Who knew 2021 would be the year of Hayley and her Kindle. I have smashed through books this year already and most of which have been on my Kindle. They haven't been long books but I have still read them quicker than usual. Anyway! The third book of the year is this one. I had it on my Kindle for a while so figured now was as good a time as ever to read it.
We follow Freya Miller as she is looking for a new home for her and her 5 year old daughter Skye. Poor Freya has been through a lot, her husband leaves her for a friend and then unexpectedly passes away. Unable to afford the family home she is forced to move, but living in expensive parts of London her choices are limited. To her luck in walks Doctor Marsden with an apartment available if she is interested. No need to worry about rent, its based on your salary instead of the space/location. This is just the miracle Freya was looking for, but can the apartment at Adder House be too good to be true? Strange events start to unfold, but is it Freya's imagination or are the residents of Adder House a little bit strange?
Well the concept of the story intrigued me so I was super keen to kick start this book. I like Slater's writing and was quickly gripped in what was happening to Freya. And most importantly I liked Freya as a character. We are introduced to various characters around Freya, most importantly the ones living at Adder House. It is very easy to sum up a judgement on these characters and I really enjoyed following them and seeing them develop. Freya does have a best friend, Brenna, who appears but not as much as I would have liked and expected. I guess she was not a pivotal character but given Freya's situation I surprised I guess for her to not be mentioned a little more.
I found I was most of the way through the book and still had no idea what was going on! I liked this immensely. Very rarely can you get a book and not guess the outcome. There were various times in the book I was left wondering what on earth was going on and even outraged, and we were even taken back in time to another story that provided possible hints to what was happening to Freya and Skye. And even little snippets of the suspected fiend but again no idea who it could be! But all the while not enough information was given to give too much away. I found myself trying to look for clues, it was all very exciting!
Sadly it all came to a rather abrupt end. I was very much gripped and NEEDED to know what was going on! And then just like that it was over. It was incredibly disappointing to have it all wrapped up so quickly after such a cleverly structured story, it felt like something was still missing. It hadn't fed the hunger I felt for this climax. I also still have questions regarding some of the other characters as I also felt like these were missed or forgotten in the hurried ending.
It was such a shame as I was very much loving this book. I would have preferred a few more pages personally. However it would make a very good holiday read, but unfortunately not one I would reach for again.
The Apartment by K. L. Slater
Pages - 266
Goodreads Rating - ⭐⭐⭐
