Broken Bird

by Gareth Topping

Fourteen year-old Becca has just started her summer holidays, and the next few weeks promise to be boring. Her friends are changing and taking the next step on the road to adulthood, and she can't help but feel that she's being left behind, even though she's the one who's changing the most. That all changes when she meets Mal, a strange and charming boy who is as perfect as she could hope for. Young love starts to blossom between the two, but her family notice the sinister influence that Mal has over her; an influence that may not be entirely human. This book contains themes that some readers may find distressing, and is intended for a mature audience.

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 31, 2015

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty creepy and while aimed at teenagers was also readable for adults. I thought that the main character was fairly convincingly written considering that the author is a man writing the point of view as a teenage girl. I would recommend it to people who like horror, and/or teenagers who like the sort of Twilight type books.

[Louise Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story left me feeling quite unsettled. Initially, I wasn't going to finish reading the book as it felt very much like a teen book (it's told from the point of view of a 14 year old girl) and I really thought it was quite childish; but it did keep my interest and I was drawn into the story and realised that it was certainly not for children! Quite disturbing - I was expecting (hoping for?) a plot twist at the end to give a happy ending - it was not to be! Despite the far-fetched storyline, it's a great book showing the power of manipulation and obsession.