Queen B’s Decree: Sometimes Queen B steps outside her box and reads a romance. Most times it’s about her second love…forensics and murder.
This is exactly why I was drawn to The Rules of Burken. Quick plot summary: girl and her brother played hide and seek as kids. Girl and her brother replay as adults…then brother adds a new rule – if he catches her, she dies.
*queue Pikachu shocked face*
We spend the next few chapters alternating with past and present (present being Charlotte literally running for her life). We get to see past events in Charlotte’s POV, so you get to understand her inability to see her beloved brother as a sociopath; get to see why she defends him for so long.
The Rules of Burken was a whirlwind. I felt on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. I kept reading because I needed to know what happened, both in the past and present.
But it did feel a little jumbled and all over the place. We have additional side characters that honestly feel unnecessary, and ridiculous back stories (for everyone!). I wish we could have had some chapters or sections told in Ian’s POV – I wanted so much to know what he was thinking. His last dialogue felt stilted to me, and I wanted much more.
For a debut author, it was a decent read. I look forward to more from Traci Finlay.
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Book: The Rules of Burken by Traci Finlay
Series: standalone
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Hotness: doesn’t really apply here
Plot Devices/Tropes: thriller