Review: The Spires by Kate Moretti (audio)

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer / Brilliance Audio

Published: September 21, 2021

Source: Print – ARC Paperback via Amazon Publishing / Audio – ALC via Brilliance Audio

 

Summary:

A troubled woman becomes consumed by a past she’s desperate to forget in this unsettling psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year.

Strung between two teenagers, an unemployed husband, and a tenuous career, Penelope Cox barely has her life together when the past comes knocking at her door. Willa Blaine, her old roommate, needs her help: refuge from an abusive husband. “Two weeks tops,” she says—but it’s not the imposition that bothers Penelope; it’s the memories Willa brings with her.

Twenty years earlier, Penelope, Willa, and three friends lived together in a converted church. Insular and closed off from the rest of the world, the five roommates formed their own dysfunctional family, celebrating the pinnacle of their lives; they called themselves “the Spires.” But nights of wild parties gave way to a darker undercurrent: jealousy, resentment, unrequited love, and obsession. Tensions boiled over during a night of debauchery that ended in a deadly fire, leaving the Spires scattered and forever changed.

Now Willa is the perfect houseguest: accommodating, helpful, bringing a newfound sense of excitement to the Cox household. Yet Penelope can’t help but feel the cracks in her life widen as she begins to question Willa’s motives. Everyone has secrets, it seems—and the fire may have brought down the Spires, but not everything burned was forgotten.

 

My thoughts:

I have been a fan of Kate Moretti’s books for quite some time and always look forward to getting my hands on her latest one. And let me just say…this new one did not disappoint! She sure knows how to write twisted, dark reads that have you wondering just where things are heading.

I am always a fan of novels that explore relationships in any form and when you throw in deliciously twisted, well-developed characters that you aren’t quite sure you can trust, I am all in. Add in a converted church and college friends with a big secret and I couldn’t tear myself away.

This pacing of this story is just right and it is so atmospheric. The tension is so taut and there is a sense of unease to the book. Having the story move back and forth in time just amped up that tension as bit by bit we learn just what happened all those years ago. When Penelope’s college friend Willa shows up out of the blue at her door saying she needs a place to stay, of course Penelope lets her in, but something doesn’t sit right and as they spend time together, the memories of their year after college come spiraling back to the surface – memories she has never discussed with anyone, not even her family. The question is why?

This book grabbed me from the beginning and kept me engaged throughout. I always enjoy a dual narrative but I was more invested in the present time line than the past this time around. Was Penelope going crazy or did Willa have ulterior motives? I wavered back and forth here and loved that this just amped up the tension and emotional response I had to the book. And while the first half is a little slower than I would have liked, it definitely picks up in the second half and I have to say, I absolutely did not see that ending coming.

This is a great book to pick up as we head into ‘spooky season!” It’s that perfect mix of psychological thriller with some depth to it and I really enjoyed it.

 

Audio thoughts:

This is the type of book that translates really well onto audio – the type that once you start listening, you don’t want to stop and so you end up listening in one day! That’s what happened to me and I loved it! I thought the narrator, Siiri Scott, did a great job bringing this book to life. She gave each character their own unique voice and she infused just the right amount of tension and emotion into her voice as needed.