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Dark, Dark Heart
A killer hunts the humid streets of Sadie, leaving a calling card at the scene of each crime: a black construction paper valentine. The victims, each carefully chosen, are left the same way, broken and heartless.
Haunted by the ghosts of the dead, Rina Henley will stop at nothing for truth and justice, but in her quest, she has brought the spotlight to her and now plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Summer Lin, Rina’s roommate, thinks of herself as the Vanishing Girl. When things get rough, she can disappear like a ghost herself, and promises Rina she can help her disappear, too. After all, she’s been on the fringes for weeks now, to escape the ugliest of truths.
As the summer simmers around them and Sadie is gripped by terror and tangled rumours, twisted love notes and secrets bring Rina and those closest to her to the very brink of destruction.
Haunted by the ghosts of the dead, Rina Henley will stop at nothing for truth and justice, but in her quest, she has brought the spotlight to her and now plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Summer Lin, Rina’s roommate, thinks of herself as the Vanishing Girl. When things get rough, she can disappear like a ghost herself, and promises Rina she can help her disappear, too. After all, she’s been on the fringes for weeks now, to escape the ugliest of truths.
As the summer simmers around them and Sadie is gripped by terror and tangled rumours, twisted love notes and secrets bring Rina and those closest to her to the very brink of destruction.
350 pages, ebook
First published October 31, 2022
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Kaitlin Corvus
13 books22 followersKaitlin Corvus is from Ontario, Canada. The north holds the best part of her. She writes about nobodies, monsters, and gutter glitter, loves the stars, the deep dark sea, and a good horror mystery.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 20, 2022
Where do I start. Ok, so this is a dark, mystery, serial killer, thriller book, but so much more. The story is about Rina who's obsessed with the serial killer Black Heart, since she just turned 18 she runs away from home because she wants to leave behind the life she had with her incestuous father. There's Summer, who is also running away from the tumultuous relationship she had with her boyfriend and is also looking for a new life. They meet at a Women's shelter and feel an immediate connection and infatuation to each other.
More girls go missing and then found murdered by Black Heart, & Rina grows closer to Black Heart through her own investigations & gut instincts which just might have led her right into his path for his newest victim.
Trigger warning for incest, drug use, gory violence, and FMF menage'
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
More girls go missing and then found murdered by Black Heart, & Rina grows closer to Black Heart through her own investigations & gut instincts which just might have led her right into his path for his newest victim.
Trigger warning for incest, drug use, gory violence, and FMF menage'
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 1, 2023
Ok... where can I even start with Dark, Dark Heart. Firstly I want to say and I NEVER give spoilers in my reviews. Anyone who can write an opening chapter and make me feel like Kaitlin (Author) did with my skin crawling and me feeling slightly off balance with nausea... Well they deserve a 4 star just for that alone! I have read a variety of dark books on different subjects and that was just... Well wow.
This review is really hard to write without giving any spoilers though, so all I'll say is this. The book centres around Rina and Summer and is told from their points of views. Both girls have gone through some 'stuff' (Again no spoilers). Plus let me add to that a serial killer and a cast of characters who are all hiding something. Is one of them the Black Heart Killer? Who do you trust?
Dark, Dark Heart covers a variety of subjects and many of them will be triggering for some. Kailin made me feeling like I was experiencing all those things and let me tell you, that wasn't good. It was hard going. But I can only think of a few other books that have EVER done that for me. It also covers growing up, families, friends and learning to trust/live again. It's a fairly out there book and one that took me some time reading, namely as I felt there was so much to take in. With the girls chapters I felt like I was really them. Feeling, touching, smelling everything. It was a whole experience. As this was my first book by Kaitin I can say it won't be my last. I'm also hoping that with that ending chapter it won't be the last we see of some of these characters (I'll also add that does not mean there was a cliff hanger!). A solid 4 stars.
Thank you to Booksirens and Kaitin for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This review is really hard to write without giving any spoilers though, so all I'll say is this. The book centres around Rina and Summer and is told from their points of views. Both girls have gone through some 'stuff' (Again no spoilers). Plus let me add to that a serial killer and a cast of characters who are all hiding something. Is one of them the Black Heart Killer? Who do you trust?
Dark, Dark Heart covers a variety of subjects and many of them will be triggering for some. Kailin made me feeling like I was experiencing all those things and let me tell you, that wasn't good. It was hard going. But I can only think of a few other books that have EVER done that for me. It also covers growing up, families, friends and learning to trust/live again. It's a fairly out there book and one that took me some time reading, namely as I felt there was so much to take in. With the girls chapters I felt like I was really them. Feeling, touching, smelling everything. It was a whole experience. As this was my first book by Kaitin I can say it won't be my last. I'm also hoping that with that ending chapter it won't be the last we see of some of these characters (I'll also add that does not mean there was a cliff hanger!). A solid 4 stars.
Thank you to Booksirens and Kaitin for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
October 2, 2022
I received an eARC of this book on BookSirens and give it 4.5/5 stars.
Women are being murdered in Sadie, the killer leaving black heart calling cards at the murder scenes. Rina, a girl running from her past, is enthralled with Black Heart and wants to find the murderer. Rina also sees ghosts who are trying to tell her something; can she figure out what they’re trying to say before it’s too late? In this game of cat and mouse, Rina starts to learn to get out of her comfort zone with the help of her roommate, Summer, who is also running from her past and has something to hide.
I was immediately engrossed with this story and trying to figure out who the killer was. The author did a great job keeping you guessing and everyone had some kind of secret or characteristic that could make it seem like they were the killer. I really enjoyed the journey and am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this ARC.
Women are being murdered in Sadie, the killer leaving black heart calling cards at the murder scenes. Rina, a girl running from her past, is enthralled with Black Heart and wants to find the murderer. Rina also sees ghosts who are trying to tell her something; can she figure out what they’re trying to say before it’s too late? In this game of cat and mouse, Rina starts to learn to get out of her comfort zone with the help of her roommate, Summer, who is also running from her past and has something to hide.
I was immediately engrossed with this story and trying to figure out who the killer was. The author did a great job keeping you guessing and everyone had some kind of secret or characteristic that could make it seem like they were the killer. I really enjoyed the journey and am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this ARC.
December 8, 2022
This story is a rollercoaster in book form. The character build-up is easy to follow and definitely helps you to connect with them better.
Summer and Rina are two girls from different but similar pasts. They’ve experienced some of the ugliest things the world has to offer and because of this, they quickly become loyal, protective and supportive parts of each other’s lives. With an attraction to the Darker side of things, they find themselves caught in the attention of a serial killer. Rina desperately wants to find out who they are and get justice for their victims, while Summer tries to resist the temptation of Rina’s obsession, she ultimately gets pulled into the chase.
When I first started this book, It felt like it was very slow moving until I realized that all of the events and Explanations being given made a huge difference when trying to see from the characters perspective. Towards the middle of the book, things started to quicken up. You see more action, more romantic possibilities, you witness characters becoming more of themselves and shedding the ugly view they had of themselves before and we get to learn more about the events that brought Summer and Rina together. Things really start to cruise when you get past the 50% mark of the story. When I stared, I struggled to get into the story, but by the 1/2 way mark, I couldn’t put it down. I literally sat for three hours trying to finish this book before I had to return it. There was no way I would’ve been able to put this book down without finding out where events took Summer and Rina. I will say that out all the characters in this book, Rina was my favorite.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily*
Summer and Rina are two girls from different but similar pasts. They’ve experienced some of the ugliest things the world has to offer and because of this, they quickly become loyal, protective and supportive parts of each other’s lives. With an attraction to the Darker side of things, they find themselves caught in the attention of a serial killer. Rina desperately wants to find out who they are and get justice for their victims, while Summer tries to resist the temptation of Rina’s obsession, she ultimately gets pulled into the chase.
When I first started this book, It felt like it was very slow moving until I realized that all of the events and Explanations being given made a huge difference when trying to see from the characters perspective. Towards the middle of the book, things started to quicken up. You see more action, more romantic possibilities, you witness characters becoming more of themselves and shedding the ugly view they had of themselves before and we get to learn more about the events that brought Summer and Rina together. Things really start to cruise when you get past the 50% mark of the story. When I stared, I struggled to get into the story, but by the 1/2 way mark, I couldn’t put it down. I literally sat for three hours trying to finish this book before I had to return it. There was no way I would’ve been able to put this book down without finding out where events took Summer and Rina. I will say that out all the characters in this book, Rina was my favorite.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily*
October 12, 2022
Dark, Dark Heart is a great blend of the adult horror, mystery, thriller, and romance genres! I highly recommend checking trigger warnings before reading this book.
Kaitlin Corvus did an amazing job of keeping the mystery alive throughout this book! Nearly every character was a suspect, right up until the reveal. It definitely kept me guessing. I loved the calling card of the Black Heart as well!
It's difficult to mix together so many genres, but this book was really well done! It managed to create a compelling mystery, but also included engaging relationships. I find that often books like this can be over ambitious and fall flat, but that was definitely not the case! Plus, watching these relationships develop and grow while some of the characters were definitely still realistic suspects kept that creepy undercurrent alive!
This book is great if you enjoy stories with macabre mysteries and serial killers, without going too far into the gore (that's not to say there is none, but definitely lighter than some other options in the serial killer genre). It was a great creepy mystery, without being so disturbing as to keep you up at night!
*Disclaimer: I was generously provided with an ARC from the author. However, all viewpoints expressed above are my own!
Kaitlin Corvus did an amazing job of keeping the mystery alive throughout this book! Nearly every character was a suspect, right up until the reveal. It definitely kept me guessing. I loved the calling card of the Black Heart as well!
It's difficult to mix together so many genres, but this book was really well done! It managed to create a compelling mystery, but also included engaging relationships. I find that often books like this can be over ambitious and fall flat, but that was definitely not the case! Plus, watching these relationships develop and grow while some of the characters were definitely still realistic suspects kept that creepy undercurrent alive!
This book is great if you enjoy stories with macabre mysteries and serial killers, without going too far into the gore (that's not to say there is none, but definitely lighter than some other options in the serial killer genre). It was a great creepy mystery, without being so disturbing as to keep you up at night!
*Disclaimer: I was generously provided with an ARC from the author. However, all viewpoints expressed above are my own!
December 18, 2022
I love a good supernatural horror novel, and I have hit a dry spell as of late on ones that keep me captivated. The first chapter of Dark Dark Heart had me captivated. A murder, a hazy ghost, a fragile girl, and an unstable home life. Well, by the first chapter, we are on the second murder in the town of Sadie, and the main character, Rina, is running away. Then there is Summer, another lost young lady– the Vanishing Girl– with a secret. The plot really kicks off when Rina finds a camera with pictures that foretell more murders to come.
The writing was very fast paced, but there was enough detail to keep the story full and rich. I like how the character, Rina, feels very real and relatable. Her insecurities just jump off of the page in a way that feels personal without seeming self-pitying. Also, the plot wasn’t predictable, which is essential for a good murder mystery.
The writing was very fast paced, but there was enough detail to keep the story full and rich. I like how the character, Rina, feels very real and relatable. Her insecurities just jump off of the page in a way that feels personal without seeming self-pitying. Also, the plot wasn’t predictable, which is essential for a good murder mystery.
October 5, 2023
A dark, dark tale that beautifully walks the line between the thrilling and the fantastic. We follow Rina, a run away fleeing from the darkness that exists in her family home. Her father, her one surviving family member and the person who should keep her safe, does not.
Rina has always been drawn to the darkness. When a serial killer appears in the neighbouring town, she runs towards it, caught in a cat and mouse game with the killer. Navigating her new life, new relationships and this cat and mouse game is an exhilarating ride for the reader.
Beautifully written, spare a few typos/grammatical errors, this was a difficult book to put down. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Rina has always been drawn to the darkness. When a serial killer appears in the neighbouring town, she runs towards it, caught in a cat and mouse game with the killer. Navigating her new life, new relationships and this cat and mouse game is an exhilarating ride for the reader.
Beautifully written, spare a few typos/grammatical errors, this was a difficult book to put down. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
November 3, 2022
Women are being murdered and the only clue is the calling card left behind; of a black heart.
We mainly follow the character of Rina as she becomes obsessed with the serial killer, keeping a scrapbook of all information about them; however, Rina is running from her own demons.
This novel is a mix of genres and will leave you guessing about who the murderer is throughout. Corvus gives us a mix of characters as well as suspects and a narrative that is dark; you will want to keep reading until the end.
I would suggest being aware and checking the trigger warnings before reading.
We mainly follow the character of Rina as she becomes obsessed with the serial killer, keeping a scrapbook of all information about them; however, Rina is running from her own demons.
This novel is a mix of genres and will leave you guessing about who the murderer is throughout. Corvus gives us a mix of characters as well as suspects and a narrative that is dark; you will want to keep reading until the end.
I would suggest being aware and checking the trigger warnings before reading.
February 1, 2025
This book is a chilling mix of murder mystery and a touch of paranormal, all while characters navigate past the worst of human behavior. Here's the thing about Corvus's writing: she never presents disturbing material for shock value; instead, she uses visceral, poignant description to guide the reader through the emotions brought up. The journey is masterful and well-crafted, and I'm always left both satisfied with the ending and wanting more.
January 12, 2023
Dark in the best way. It’s eerie.
The plot is propelled forward by the clever use of suspense, measured action, and ingeniously written conflict.
An exceptional read with a powerfully unexpected conclusion. This will attract audiences both within and beyond the supernatural and horror genres.
The plot is propelled forward by the clever use of suspense, measured action, and ingeniously written conflict.
An exceptional read with a powerfully unexpected conclusion. This will attract audiences both within and beyond the supernatural and horror genres.
December 25, 2022
Highly complex characters with complicated relationships with each other. Slow burn, in my opinion. Will definitely read again.
Copy from Booksirens
Copy from Booksirens
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews