creepy characters like Hamish and Liam who make the story even eerier. However, I also liked characters like Ford, Dominic, and Freya. Each of them makes the story exciting with the way they respond to Ava. On a side note, I also enjoyed Dead Eyed Sadie’s background storyline and wondered how that connected with Ava. The author also adds some nice YA romance into the mix, although I will not spoil it by mentioning who Ava gets romantic with.

Overall, I loved reading “Wicked Little Deeds” and felt it was one of the best Young Adult Horror thrillers of this year.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Harrow Lake (I think it is fair to say I had strong objections to the representation of mental health in that book you can read my full review [here](https://fisbibliofiles.com/2020/07/09/arc-review-harrow-lake/)) so I was super cautious going into this one. But I always like to give authors the benefit of the doubt and I am glad I did with Kat Ellis. This one was fun. I really do love the small town vibes, the fact that everyone knows everyone, the ancient family feuds and the town history steeped in myth and legends.

I really liked the main character Ava. it is fair to say she had a pretty shit year on the run up to the events of this book and they don't get much better as the mystery unfolds but she handles it all in a realistic and somewhat healthy manor which is really interesting. I love that she is still a teenager and doesn't take the burden of the world on her shoulders but instead is still concerned about school, friendships etc. I liked the bonding between her and Dominic over their shared experiences and how she worked through her own reservations about his family.

The plot itself is a little slow to start there is a lot to set up in terms of lore in the town and the various relationships between all the various members of the cast. This makes it a little dull to begin with, however it does start to pick up as the mystery thickens and we find ourselves in an interesting whodunit. It definitely gets gory and spooky. I really liked the atmosphere that the local legends lent to the mystery. They were probably the best bits of this book. The Ghost stories, family legends and how they tied into the actual history of the town was excellent. I also really liked the hint of romance. It was definitely slow burn
However, I will say I was a little disappointed by the ending, it was just a bit weird. It seemed a little random and the motivation of the culprit just didn't feel satisfying. Also the nods to "teen culture" such as rousing games of Rocket league were a bit cringe.

Overall, this was a fun read. It is a solid YA Thriller that had some really good moments and others that just didn't work for me. I still enjoyed it and I am glad I gave Kat Ellis another chance.