[ o54 ]

[katara]

Title: Skeletal
Author: Katherine Hayton
Format: Epub
Rating: 3.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: March 17, 2017 to March 20, 2017
Book Summary: Three months before she died Daina Harrow faced a bully at school.
Six weeks before she died Daina Harrow suffered an assault in the park.
One week before she died Daina Harrow stole a secret people had killed to hide.

That was ten years ago. Ten long years.

Now, her bones have been found on a building site. A coroner's inquest has been reopened. A parade of witnesses is about to start.

And Daina's here. Watching every day as her mother cries in the courtroom. Watching every day as her friends, and her enemies, and her killers lie about her on the stand.
Watching, and making sure that no matter what the coroner hears, you know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

So help you God.
Book Review: Real Rating: 3.5

The idea of this book was interesting but the book itself could not hold my interest entirely. I tried several times of putting the book down and coming back to it. I did finish it but I had to force myself to sit down to read it.

This book bounces between court hearings and the events that would lead up to the death of Daina. I felt sorry for this girl because she was bullied by not only those around her but also by her own mother, who I found, neglected her own daughter and cared little if the girl was safe and sound or even well-fed.

I don't know what it was about this book I did not like. Maybe the fact that Daina did not stand up for herself in some way or the fact everyone around her did nothing to lift a finger to help her. Even the school with their "do not tell" rule angered me. And her family were no better. Her mother sobbing in court made me feel less sympathic towards her. The woman was no mother whatsoever. She didn't care for Daina in life but suddenly the girl's body is found and there are court proceedings, she is going to cry? Where were those tears when the girl was alive? Where was the care then?

I struggled trying to understand all of it. Maybe that is the reason I did not care for the book. Maybe finding so little sympathy for half the characters especially when you know they did nothing to change the circumstances of the situation.

I will eventually re-read this book again. Maybe I will end up liking it. For now, it is in my pile of "not so favorite" books.