The Twisted Tree: An Amazon Kindle Bestseller: 'A creepy and evocative fantasy' The Sunday Times

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The secondary characters were two dimensional, and the main character was whiny and unlikeable. She had a great amount of self loathing about her eye, and we were constantly told that she is ugly and hideous because of her injury/disability. My favourite character was Gandalf the dog by a mile! I have mixed feelings about this one. It's impressive for a debut novel, and something different, but it does have it's issues. I'm not actually going to provide a synopsis for this one as 1. It's a complex little book to summarise, and 2.I think this works way better with no prior knowledge, but in short, it's a YA horror/fantasy/thriller/paranormal set in remote Norway with a mysterious family history and a really creepy old tree. Events that added little to the story – there were a few things that felt a bit ‘non-eventy’ to me that dragged out that first portion of the story and kinda added to the bit above

I really hope that Martha and her mum do end up moving to Norway. I think it's what's best for them and they will be able to look after the tree and fix their relationship at the same time. This was genuinely nicely spooky. The Nordic legends were very well used and explained. The quality of the writing was very good and made for an easy read. I did like the idea of Martha being able to read fabric - that was novel and interesting. Martha with all her emotions and fears makes an excellent character.It was the way the mysterious side of the story linked to the legends and the ghostly aspects which really made the book sing for me. The story of a girl who can tell things about a person just by touching their clothes made me shiver from the get go. Once this girl Martha gets to her grandmother’s cabin in the woods, I was on edge!

This is catogorised as a "Teens and Young Adult" book so I'm certainly not part of the intended demographic but nevertheless as someone who enjoys a well written spooky tale I must admit that I found this a most enjoyable read. Combining such diverse themes as romance, disability, Nordic mythology, ghosts, monsters and broken families the story ultimately is about redemption and coming to terms with the past and who you are. Determined to understand her strange ability, Martha sets off to visit her grandmother, Mormor – only to discover Mormor is dead, a peculiar boy is in her cabin and a terrifying creature is on the loose. It soon turns out that something is lurking in the woods, something connected to the twisted tree in the garden. If they are to stay alive the pair will need to rely on each other and Martha’s new skill of being able to see things with her blind eye. This book is honestly excellently written. I loved the style, I loved the imagery, I loved the Norse mythology woven in. I loved Martha and her insecurities, and I loved Stig and how mysterious he was. I didn't know who to trust and what was real or imagined, and I loved it. I really enjoyed how the setting, how being in such close quarters, accelerated the building relationship between Martha and Stig. I really enjoyed this. The atmosphere that was created was absolutely brilliant and had me on the edge of me seat. The pacing was not too or fast but just right and the suspense created added to the intrigue. The plotline was interesting and went in a direction which I didn't really expect but really enjoyed.She also wants to know why ever since she was partially blinded she tell things about people by touching their clothes. Fed up with not getting the answers from her mum she sets off to travel to Norway and ask her Grandmother. Unfortunately, when she arrives she discovers her Grandmother is dead and a teenage boy called Stig in her house, which is in the woods.

I was SO impressed this was a debut and that when I chatted with the author on TheBookTrail, she told me she’s never been to Norway! How to get the tone and setting this right without going is genius. Imagine where she will take us next! Another amazing book and will def become one of my favourites! I need a movie adaptation for this one!This is a book not to be missed. I read it in a couple of sittings as I didn’t want to put it down. Ms. Burge’s writing and her plot had me gripped the whole way through and whilst I love a good thriller even I felt uneasy in places – Just like the author wanted. The insta-love was so cringey and unnecessary, but it's YA so has to have romance right?! Also, the love interest was called Stig, which just made me think of the book, Stig of the dump Every. Single. Time. 😂😂 Plus we get to meet Hel and she was bloody awesome. Oh and the Norns, the three women that weave fate...perfect. Just perfect. Oh and Ysra, this powerful, strong, bear like woman that I would have loved to see more of. She had so much presence in her scenes and I was so sad when her and her husband, Olav, were killed.