[Rachel’s Review]: The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore

They say she’s a murderess. She claims she’s innocent. But Lucy has been known to tell lies…
1855, New Hampshire. Lucy Blunt is set to hang for a double murder. Murderess or victim? Only Lucy knows the truth.
In the shadow of the gallows, Lucy reflects on the events that led to her bitter downfall—from the moment she arrived at the rambling Burton mansion looking for work and a better life to the grisly murders themselves.
In a mysterious household of locked doors and forbidden affections, Lucy slips comfortably into the shadows, where she believes the indiscretions of her past will remain hidden. But when Lucy’s rising status becomes a threat to the mistress’s current companion, the delicate balance of power and loyalty begins to shift, setting into motion a brewing storm of betrayal, suspicion, and rage.
Now, with her execution looming closer, Lucy’s allies fight to have her sentence overturned as the tale she’s spinning nears its conclusion. But how much of her story can we trust? After all, Lucy’s been known to bend the truth…

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I was so excited for this book because it seemed in the same genre of Alias Grace which I absolutely devoured. I loved the unreliable narrator who we as the reader (along with other characters in the book) desperately wanted to believe but left us questioning everything and everyone.

Things I Liked:

1. Unreliable narrator
2. None of the characters were completely likable. There were things that made you question their intentions and actions. They were sometimes wonderful and other times wonderfully cruel.
3. LGBTQ content!!! In 1850s America!!!! So rarely seen in novels and I loved that it was involved in this story (no spoilers for who or how though)
4. So suspenseful. I read the last 40% late into the night because I just couldn’t put it down and had to know how it ended.

Things I Didn’t:

1. The story was a little hard to track and I almost feel like I need to read it again so I don’t miss anything. Time jumped between the present, past, distant past, present, back to recent past without any kind of indication time had changed. I couldn’t get a handle on tracking until about halfway through.
2. The ending will not be satisfying for some. It seems like you got a resolution and the truth is finally out but did you really?

Overall I would definitely recommend this to fans of Alias Grace and I will be rereading again in the future!

ideallyrachel

Hi y’all, i’m Rachel! When i’m not reading or talking about books I can be found rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the 72nd time, working on my own novel, cheering on JMU football (Go Dukes!) and taking advantage of all the great museums and breweries Richmond has to offer.

Check out my instagram highlights and Goodreads page for more reviews of all the books i’ve read this year!