Book Review: Dragonfly Summer by J.H. Moncrieff
Title: Dragonfly Summer
Author: J.H. Moncrieff
Release date: Originally released February 13th, 2020, re-releasing November 15th, 2022
Huge massive thanks to J.H. Moncrieff, Flametree Press and Netgalley for sending me a digital ARC of this one!
Originally released as an audible only release back in 2020, fans of Moncrieff were elated when this was announced as coming in November in physical form! As a massive fan of her work, I’m always excited to see what she’s creating and knowing that this one was partially inspired by a real-life moment from her youth, I knew this one would be filled with emotions. The other thing that I was curious about – Moncrieff and myself both come from small-towns (at opposite ends of the same province) but we both share similar feelings towards ever returning to those places.
What I liked: The story follows Jo Carter, who, after receiving some odd bits of mail regarding her high school best friend, Sam, who disappeared mysteriously around grad, returns to her hometown. A town she vowed she’d never return too, but is now determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her friend.
Moncrieff does a wonderful job of showcasing just how claustrophobic and intermingled these small towns can be, and how interwoven appearances and justice are. Money and subsequently status associated with money play a prominent role and as Carter begins to discover little bits and pieces, we see that rear up.
Moncrieff also does a pointed, spot-on job of showing how those who typical remain behind can end up bitter, jaded and outwardly aggressive to those who return. This not only begins to create issues for Carter, but it also begins to highlight Carter’s memory struggles, which move the story along really well and help to heighten the chaos that is continuously happening.
The ending is messy, complicated and worked really well to show just how much each person involved had to bury for so many years to keep their stories straight.
What I didn’t like: When taken as a whole, there are a number of ‘tells’ throughout that give away the ‘who’ as you go on. Fear not, that only pushes Moncrieff to try and deflect and distract more often, which gives us some other clues to fill in the gaps.
As well, I think if someone hasn’t experienced the frustrating aspects of small town life, they may find this to come off a ‘bit much,’ but trust me when I say – it is 100% accurate.
Why you should buy this: Fans of Moncrieff will know exactly what they’re in for – a solid, strong female lead, a mystery-wrapped-in-a-riddle and electrifying sequences that are tailor-made for the big screen. ‘Dragonfly Summer’ walks the line between her straight ahead horror novels and her Ghostwritten series and will make fans very happy!
5/5
