I was expecting this to be one of those thrillers that jumps straight in and punches you right in the scaredy bone. But actually it starts off more slow and sinister, building background before going too deep into fear.

Because of the structure of the story, with events being recalled rather than happening in real time, it frames things in a more emotional light, rather than focusing on tension or cheap scares. That paves the way for a focus on survival and strength, where it is the women who take centre stage. Of course there is horror woven in, but it is never the driver of the story.

Inara is an amazing protagonist and peeling the layers from her story over the course of the book just had me completely invested. I was surprised by how much I loved this book, apart from it feeling a little rushed at the end - there's a quite a reveal shoehorned into the final few pages that I would have liked more time with. But I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series.