Skeletal - Katherine Hayton

Skeletal – Katherine Hayton

I received a digital copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the blurb for this book, I knew I had to read it. It looked set to provide me with a YA thriller of a book, filled with mystery, suspense and dealing with issues that some may never even dream of happening to them. Instantly, I knew this book would be a good one, and Katherine Hayton did not disappoint.

First of, let’s look at the blurb:

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.

Skeletal is told from the perspective of Daina Harrow, but not Daina Harrow as you expect. Daina is dead and this story is told from her flash backs, as well as statement accounts from her own coroners court ten years after her death, as at last, she has been found.

Skeletal is certainly not a book for the weak hearted, this book is incredibly deep and incredibly dark. Many YA books tiptoe carefully around life events, however Skeletal is hard hitting and a complete eye opener. Covering such sensitive topics, that are so cleverly and beautifully written, that you feel each and every heart wrenching moment, and are truly at Daina’s side throughout the entire story. It really becomes one emotional rollercoaster and even though you are reading from Daina’s POV from the other side, you still cling to some hope that she may make it through. It is a complete page turner and you really struggle to put it down.

The plot for this novel is truly fascinating, we meet Daina who has had to move to a new school and yet another town, her mother is an alcoholic and a drug abuser, her dad has left and started a new family, and we see Daina really is neglected and alone. Her start at her new school doesn’t go well either; she makes a few friends, but also makes instant enemies. This results in some really hard hitting bullying and physical attacks, which are truly shocking to read and witness. Throughout the book we see the flaws of the school system, loss of evidence at the coroner’s court and just the negligence of parenting from Daina’s mother’s side, and just how this was able to go on undetected and unreported.

You are constantly left questioning throughout this book, trying to piece together information, constantly looking out for who her killer could be, was it an accident, was it merely from malnourishment, just what happened for Daina to be dead and her body found in the foundations of an abandoned house, and just who is that man in Grey? All questions which ultimately are answered and tied together into one big intricate ball of exposure which really makes you realise just the extent of how the events in Daina’s life have panned out.

Usually I give a quick rundown of the characters in the book, their traits and personalities, but I really cannot do that in this review, as I fear it will spoil a great deal of the story for others. However this book truly is incredibly, and with each twist and turn this book takes you really don’t expect it to be as big as it really is. You never know who to trust and just who is being real and who is being fake.

This novel is a great testament to Katherine Hayton’s writing and ability to unravel a story and keep you guessing throughout each turning page and I truly cannot wait to see what else she produces.

I highly recommend this book if you love a good thriller and mystery. But don’t go into this book thinking it will be a light hearted YA book, as it really and truly isn’t. It is completely heart breaking and yet brilliant at the same time.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.