Congratulations to Kateri Stanley on a gripping, multi-genre novel full of twists and turns. Forgive Me utilises two devices for which I’m a total sucker: POV-switching and time-hopping. This can be make-or-break for a book, and successful execution relies on fluidity, flow, and pacing. Kateri is a master of all three.
I was happy to find a wealth of horror awaiting me within the pages of Forgive Me, but as previously mentioned, this is a pick ‘n’ mix rammed full of genres, in the best possible way. Funnily enough, I found the romance elements particularly beneficial to the story at large. I utilised romance as a subplot in my own horror novel, and I believe there’s a great deal of characterisation to be revealed through the exercising of a character’s romantic sensibilities, insecurities, and yearnings. Once again, Kateri nails this.
Forgive Me is a solid read with an intricate, interconnected plot that holds together through that writerly necessity of cause and effect – a necessity too often overlooked by both small and large-time authors. Kateri has managed to create a web of causality that keeps you tearing through the pages until there are no more, and what a bittersweet moment that is.
Tremendous read from a tremendous author!