Review - 'Mother May I' by Joshilyn Jackson

I always try to skip book blurbs and go into stories blind, especially if they are labeled a mystery or thriller. But that often means they don't turn out quite the way I expected, which is what happened with Mother May I.

Bree is startled awake one morning to the face of a witch at her window. Yes, you read that right: a witch. She takes that to be an omen, a sign of something bad to come. Later that day, she sees the witch again. Not long after, the unthinkable happens, and Bree's harrowing journey is only just beginning.

The part I enjoyed the most is the central investigation. It reads like a police procedural, and it was entertaining to follow along as each clue is unearthed and to see how it leads to the next step. However, I didn't quite connect with the rest of the story, and I'll try to explain why without giving anything away (the perpetual conundrum when talking about a thriller).

One of the main conflicts of this story is a moral dilemma. How far would you go to save someone you loved? And in this book, the answer is very far. So far, in fact, that it comes across as hard to believe. Obviously some suspension of belief is necessary for any thriller, but the things that happen in here are very far-fetched.

Another issue for me is that the book tries to tackle too much. It's like a thriller with a conscience, giving me suspense while also trying to teach me morality lessons. I don't have a problem with the message, but it was done very heavy-handedly. It took a lot of the momentum out of the story to stop and lecture about right and wrong and the gray area in between.

Speaking of the pacing, instead of picking up speed as the story unfolds, it feels like it slowed down. This is probably due to how thoroughly everything was explained. Many times I thought the story was concluding, only to be bogged down with some more follow-ups about this or that. I prefer my books to be tautly paced, and part of that is not spelling everything out for me, I want room to fill in the blanks and make my own connections.

In the end, I enjoyed the investigation part of the story, with its clues being unearthed and leads being followed. But I had trouble connecting with the rest of it. It tried to cover too much ground, sapping the momentum and stretching beyond plausibility.

Also, I was a little disappointed there were no actual witches in here.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars