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A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. To share any more of the plot would spoil this wonderful mystery but I would like to leave you with a taste of Ms. Feeney’s beautiful prose : “ We spend our youth building sandcastles of ambition, then watch as life blows sands of doubt over our carefully crafted turrets of wishes and dreams, until we can no longer see them at all.”
This news goes about as well as can be expected within an emotionally stunted family. Everyone flips out except for Daisy, who is only saddened because she loves Seaglass and all its eccentricities the most. But she loves her niece too, and Trixie wouldn’t hurt her. They have a close relationship.The main character, Daisy, is a girl with a heart condition, a girl who heart has stopped multiple times. As a result, she’s been a bit overprotected by her family.
Don’t waste your life wishing to be like someone else, decide who you are and be you.” was sage advice from Nana to Daisy. How can you apply this advice to your own life? Isn’t this what we try to impart to our kids all of the time? Be your own person. Be your best self, your own self, and love who you are. I can’t say more about the characters because it’s honestly so twisty and unexpected and a lot of them are morally grey and unreliable. But I thought they all made the story so intriguing, twisty and dark and I think the author did a really great job of portraying such flawed and suffering characters. At one point in the story they all lied, and some ulterior motives and secrets were revealed as the story went on, that I really didn’t expect… I still have my two favourite characters, and I still hate the characters I did at the start, but the story and the relationships were all so complex and intertwined that it’s just impossible to say anything else otherwise I’ll reveal major spoilers. THEMES There was something magical about an island—the mere word suggested fantasy. You lost touch with the world—an island was a world of its own. A world, perhaps, from which you might never return.”Not my favorite Feeney book (though it is hers)! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but something more original than this one. Just IMHO. Daisy Darker was born with a heart condition, has had to be resuscitated many times in the past and has been told that she won’t have a long life. Her family isn’t quite supportive of her and the only person she feels truly cares about her is her Nana. Daisy Darker is a first rate, gripping thriller. Alice Feeney’s gorgeous writing will sweep you up like a runaway train. Hold on for the ride!” Trixie: 15 years old, sweet, kind, smart child of Lily, who deserves better family and obviously more caring mother. It seems like only her aunt Daisy and Nana truly connects with her. I feel like Feeney's novels are getting better and better with each one and can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Trigger warnings: drinking and alcohol abuse, talk about an alcoholic going into rehab, abuse because of drink, violence, murder, death, gore, guns, poison, bullying, heart condition, dangerous family secrets, sexual content. Feeney explained that Daisy Darker is her favorite of all the books she wrote... I'm sorry to say that's the one I enjoyed the least, but I can see why it will attract many readers.I think knowing you might die sooner rather than later does make a person live life differently. Death is a life-changing deadline, and I'm forever in debt to everyone who helped me outstay my welcome. I do my best to pay it forward. I try to be kind to others, as well as to myself, and rarely sweat the small stuff these days. I might not have much in terms of material possessions, but that sort of thing never really mattered to me." Wow! Echoes of Christie’s And Then There Were Nonebut turned into something wonderfully original and wrapped in a genuinely creepy dysfunctional family fairy-tale of a novel, this takes Feeney to the next level. I LOVED IT!”
In my opinion, the best part of this book will be the one-liners (which we never usually expect in thrillers) told by the characters in multiple parts of this book. I think there are more than fifty one-liners in this book. I found each one informative, and these pearls of wisdom are placed in correct intervals and correct areas in the most effective way by the author. I will share a few of them here. In fact, it may be because of this that she has chosen this birthday to gather her entire family, including her son, Frank, ex-daughter in law, Nancy, three granddaughters, Rose, Lily and Daisy, one great-granddaughter, Trixie and a man named Connor, who has been a sort of unofficial member of the Darker family for years, to air some things. Lily, the middle child, is their mother’s favorite. She lives with Mom and her daughter, Trixie-the-heir-apparent, but doesn’t have a job or much in the way of prospects. She always wanted whatever Rose had and found Daisy to be a pain. Once everyone has arrived, Nana announces that she has gathered them all together for the reading of her Will. Daisy was never allowed to attend school, make friends or do any of the normal things that kids do. Daisy spent the school year alone with her books which transported her and inspired her.
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The plot didn't grab my attention until the 50% mark, but it was too little too late. I can't give a high rating to a book I didn't have fun reading. And I was so bummed to guess the 3 FINAL TWISTS! The explanations for the murders were so far-fetched, I really had to suspend my disbelief. The entire book takes place in less than twenty-four hours, during a time when the family has gathered to celebrate the birthday of Nana (on Halloween!) The Darker family has assembled at Seaglass for Nana’s 80th birthday. Frank and Nancy have been divorced for years but return for what they are sure will be a reading of Nana’s will. Talk about intriguing. I was enamored by the plot and the rhyming sections about Daisy and her family. Speaking of Daisy, she is the narrator of this story. She is also Nana's favorite. What a story this is! Plus, that twist!!!!!! You will have to read to find out what that is. I was thoroughly enjoying the book the whole way through and then Feeney blew my mind!
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