Book Reviews

Frozen Heart: #TheSplit by Sharon Bolton @AuthorSJBolton @TrapezeBooks @alexxlayt #BlogTour #audiobook

Meggy | Chocolate'n'Waffles

Title: The Split
Author: Sharon Bolton
Narrator: Kate Scarfe
Publisher: Trapeze
Format: audiobook
Date of release: 30 Avril 2020
Length: 10h49min

She’s Got Nowhere Left to Hide.

A year ago, in desperation, Felicity Lloyd signed up for a lengthy research trip to the remote island of South Georgia.

It was her only way to escape. And Now He’s Coming for Her. Freddie Lloyd has served time for murder. Out at last, he’s on her trail.

And this time, he won’t stop until he finds her.

Because no matter how far you run, some secrets will always catch up with you.

Tense, gripping and with a twist you won’t see coming, Sharon Bolton is back in an explosive new thriller about a woman on the run…

The Split was my first Sharon Bolton ever.

Yes, I know, why did I wait for so long? You know how it is – an endless TBR, the crippling fear of not enjoying a famous author who is a big name in the genre, blabla.

But here we are. I jumped. I listened. I adored it!

When the final seconds of The Split faded away, my first thought was “What the hell just happened to me?!” I am used to devilish plots, tricky knots, not-so-reliable characters, complex and extreme situations, but nothing had prepared me for the taut and exciting plunge that this audiobook was.

We meet Felicity Lloyd in South Georgia. No, not the state, but the icy island where she is studying glaciers. The author sets the tone really quickly – the place is remote and dangerous. It holds research buildings inhabited by a dozen people. Nowhere to hide. I am in awe of Sharon Bolton’s atmospheric writing. Mirroring Felicity’s state of mind, the island felt lonely and slippery, ready to let itself get submerged by the water. Because if Felicity is there to work, it is not the only reason she agreed to this two-year research trip. She is on the run. It is in the way she breathes, in the thoughts on the pages, in the sparse details the author shares from the beginning. There are invisible monsters.

And Felicity’s is coming…

I was so intensely immersed into the story that when the whole setting changed, bringing me to Cambridge nine month earlier, it took me a minute. I was almost angry at the book. “Hey, bring me back! I want to know what happens!!!” But this jump back in time is crucial to understand the situation Felicity finds herself into later. In fact, Cambridge is the pivotal element bringing together all parts of the novel.

So, Felicity has just been offered the position in South Georgia, and one of the requirements is a health assessment, including a mental health one. Here enters Dr Joe. In the blink of an eye, I was no longer on the ice, but greedy for information, for anything that would let me get closer to both Felicity and Joe. They are outstanding protagonists. I am not talking about super heroes, people who are better than the rest of us, or more interesting, or having the Kardashian’s bank account. No, they’re outstanding in their own way because of Sharon Bolton’s ability to serve on a plate realist and scarred characters. She is not afraid to show all their faces. You are free to judge, free to make assumptions… And free to be wrong! We learn a lot during this time without ever losing the foreboding of an impending tragedy. Do I want to get into details? No. What I really want to say at this point is that the narrator is perfect. She captured the heart of each character and led me through the story seamlessly and beautifully.

Abruptly sent back to South Georgia, I was not ready for the cold shower, the final twists, the racing pulse, and the rocket explosion which were awaiting me. If every chapter had its share of spins and surprises, the final part just won the award for Best Downpour of Emotion!

I highly recommend The Split to anyone who is looking for an audiobook so intense you won’t want to tear yourself away from it. My first steps in Sharon Bolton’s world couldn’t have been better!

Grab your copy here!

I would like to thank Alex at Trapeze for having me on the tour. The audiobook was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I just realized I don’t appear on the banner, haha! But I’m here, sharing the book love!

Published by Meggy | Chocolate'n'Waffles

30 thoughts on “Frozen Heart: #TheSplit by Sharon Bolton @AuthorSJBolton @TrapezeBooks @alexxlayt #BlogTour #audiobook”

      1. The Craftman is a bit different from her other books because it has a supernatural element which is just not for everyone. I highly recommend Daisy in Chains and her police procedural Lacy Flint series! Who am I kidding, I recommend all her books, I’m a total fan girl 😂

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  5. She’s one of my fav authors! Yes I didn’t like The Craftsman so much but that’s exceptional and I think you wouldn’t feel the same way perhaps about it either. It sounds like she wrote another hit that I’d love too with this one though! Wonderful xx

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  9. Wonderful review! I definitely can’t wait to read this one myself. I’ve enjoyed her work in the past, although I confess that I’m behind when it comes to her backlist too. 😉 xx

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      1. I’m not sure if the sheer size of my backlist mountain is reassuring or simply daunting though. xD But at least we’ll never run out of books to read! xx

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