Rachel has always been drawn to the macabre. As a child, she would write stories and draw pictures that her mum would take away because they gave her nightmares. The descriptions of the cabin were amazing, I felt like I was actually there with Martha and Stig and the wind howling outside. I loved the romance aspect and was really rooting for them to get together.

The book has so many levels to it. I’ve never really been a lover of mythology but it was weaved into the story perfectly and with ease and the book certainly wouldn’t have worked without it. I received a free ebook version of this from Netgalley. Thankyou to both the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this. My review is still honest! You write the story of you every day with your thoughts, words and deeds. You create yourself. You get to decide your story. No one else. You." The Twisted Tree is part Thriller, part Mythology and is very exciting and will have you on the edge of your seat. There are some moments which will creep you out and a few that will make you jump.Also, amongst all these amazing female characters we have Stig. I adored Stig even though by the end I had no idea if he was who he said he was or not. I want to know so much more about him. Just one of the reasons I would love a sequel. I think one of the main things I like about Stig is that he isn't your average love interest, just like Martha isn't your average heroine. He's good looking but in his own way, he takes everything that is thrown at them and even though he struggles with it, he always helps Martha and wants to protect her. He marches into a snowstorm to help her even though he is scared. That's courage. But also...I mean did he do something to Nina? If that was her ghost, did she follow him there? Why? Does she blame him? Why? I need to know!!! I also want to know what happens next between him and Martha. Can she trust him? I don't know but I want there to be a future for them somewhere. I really hope that Martha and her mum do end up moving to Norway. I think it's what's best for them and they will be able to look after the tree and fix their relationship at the same time.

It soon turns out that something is lurking in the woods, something connected to the twisted tree in the garden. If they are to stay alive the pair will need to rely on each other and Martha’s new skill of being able to see things with her blind eye. Events that added little to the story – there were a few things that felt a bit ‘non-eventy’ to me that dragged out that first portion of the story and kinda added to the bit above Another amazing book and will def become one of my favourites! I need a movie adaptation for this one! This was a wonderful and relatively short fantasy/reality story. Martha was a great heroine and I loved the combination of fantasy, Norse mythology, creepiness and romance. That doesn't sound like it would work but it really did!

I’m not going to tell you much more at this point as there is no way to tell you more without being a completely spoilers based review I was SO impressed this was a debut and that when I chatted with the author on TheBookTrail, she told me she’s never been to Norway! How to get the tone and setting this right without going is genius. Imagine where she will take us next! This book has everything - a great plot with twists you don’t see coming, interesting and well-rounded characters that you care about, beautiful writing. And the Norse myth and Norwegian language made it even more special. I know I'm not the target audience, but I love a ya fantasy, and was really looking forward to this! It felt very young ya/middle grade to me, and the writing was very immature. This book is well written and well thought. Every characters, stories, the pace, the setting, and every detail are carefully weaved and knitted into one wonderful and magical story. I love this book SO MUCH! It gripped me from the very beginning and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

I have been looking for a YA book that sets in Norway that is written in English, since my Norwegian is not advance yet. Then I came across this book, and have to request the ARC. Then I got it and I’m truly truly happy! Thank you so much to the author & publisher for sending me this book. The only reason for not giving this 5 stars? I felt there was a lot of unfinished business with Stig. At the end of the novel I had more questions than answers with regards to his past and personality and I felt more could have been done to tie up these loose ends. Upon arrival she finds herself in an even more difficult position in that her Grandmother has recently died, a stranger is in her Grandmother’s house and there is something wild in the woods killing animals and people. Something that even a bullet can’t stop! Also, I was really uncomfortable with how Martha being blind in one eye was handled. Martha falling out of the tree and becoming blind in one eye was her destiny, and there's a purpose behind her half-blindness. Being half-blind is a tool that will help her (again, not fully explained to my satisfaction). It just doesn't seem right to me to purposely decide a character will be half-blind, she'll be half-blind for a reason, and there's something "magical" about her being half-blind. It just feels really insensitive to me, using people's disability as a magical means to an end. Martha isn't half-blind for purposes of representation or diversity, she's half-blind because it helps the plot.This book is honestly excellently written. I loved the style, I loved the imagery, I loved the Norse mythology woven in. I loved Martha and her insecurities, and I loved Stig and how mysterious he was. I didn't know who to trust and what was real or imagined, and I loved it. I really enjoyed how the setting, how being in such close quarters, accelerated the building relationship between Martha and Stig.