Where Ladybugs Go to Die

4.5 Stars

The writing in this novel is very beautiful at times. You can tell the author possesses this skill in spades. I had to drop half a star for animal abuse/death. It's just so awful to read and better in my opinion, to be alluded to but not necessarily described. I loved the idea of the Rhyme Reaper and how the kids nursery rhymes were twisted to fill the killers purpose, this strategy makes the book very memorable. The twists were pretty good. I will definitely be checking out more by this author.

Great dark read.

Where Ladybugs Go to Die – 3/5 Stars

The premise here is genuinely original. A killer using nursery rhymes, ladybug carvings as calling cards, a grieving daughter thrust into the middle of it – there's a lot to love in the concept, and Kirsten clearly has a creative mind. The story kept me reading, and that counts for something.

Where it stumbles is in execution. There are pacing issues that pulled me out of the story – scenes that escalate out of nowhere without enough build-up to earn the tension (a sudden storm at a wedding that goes from zero to chaos in a matter of lines, for example). A few scenes also had characters appear or dialogue shift in ways that left me re-reading to figure out who was talking and whether they'd been there all along.

The editing needs another pass. It's not a deal breaker if you love the genre and can overlook rough spots, but readers who need polished prose will struggle.

I'm genuinely rooting for this author – the bones of a great thriller are here. With a developmental edit and a thorough line edit, this could be a standout. As it stands, it's a 3-star read with 5-star potential.